Maryland wins national championship, 16-8
By: Justin Feil
EWING — After quarterfinal and semifinal wins left first Duke then James Madison in tears, the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team found itself in the same situation choking back emotions as it tried to answer the post-game questions.
“How devastating is this?”
“Where did it all go wrong?”
“What are the positives from this loss?”
In the case of the Tigers, who fell one half short of a national title with a 16-8 loss to Maryland on Sunday, the answers to the last question were plenty positive.
For starters, there was the 4-3 half-time lead over the — if the phrase hasn’t been coined — “six-peat” champion Terrapins. Add to that the fact that Princeton, which finished its season 15-4 overall, wasn’t supposed to have any business in the NCAA tournament this season. And there was the knowledge that all but four players on the Princeton roster will return next season for a chance to stop Maryland again.
“Our team really came out strong,” PU head coach Chris Sailer said. “They played a great first half. I thought we were so sharp defensively to hold them to three goals in that first half and we took advantage of some strong opportunities on offense. I thought we were playing just about as well as we could have played defensively in the first half.
“Overall, I’m just really proud of this team,” she added. “Nobody ever expected us to be here. Obviously we would have liked a different result in the second half but I think we’ve had a great season and we’re looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Princeton, which stopped James Madison, 15-9, thanks to five goals from Kim Smith and a strong first half and consistent second half, will return all three players named to the NCAA All-Tournament team — Julie Shaner, Lauren Simone and Brook Owens — and a host of other contributors. Simone finished with three goals Sunday after scoring two against James Madison and Owens played two strong games defensively. Shaner, a speedy midfielder, scored two goals, including one just four seconds before halftime, to establish Princeton’s 4-3 lead against Maryland.
“At halftime, we were really pumped and excited,” said the junior, who also scored the game-opening goal and two others in Princeton’s win over JMU. “We put out a great effort in the first half and we were on top… We wanted to come out in the first five minutes and set the tempo again, but unfortunately, Maryland did that and we could never get back in our rhythm.
“Them coming out hard in the first five minutes set the tone for the second half. I think maybe we’ll learn from that for next year.”
Princeton was able to set the tone against James Madison with a strong defensive game and solid passing offensively. That combination didn’t materialize in the second half Sunday. The Terrapins scored seven of the first eight goals in the second half to pull out to a 10-5 lead. Despite a goal from Simone, Maryland’s championship-winning experience came through in the final portion of the game.
“I think we’ve had a great run in the tournament,” Sailer said. “Certainly, for two and half games, I think we played incredibly poised, incredibly fired up with a lot of confidence.”
“I think we were all really proud and sort of honored to play today,” said Charlotte Kenworthy whose second-half goal brought Princeton closest to the Terrapins at 6-5. “I don’t think we had very much pressure on us going into the game. I know that we went in with confidence knowing we had the opportunity to play a great game.
“Especially knowing that we had to play Maryland, we knew they were five-time champions, but we had fun out there and played a great game. We put everything out there we had, and it was a great opportunity. I feel really honored to have that chance.”
But for Princeton, it doesn’t stop there. The returnees have one thing in mind — getting back to the Final Four and coming out on top. And next year, Princeton hopes to be in the same league as Maryland for two halves of play.
“What gives me a lot of hope is the way we played in the first half,” Sailer said. “But I think there is still a big difference between a team that can put on that kind of show in the second half. It’s where we need to be, so it gives us something to shoot for in the future and to know the level of how we have to be able to play in the finals for the full 60 minutes to win. It’s a big challenge to beat Maryland. This shows all the kids what they have to do this summer to get better. You have to give the credit to Maryland.”
“Now we know what it feels like to be here,” Simone said. “None of us except for Jen (Alexander who) was the only one who knew what it felt like to come to a Final Four and now play for a national championship. Now that we know, I couldn’t really see us settling for less the next couple years. If have to end your season at some point, it feels great to end it being here. There’s only one better way to end the season. That says a lot about getting this far.”