On Saturday, No. 18 women’s lacrosse (10-4, 4-2 Ivy) fell 15-13 to No. 5 Princeton (12-2, 5-1) in a hard-fought contest that showcased the Bears’ resilience against one of the nation’s most elite programs. Despite the loss, Brown clinched a berth in the Ivy Tournament for the first time in program history.
During the match, the Bears wasted no time asserting themselves, with Greta Criqui ’25 firing the opening goal just 43 seconds into the game. Brown’s defense was equally dominant early on, and Princeton only equalized the scoreboard seven minutes later.
Bruno bounced right back, as Leah Caputo ’25 and Criqui responded with back-to-back goals to give the Bears a 3-1 lead. Although Princeton managed to trim their deficit down to one in the final seconds of the first quarter, the Bears carried a 3-2 lead into the second frame.
But in the second quarter, Princeton continued to capitalize on this momentum with a devastating four-goal burst in a three-minute span. Not to be outdone, the Bears battled back, and Riley Peterson ’28 scored her first goal of the day, sparking a 3-1 run to close the half — narrowing the Tigers’ lead to one.
In an email to The Herald, Peterson said the key to Brown’s in-game resiliency was “knowing that we always have each other’s backs and will never stop fighting till the last whistle.”
Coming out of halftime, Princeton stole the momentum with a 3-0 run while holding Brown scoreless for the first eight minutes. With the Tigers now at 10-6, Peterson ignited Brown’s second big counterattack, netting two goals in less than 90 seconds to fuel a 3-0 burst that, once again, cut Princeton’s lead to just one.
Reflecting on these crucial rallies, Peterson credited the team’s cohesive play for keeping Brown in the game. She wrote that the Bears recovered their momentum through “smart plays by our defense to help the offense get back on our feet as well as great decision making by the attacking unit.”
But Princeton closed the third quarter with a goal, and in the fourth, they quickly added three more, building a 14-9 lead. Despite a third valiant comeback effort during the final 12 minutes, which included two more goals from Criqui and one each from Peterson and Avery Doran ’28, the Tigers could not be defeated. Princeton emerged victorious, 15-13. The hard-fought loss snapped a four-game Ivy League winning streak for the Bears.
Despite the defeat, Peterson delivered a career-high four goals, continuing her recent breakout play. After contributing just three goals in limited minutes over the team’s first 10 games, she has come out strong, scoring nine times in Brown’s past four games.
“I’ve been working hard at practice to get into the (eight) meter when I dodge, and it really paid off in this game,” Peterson explained. “As a whole, our offensive gave it our all and fought till the end. We played for each other and gave it everything.”
Though Saturday’s outcome wasn’t what the Bears had hoped for, Brown qualified for the Ivy League Tournament for the first time in school history. The Bears currently boast a 4-2 record in conference play, leaving them tied with Penn and Yale for second place in the Ivy League and just one win behind Princeton.
The Bears’ attack has been a major factor in their success this season, as they rank second in the country in assists per game as a team.
With the most important games of the season ahead of them, Peterson is confident that the Bears will be up to the challenge. “I think as a team we know that we can play against anyone and compete,” she wrote. “Saturday goes to show that we will come prepared, and I know that this team will come more than ready for postseason play in the Ivy league tournament.”
Brown will close out the regular season this Saturday when they host No. 14 Penn. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Gus Bailey is a senior staff writer covering the sports beat. He is a sophomore studying applied math-economics. His interests include data analytics, marketing, social media and of course, sports.
