Women’s Soccer looks to make gains in Ivy League play against Brown

Off to a promising 7–2–2 start to the 2018 season, the Tigers return to their home pitch this Saturday to take on Brown. Princeton is coming off of a draw against Dartmouth last weekend and a home victory against Bucknell last Tuesday; Brown has gone 4–6–1 in their season so far.

It’s the third Ivy League conference game for the optimistic Tigers, who trounced Yale 3–0 earlier in the season before their tie game with Dartmouth. Princeton is ranked within the top 30 nationally, far ahead of the next ranked Ivy League squad, Yale.

With conference play — the most important part of the season, as winning the Ivy League guarantees an automatic position in the NCAA tournament bracket — underway, the Tigers are seeking to replicate and better the results of the past season. Princeton’s women’s soccer team has been dominant in the Ivy League for the last few years, clinching the Ivy League title and advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2015 and 2017. Last year, the Tigers romped across the Ivy League, losing not a single game to an Ivy League rival, en route to a powerful 16–3–1 season. Advancing to the tournament, the Tigers managed to claw their way to the regional finals, knocking out perennial contender and second-ranked North Carolina in a marquee win for the program.

In their current squad, the Tigers have managed to put together some of the most talented players ever to wear the orange and the black on the pitch. Senior forward Mimi Asom is probably the team’s most dynamic and powerful asset on offense. With 40 goals in her three years at Princeton, Asom is the fourth most prolific goal scorer in Princeton’s history. As a testament to her danger on the offense this year, Asom was responsible for all of Princeton’s goals in the 3–0 rout of Yale earlier in the season and has scored in over half of the Tigers’ games this season. Junior goalkeeper Natalie Grossi continues to impress defensively, having attained the third most shutout games in program history and limited opponents to just over 0.5 goals per match. The younger players on the squad, including Princeton’s newest recruiting class, have also proved extremely effective on the pitch. Of particular note is freshman forward Gabi Juarez, who has also played for the Mexican youth national team and who already has three goals to her name.

In contrast to Princeton’s recent success, Brown’s team has been struggling as of late. While the all-time series between Princeton and Brown is tied, the Tigers have been dominating their foes in Providence and have prevailed in their last two matchups. Brown comes into Saturday’s game 0–2 against Ivy League opponents. Still, even a weakened opponent can be dangerous on the pitch, and the Tigers will be looking to show the soccer community that they’re just as ready to send a message as they were last year.