Many Penn-Princeton matchups of late have been mere grudge matches with empty words about intensity and ancient rivalries.
But tonight on Franklin Field at 7 p.m., the women's lacrosse team will restore some meaning to the rivalry and finally give fans what they've been waiting for: a bout against Princeton with legitimate title implications for both sides.
The No. 3 Quakers (11-0, 5-0 Ivy) and No. 7 Tigers (10-1, 4-0) both boast perfect Ivy League records deep into conference play. A Penn win guarantees the team at least a share of the league crown, while a Princeton victory would put the Tigers on the brink of clinching, barring a late-season collapse.
Besides the title implications, the Quakers still recognize the added significance of a skirmish with the Tigers.
"We love playing Princeton," coach Karin Brower said. "They're Penn's biggest rival [in] everything, and we've been looking forward to this game all year."
Princeton boasts a slightly higher scoring attack with 12.64 goals per game compared to Penn's 11.62 average, though the Red and Blue have committed 82 fewer turnovers (195 versus 113). The Quakers, however, hold a huge advantage on the defensive end with a nation-best 4.86 goals against average, while the Tigers allow 7.6 per game.
Princeton has defeated three teams currently in the top 20 - No. 10 Virginia, No. 17 Penn State and No. 18 Cornell - and their only loss came by a single goal to No. 5 Duke, 13-12.
"They're very strong, and they have a very good senior class," Brower said. "They're great, so it's going to be a battle."
Three of Princeton's top four points leaders - midfielders Holly McGarvie and Kristen Schwab and attack Christine Casaceli - are part of the Class of 2009, though sophomore Lizzy Drumm leads the team with 25 goals.
Penn's attack will face a tough challenge in Princeton sophomore goalie Erin Tochihara, whose .578 save percentage leads Division I. Tochihara, however, receives many more save opportunities than her Penn counterpart, Emily Szelest, thanks to the Quakers' smothering team defense.
Senior defense Hilary Renna said the team is not worried about the Tigers, nor about their undefeated Ivy record.
After all, recent history is on the Quakers' side. Penn has defeated Princeton in each of the last two years, although the Tigers had triumphed in 17 of the previous 18 years. Furthermore, Penn is one of only three unbeaten teams in the nation.
Then again, past records and statistics can sometimes go out the window where rivalries are concerned. After all, last year at Princeton, then-No. 6 Penn smothered the second-ranked Tigers, 9-5, on the strength of junior Ali DeLuca's three goals and two assists.
"We always have a really hard, rough game against Princeton," Renna said. "We're rivals, so it will be a good game."
- Staff Writer Leigh Silver contributed reporting to this article.
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