Penn
2008 Record: 17-2
Ivy Record: 7-0
Last year’s national runner-up and Ivy League champion is the team to beat. The Quakers will start the year as the fifth-ranked team in the country and the highest-ranked Ivy team. Penn had the top defense in the league last year, allowing just over five goals per game and boasting the best save percentage. Much of that can be attributed to goalkeeper Sarah Waxman, the National Goalkeeper of the Year and Ivy League Player of the Year. With Waxman gone, junior Emily Szelest will battle freshman Emily Leitner for playing time. Penn also lost Rachel Manson, the team’s leading scorer and a first-team Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-American, as well as Melissa Lehman and Tarah Kirnan, both on the third team. Nevertheless, the Quakers still have a wealth of talent and should contend for the top spot in the league.
Princeton
2008 Record: 13-5
Ivy Record: 5-2
Right on Penn’s heels is seventh-ranked Princeton, which fell to eventual NCAA champion Northwestern in the quarterfinals of last year’s tournament. Gone is Ashley Amo, the team’s third-leading scorer, along with Katie Lewis-Lamonica, who tallied 22 goals last year. Princeton’s league-best offense should still be potent thanks to the trio of seniors Christine Casaceli and Holly McGarvie and sophomore Lizzy Drumm. Casaceli led the team with 38 goals with 16 of those scores in Ivy play, second-best in the league. The issue for the Tigers will be defense. Junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Perrelle will need to improve if Princeton wants to take down Penn.
Cornell
2008 Record: 10-6
Ivy Record: 5-2
Just a shade behind Princeton for second place in the league, 16th-ranked Cornell faces the unenviable task of replacing its top three goal scorers—Katherine Simmons, Courtney Farrell, and Noelle Dowd. The offensive burden will fall on junior Kate Dewey and sophomore Libby Johnson, who combined for 43 goals and 18 assists last year. With the offense taking a big hit, the Big Red will need its defense to stand firm. Of the goalkeeper tandem of Renee Hughes and Kristen Reese, Reese remains, with freshman Kyla Dambach in reserve. Reese boasted a solid .476 save percentage in 2008 but allowed almost nine goals per game.
Yale
2008 Record: 11-5
Ivy Record: 4-3
The biggest loss of the season belongs to the Bulldogs, who will be without first-team IWLCA All-American and first-team All-Ivy selection Lauren Taylor. The senior finished her four-year career in New Haven by tallying 41 goals in 16 games, 17 in Ivy play. New head coach Anne Phillips, the former head coach at Franklin & Marshall, will also have to contend with the graduation of Kat Peetz and Meredith Callahan, both of whom were important cogs in the Bulldogs’ offense. On defense, Yale will have to find a replacement for Ellen Cameron, who started all 16 games in goal for the Bulldogs and finished with the second-highest save percentage among starters. Sophomore Katie Janian, largely untested in her first year, will take over, with freshman Whitney Quackenbush waiting in the wings.
Dartmouth
2008 Record: 7-9
Ivy Record: 3-4
2008 was a down year for the Big Green, but expect a rebound this season in New Hampshire. Dartmouth is ranked 13th in the nation, and despite losing leading scorer Kristen Barry, the team returns most of its offense. Dartmouth will gain a boost from the return of Katherine Chiusano, who missed most of last season with a leg injury. The senior co-captain racked up 25 goals and 18 assists in 2007 and will be a vital part of the Big Green’s attack. Also returning is starting goalkeeper Julie Wadlund, whose .491 save percentage in 2008 was third-best among starters.
Harvard
2008 Record: 9-7
Ivy Record: 2-5
A sieve-like defense sunk the Crimson last year. The team allowed almost 13 goals per game in Ivy play, second-worst in the league, while Harvard goalkeepers totaled the worst save percentage in the conference. That defense may continue to be shaky. Of the three goalkeepers now on the roster, only Katherine Martino, who started seven games last year, has playing experience at the Ivy level. Offensively, Harvard brings back its top three scorers from last season. Senior Kaitlin Martin was the Crimson’s best all-around player in 2008, finishing with 38 goals, 25 assists, and a second-team All-Ivy spot.
Brown
2008 Record: 6-10
Ivy Record: 2-5
Like Harvard, Brown wasn’t able to make much noise in the Ivy League last season because of a subpar defense. Compounding the defensive lapses was an inability to score—Brown’s 7.43 goals per game was second-worst in the league. Virtually all of Brown’s offense from 2008, including second-team All-Ivy senior Lauren Vitkus, will be back, and the experience from last year should prove beneficial. Brown will have to break in a new goalkeeper with Melissa King, who started all 16 games last year, no longer on the team. It’ll be up to sophomore Maggie Suprey to replace King, who led the Ivy League in saves per game.