MIGHTY MAC: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Jami MacDonald, left, heads to goal in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, senior attacker MacDonald tallied five goals and two assists to help Princeton defeat Cornell 14-12. The No. 20 Tigers, now 5-5 overall and 2-1 Ivy League, host Penn on April 8 and then play at Columbia on April 11. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
With the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team clinging to a 13-11 fourth quarter lead over Cornell last Saturday, Jami MacDonald took off for goal, going long like a wide receiver and gathering in a long pass over her shoulder from Abigail Roberts.
Cradling the ball, MacDonald didn’t break stride as she fired the ball into the back of the net.
“I saw Abby’s eyes light up, and so I turned the other way and started running,” said senior attacker MacDonald. “I knew she was going to hit me and it felt great. I was hoping to give her that assist. It is a big thing for a defender to get an assist. I wanted to get that juice play for her and the rest of the team.”
That play helped seal the deal for Princeton as it went on to a 14-12 win, improving to 5-5 overall and 2-1 Ivy League.
Having entered the day mired in a two-game losing streak having lost 16-8 to Yale on March 28 and 10-8 to Stony Brook on April 1, the Tigers were determined to get back on the right track.
“Our mindset was definitely focusing on ourselves and getting back to the way we play, especially offensively, with quick ball movement and sharing the ball,” said MacDonald.
Riding the one-two punch of MacDonald and fellow senior attacker Haven Dora, the Tigers built a 7-3 halftime lead.
“We are always looking for each other,” said MacDonald, who tallied two goals and an assist in the first half with Dora chipping in two goals and two assists. “We are best friends off the field and I think that makes a huge difference on the field because we have so much trust. I know that if I give it to her, she is putting it in the back of the net. I think that is a pretty reciprocal relationship.”
In the third quarter, the Tigers had to weather a storm as the Big Red outscored them 7-4 and won 10 of 12 draw controls in the frame.
“I was not concerned,” said MacDonald. “I had all of the faith in my defense and that we were going to figure it out on our draw controls and we did. I was ready to get the ball back.”
Getting back on the winning track was a confidence builder for the Tigers.
“It is definitely something we can build on,” said MacDonald, who ended up with five goals and two assists in the win and now has a team-high 46 posts in 28 goals and 18 assists. “We are taking it day-by-day and opponent-by-opponent. We needed an Ivy win to set the tone back in the league after the loss against Yale.”
No. 20 Princeton is heading into a big Ivy week as it hosts Penn on April 8 and then plays at Columbia on April 11.
“It is keep rolling and keep working on the things from this weekend and learning from the things we made mistakes on,” said MacDonald.
Learning from her older brother, Mikey, a 2015 Princeton grad who starred for the Tiger men’s lax program as he scored 208 points, played a key role in MacDonald’s progress and her decision to play at Princeton.
“There are definitely a lot of chirps between me and him,” said a grinning MacDonald, a 5’7 native of Georgetown, Ontario who has passed her brother’s career numbers as she now has 235 points on 144 goals and 91 assists. “It is funny, he likes to say he taught me lacrosse and so even if I pass him, it doesn’t count. He is nothing but supportive. He is the reason I am here. He is my biggest fan.”
Princeton head coach Jenn Cook liked the big effort she got from her players in the win over Cornell.
“Our game is a game of runs at times, so it is having confidence in ourselves in those moments where the game gets tight,” said Cook. “I thought our players were incredibly resilient today and really did a great job of celebrating the small wins on the field like a ground ball, a draw control, a goal, a save. We let that energy carry us.”
The Tigers needed that energy to overcome Cornell, who moved to 7-4 overall and 2-2 Ivy with the loss.
“Cornell is a really tough Ivy opponent — we have always had tight games with them,” said Cook. “They are incredibly well-coached and they are always going to give us a really tough game like they did today. We knew that coming into it. I thought our players really executed the game plan on both sides of the ball incredibly well.”
Cook acknowledged that things got a little dicey in the third quarter.
“I think we just needed to do some small things better, that was huge for us,” said Cook. “It was the draw of course. I also want to give a lot of credit to coach Kerrin Maurer with the decision to put Cassandra Kitchen on the draw. I thought that was awesome. The game is a game of runs. We have got to have the mental toughness to have the confidence on the offensive side to put it away and we did.”
MacDonald’s offensive production made a huge difference for the Tigers.
“Seven points on the day, it was really unbelievable,” said Cook. “Jami just had a really incredible game today. She finished when she needed to. She played with confidence and belief and it was just great to see.”
The connection between MacDonald and Dora, who ended up with two goals and four assists in the win, gives the Tiger attack plenty of confidence.
“Jami and Haven do such a great job of organizing our offense and really leading and getting people the right looks,” said Cook. “They really are incredible seniors and players.”
At the defensive end, another senior, Roberts, led the way as she scooped up seven ground balls, caused four turnovers, won two draw controls, and had the assist to MacDonald.
“In big moments, she wants to be making those big plays,” said Cook of Roberts, who was later named the Ivy Defensive Player of the Week. “She just sparked so much energy with how much belief she plays with. She has been another senior that just has incredible leadership and has given so much energy to this group whether it is off the draw or on 50/50 ground balls. She does the little things that end up being big things in the stat column.”
Cook is hoping that the win over Cornell will be a harbinger of big things to come for the Tigers.
“The Ivy is always a tough conference to play in,” said Cook.
“It is always going to be a dog fight when you are playing an Ivy League game. This is obviously a confidence builder. We hope this is a launching point for us.
In order to win the upcoming battles against Penn and Columbia, Princeton will need to stay in the present.
“It is win the minute that you are in and compete,” said Cook.
“For us, a lot that we have talked about is playing for something bigger than ourselves. We understand that and we are playing for each other. It was a whole lot of fun today — you could see it on the field.”
MacDonald is determined to make the most out of every moment as she heads into the homestretch of her Tiger career.
“It is pretty sentimental, I am taking every game as it could be my last one,” said MacDonald. “I am just trying to enjoy every second with my friends on the field. It has been my biggest thing recently, being grateful and living it to my fullest.”