It didn’t take long for highly-touted freshman Tess D’Orsi to make an impact for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team.
In a season-opening 19-3 win over Temple on February 18, D’Orsi scored two goals in the first 12 minutes of the contest.
D’Orsi, a member of the US Under-19 Women’s Lacrosse Team and a three-time US Lacrosse All-America in high school at St. Mark’s (Mass.), hasn’t slowed down since her debut. Through Princeton’s first three games, she had nine goals, the second most on the team.
“My teammates don’t treat me like a freshman,” said the 5’4 D’Orsi, a native of Sudbury, Mass., reflecting on her hot start.
“We are all just players out there. Once I find my rhythm, I know that everyone has my back and everyone wants me to do well.”
Last Saturday in the Ivy League opener against visiting Brown, D’Orsi did very well again, scoring a game-high four goals to help Princeton defeat the Bears 10-7.
D’Orsi was fired up for her Ivy debut. “I was really excited going into this first game; I know a couple of girls on the Brown team from high school and my club,” said D’Orsi.
“We were expecting that it would be a tough game as any game within our league would be. We worked really hard and came out on top and that is what matters.”
The Tigers kept calm in the face of a Brown rally, as the Bears rebounded from a 6-1 deficit early in the second half to make it a 9-7 game with 6:47 left in regulation.
“Sitting in that lull, we were all talking to each other and picking up each other,” recalled D’Orsi in assessing the win which improved the 10th-ranked Tigers to 4-0 and saw junior Camille Sullivan score three goals and senior Anna Doherty add two, to help spark the Princeton attack.
“We kept our composure when things weren’t going our way and that helped us improve our game for that last 10-15 minutes.”
The triumph over Brown marked the second tight win for Princeton in a week as it held off a late Loyola rally in prevailing 15-14 over the Greyhounds last Wednesday.
“We have proven that even when times get tough we can still come out on top; that shows a lot about our team character,” said D’Orsi.
“We are a never-give-up team and fight to the last whistle. It is a little scary with those close games, two in one week. At least we have that experience early on in the season and we know how to handle it.”
For D’Orsi, a big challenge in handling the transition to college lacrosse has centered on controlling her emotions on the field.
“It is trying to keep a level head throughout the game because I am pretty tough on myself throughout the game when I make mistakes,” said D’Orsi.
“It is just trying to reset myself and know that all my upperclassmen and my teammates have my back.”
Competing with the U.S. program helped D’Orsi adjust to a higher level of play.
“The U-19 team is really intense,” said D’Orsi, who tallied 226 goals and 173 assists during her high school career. “I am used to playing against really fast and physical girls so I think that helped with my transition into college.”
With Princeton hosting No. 9 Notre Dame (7-1) on March 11 and No. 5 Penn State (6-0) on March 21 in upcoming action, D’Orsi believes the Tigers are primed to play against the best.
“We have been working really hard the first few weeks of our season,” said D’Orsi.
“We are willing to take on any challenge; we are excited to get some top 20 teams.”