No. 15 Women’s Lacrosse Set For Two Top-25 Road Games

The Princeton Laxcast, With Jenn Cook And Kerrin Maurer

Game #3: No. 15 Princeton (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) at No. 14 Rutgers (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

SHI Stadium | 6 p.m.
BTN+ | Live Stats | Parking Registration

Game #4: #15 Princeton (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) at No. 22 Yale (2-1, 0-0 Ivy)
Reese Stadium | 1 p.m.
ESPN+ | International Stream | Live Stats

Tigers And Scarlet Knights Meet For First Time Since 2014
Despite being a short trip away from each other, Princeton and Rutgers have not met since 2014 — an 11-4 win for the Tigers in Princeton. This will be the 21st meeting all-time between the two schools, with Princeton holding a 14-5-1 edge in the series, In games played at Rutgers, Princeton is 7-2 all-time. Three of the 20 previous meetings have required overtime (Princeton is 1-2 in those games) and 10 of the 20 have been decided by two goals or less (Princeton is 4-5-1 in those games).

Princeton & Yale… So We Meet Again…
Two of Princeton’s last three games against ivy League opponents have come against the Bulldogs, as the two teams met to close the 2022 regular season and then met again in the Ivy League Tournament final a week later. The Tigers were victorious in both of those games, taking a tight 17-14 win to cap the regular season and secure an outright Ivy League championship before pulling away early for a 19-9 win in the ILT final. Grace Tauckus had 11 points in those two games last year, scoring eight goals (four in each game) and adding three assists. McKenzie Blake had six goals and an assist over the two games, while Kari Buonanno had four goals and two assists in the two wins.

All-time against Yale, the Tigers are 33-14-1 and have won 14 meetings in a row since dropping a 6-5 decision in New Haven in 2007.

Hughes And Blake Lead Tigers By Temple
Ameila Hughes had 19 saves, and McKenzie Blake scored six goals to lead Princeton by Temple, 17-9, to secure their first win of the 2023 season — and Jenn Cook’s first as head coach. The Tigers dominated the start of the game, building a 4-0 lead after the first quarter. Overall, the Tigers’ performance in the opening and closing periods was the difference as Princeton outscored the Owls, 10-1, in the first and fourth quarters. Sophie Whiteway was a factor all over the field, scoring three goals and winning five draws. The work of Hughes in the cage was most evident when Temple drew free positions — she held the Owls scoreless on all seven free positions they took during the game.

Hughes Named IWLCA Defensive Player Of The Week
For her 19-save effort against the Owls, Amelia Hughes was named IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week. She enters the week ranked No. 1 in the nation in saves-per-game (15.0) and her .517 save percentage ranks No. 3 in the Ivy League and No. 21 in the country.

Blake Garners Ivy League Offensive Player Of The Week Honors
After her six-goal, four-ground ball performance at Temple, McKenzie Blake earned her first career Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week selection. Her eight goals through two games are No. 3 among Ivy Leaguers, And she ranks No. 1 in the Ivies and No. 11 nationally with 4.0 goals-per-game.

Let’s Cook!
Jenn Cook is in her first season as head coach of the Tigers and 11th overall on staff at Princeton. The 2007 North Carolina grad takes over for Hall of Famer Chris Sailer after serving 10 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach. During her 10 previous years with the Tigers, Cook has been part of seven Ivy League championships during the eight seasons contest around COVID-19 pauses. She has helped guide the Tigers to eight NCAA appearances in those eight full seasons, reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals three times. A three-time All-American and two-time Tewaaraton Award nominee as a player, Cook was the 2007 Inside Lacrosse Defender of the Year and graduated as the Tar Heel’s all-time leader in ground balls (200) and games played (76).

Whiteway Wins Draws
Sophie Whiteway is the top returning draw specialist for the Tigers with 57 DCs during the 2022 season and 61 overall entering this weekend. Her 57 draws last year are tied for No. 7 in a season by a Tiger and her nine wins at USC in 2022 are tied for No. 6 in a game by a Princeton player. She has won nine draws so far this season, most on the team.

Keeping Track Of Kari
Kari Buonanno has 56 career points in 21 career games entering this weekend, with 43 goals and 13 assists. She has scored at least one goal in all 21 games she has played as a Tiger.

Kate The Great!
Kate Mulham missed all of the 2019 season with an ACL injury, but returned to form in the 2020 season with eight points in five games. She enters her senior season with 56 points in 24 career games, scoring 41 goals and adding 15 assists. Last year was a breakout season for Mulham with 35 goals and 48 points in 19 games — including five-goal games against Maryland and Penn. She returned last weekend against Temple and scored twice on two shots on goal.

Say Grace!
Grace Tauckus is the leading scorers among returning players with 75 career points over her first two seasons and 78 total entering this weekend. The second-team All-Ivy selection last season has 66 career goals entering this weekend, scoring her 66 goals on 87 shots on goal — scoring on 76% of her shots on goal over her career. She has at least one goal in each of her 26 career games, and has scored 2+ goals in 20 of her 26 career appearances.

Mueller Time!
Junior Ellie Mueller had 24 points in 18 games last season in her first year of college lacrosse, scoring 14 goals and adding 10 assists while also scooping up 24 ground balls. Her father, Kit, played basketball at Princeton, graduating in 1991 after a career which saw him twice be named Ivy League Player of the Year and win three Ivy League championships. Scoring runs in the Mueller family, as Kit ranks No. 4 all-time in scoring by a Princeton men’s basketball player with 1,546 points. Mueller has two goals this season.

Know The Name Nina
Sophomore Nina Montes had 23 points in 17 games last season, playing mostly in the second line of attack. She had a six-point game at San Diego State (5g, 1) last season and matched that career-high with a 4g, 2a outing against No. 13 Virginia in the 2023 season opener. Overall this season, she has seven points (4g, 3a).

Blake Rakes
McKenzie Blake was third on the team in goals last year as a first-year player, scoring 36 and adding 10 assists for a 46-point debut season. In addition, she led all field players with 34 ground balls and pitched in 12 caused turnovers. She is playing more of a centralized attack role this season, and had a two-goal game to open 2023 against No. 13 Virginia. She has scored at least one goal in 20 of 21 career games, including a career-high six goals at Temple this season. Entering this week, she has eight points — all eight coming via goals — and six ground balls.

Coming Up Hughes!
First-year goalkeeper Amelia Hughes has made 30 saves through two games, ranking No. 1 in the nation in saves-per-game (15.0). She has made 10+ saves in each of her first two career starts, including 19 at Temple in her first career win.