On Fridaynight, women’s soccer (14-4-1 overall, 6-0-1 Ivy League) suffered an unfortunate elimination in the second round of the NCAA tournament, losing to USC (16-6-1, 9-2-0 Pacific-12) by a scoreline of 3-0. A week earlier, the Tigers defeated Boston College to advance into the round of 32 for the second time in four years. However, the subsequent trip to host UVA’s historic campus fell short as the Tigers suffered their third and final shutout of the season.
In addition to the NCAA Tournament hype heading in,Friday’sgame was notable because, prior to the loss, Princeton had never faced USC in women’s soccer history. When asked how the team prepared, junior forward Tyler Lussi and two-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year said: “We try to not change anything we do except to be aware of certain players to counter.”
Lussi also noted the contrast betweenFriday’sgame and Princeton’s typical Ivy League play.
“When we play in the Ivy League it's such a different atmosphere,” she said. “We were really excited to play a team from California we have never seen before.”
Unfortunately, USC wasted little time to pounce on the hopeful Tigers, scoring all three of its goals within the first half. The Trojans drew first blood 11 minutes into the game when Sydney Sladek scored the first goal for USC. Then, Trojan Morgan Matthews scored two goals, one 22 minutes into the game and another at the 43-minute mark, the final goal of the game.
Despite the relatively large deficit at the half, the Tigers were not close to admitting defeat. In fact, if anything,Friday’s game attested to the Tiger’s unique resilience and positivity.
“Even though we were down 3-0, we had 45 minutes to give it our all. We told ourselves: We’re going to play as a team,” Lussi said. “We didn’t give up any goals in the second half — that’s what we take away.”
It is not hard to guess that a large driving force behind the positivity the Tigers demonstratedon Fridayand throughout the season stemmed from Ivy League Coach of the Year Sean Driscoll.
“Sean, from preseason, just set such a high bar for us. For him, every single person on the team matters, and he cares about each person on and off the field. He has such a passion and you can see it,” Lussi explained. “As a player to have that it’s an amazing feeling. The entire team is so investing in everything he does.”
In addition to coach Driscoll’s energy, the teams also received support from members of the men’s varsity team and Allison Rich, senior associate athletics director, who all traveled down to Charlottesville, Va.
WhileFriday’sgame marked the end of a remarkable season for the majority of the team, the loss to USC was the final collegiate soccer game for the team’s three seniors: midfielders Catherine Hartigan and Stephanie Paloscio and defender Emily Sura.
“Soccer has defined my life. Soccer has been a part of my identity. It’s weird to be over,” Sura said. “It’s about putting a group of people above myself; that has been the most rewarding part of this season.”
In the spirit of reflection, whileFriday’smatch may have ended in a loss, the season ended on a victory. Coming in, Princeton, which eventually won the Ivy League Championship, was expected to finish sixth in the conference. After losing eight seniors and gaining five freshman, many questioned the Tigers' abilities.
However, the Tigers accepted the challenge in stride. Every year the team chooses a mantra at the beginning of the season to remind themselves of their goal.
“Our motto this year was ‘rise’,” Sura explained. “That’s what everyone embodied every day.”
FollowingFriday’sresilient loss, few will question this group’s ability to rise again in the future.
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