Women’s soccer looks to continue longest winning streak since 2012

For the first time since 2012, the Princeton women’s soccer team is on an eight-game winning streak. The team looks to continue this streak as it matches up against the Columbia Lions this Saturday at Roberts Stadium. After losing to Columbia in a close game last year, the team is definitely looking to redeem itself.

The Columbia women’s soccer team will travel to the Orange Bubble on Saturday with only one conference victory under its belt against Brown. Given that Princeton demolished the Bears in a 4-point shutout last Saturday, the Tigers remain optimistic that their streak won’t be ending anytime soon.

According to junior defender Haley Chow, the key to Saturday’s game is keeping both intensity and togetherness at high levels for every minute of play.

“[We focus on] maintaining cohesion on the field and playing at the level [we] were taught to play at.” Chow said.

One of the team’s strongest facets is its defense, which Chow believes has played a crucial role in the team’s many shutouts this season. With a first-place ranking in the Ivy League, ten victories total, and four shutouts, it would be easy for the team to get ahead of itself. However, Chow remarked that another one of the team’s strategies for success this year is a simple one.

“[It's about] taking each game one at a time,” Chow said. It remains grounded by the fact that it currently shares the first-place ranking with the Harvard Crimson.

Last year, the Princeton women’s soccer team was plagued with many injuries that prevented some top players from competing. However, the team has managed to stay relatively healthy this year, and the players who were injured at the onset of the season are recovering just in time for the four consecutive conference games coming up.

“[We] just want to make sure that everyone is able to work their hardest and give their all.” Chow said.

On Wednesday, the Tigers played at home against Lehigh and beat the Mountain Hawks 2-0. Junior forward Tyler Lussi scored her 38th career goal, which puts her in fourth place on the program’s all-time scoring list, only one goal behind third-place Emily Behncke ’06. She also now leads the Ivy League in scoring, with a total of ten goals this season. Lussi, who’s already been featured this year as an Ivy League Player of the Week, is a definitive force to be reckoned with. Not only does the Orange and Black have the top Ivy League scorer on its team, but also the leading assister, Jesse McDonough. She has had a total of six assists this season, two of which have been to Lussi.

With a winning streak and four crucial conference games coming up, the team can’t help but look ahead to the NCAA tournament. The team hopes to maintain its chemistry on the field and hopefully place first in the Ivy League for an automatic bid in the tournament.

Saturday’s game is at 7 PM at Roberts Stadium and will also be available to watch on the Ivy League Digital Network.