Despite dropping a close game to the University of Pennsylvania last Friday before losing a lopsided contest against the University of Mar yland two days later, the Big Green (8-5, 4-1 Ivy) can still lock up the second seed for Ivy League tournament play with solid per- formances against Princeton this weekend and Har vard University next Friday.
"I think for us, it's definitely a must-win game just in terms of where we want to be placed in the Ivy tournament," co-captain Kelsey Johnson '13 said.
While Penn (8-4, 6-0 Ivy) clinched both a share of the Ivy League title and the right to host the Ivy tournament with a close win over Princeton on Wednesday evening, the Big Green, currently third in the Ivy League standings, can still finish the season in second place with positive results against Princeton (8-5, 5-1 Ivy) on Saturday and Harvard (2-10, 1-4 Ivy) next weekend.
If the Big Green wins either game, they will secure a spot in the tournament.
"We came in as an inexperienced and young team, and I think we're peaking at the right time," co-cap- tain Hana Bowers '13 said. "We're heading toward ever yone peaking at tournament time."
The Green will face a physical, competitive battle against the Ti- gers this weekend.
"Princeton, like us, are a pretty fast and athletic team," Johnson said. "We really want to use our smarts to not let them overrun us. We just want to come out one step ahead of them, stick to our game plan."
This week in practice, the Big Green has worked to up its physicality and intensity levels, as well as prepare for the nuances of a nationally televised game, which will air on Fox College Sports.Bowers and Johnson said the national spotlight will not add additional pressure but allow the team's younger players to experience the star ts and stops of TV timeouts for the first time. This will prove valuable, considering that the Ivy League tournament may be televised.
Playing at home on Scully field, the Big Green will benefit from the energy of home fans and over 40 former Big Green lacrosse players, who will be back in Hanover to attend the alumni game."We always talk about defending Scully, so having these last two Ivy games here at home is huge for us," Johnson said.
Parents are also a reliable fanbase for the Big Green."The parents are always so dedicated and enthusiastic as fans," said Loretta Vill '16, a dedicated fan.
Princeton comes into the game hoping to rebound from their tough Friday night loss to Penn. This weekend's game is Princeton's last Ivy contest of the season.
The Big Green hope to rebound from a 8-7 nail-biter loss to Penn that saw Dar tmouth battle back to tie the game twice in the second half, only to eventually concede two late goals.
Against the Terrapins last Sunday, the Big Green did not manage to keep the score as close, losing 17-8 against the countr y's premier lacrosse program.
"Having regular season games against teams like them is reallyhelpful for us," Bowers said. "Our goals weren't really based on winning and losing."
From a fan's perspective, Vill believes the team has continued to grow even as they suf fered tough losses.
"In general, they've grown a lot as a team, and they're playing more cohesively now," Vill said. "Their passing in transition has gotten better, and they're able to conver t more oppor tunities into goals.
