Fontanez, defense push women's soccer past Big Green

The game remained scoreless at halftime in Sunday's women's soccer match against Dartmouth. The Ivy-opener against one of the Tigers' big-gest rivals marked the second year in a row in which the scoreboard remained blank after 45 minutes.

Forty-five minutes remained to test whether the Tigers could steal one on the road and begin another march to an Ivy League championship — a title that they shared last year with the Big Green — or whether their hopes for a title would dim with another early-season loss.

"I remember our coach saying at halftime, 'Who of you will go in there and make the difference? Who will it be?'" freshman forward Kristina Fontanez said. "All I was thinking at the time was, 'I will, I'll make a difference' just like each and every one of my other teammates was thinking to themselves."

And the talented 18-year old did just that. With 18 minutes left in the game, Fontanez found the back of the net from just beyond the 18-yard line. Freshman defender Rochelle Willis, whose early play has signs of brilliance, assisted on the goal. Willis, standing just beyond midfield, lofted a pass over the heads of the Dartmouth defenders and found Fontanez standing at the 18-yard line.

Fontanez, whose game-winner moved her goal total to four on the season, took a touch to the left and shot it to the goal's far right corner. The hard, well-placed shot easily beat the sprawling Dartmouth keeper.

"I was actually thinking when I shot, 'corner, corner, corner,'" Fontanez said. "The most difficult thing to do when you're shooting is to keep it low and in the corner. Those shots are very difficult for the goalie to save."

Play in the first half was marked by momentum swings, though there were very few good scoring chances for either team.

"We defended very well," head coach Julie Shackford said. "But we were not creative enough on attack. We didn't go forward with enough savvy."

In the second half both squads turned on the offensive heat. The Big Green's greatest offensive flurry came late in the game, with the Tigers up, 1-0. A Dartmouth forward put a head on a free kick launched from just outside the 18-yard line and sent it at the far post. But junior midfielder Alex Fiore, playing her position perfectly, trapped and cleared the ball away as quickly as it came in.

"Everyone was just right where they needed to be, right when they needed to be there — in full support of each other," senior goalie Catherine Glenn said of Fiore's heroics.

The Tigers held on strong from there. After a Dartmouth corner kick was cleared out with nearly four minutes on the clock, the ball never entered the Princeton defensive zone again.

"We did a great job of regaining composure, knocking the ball down to their end and keeping it there," Glenn said. "No one was letting go of that lead."

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The win moved the Tigers to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Ivy League. Though still early in the season, the win against Dartmouth is especially important, for the Big Green annually field a team with championship potential. The win gives the Tigers the tie-break advantage for a berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament if Princeton and Dartmouth are tied at the top of the Ivies at the end of the season — exactly the scenario that played out last year, when the Tigers also received the bid. The victory is also a tremendous boost of confidence, especially considering that Dartmouth hasn't lost on its home field in two years.

Princeton has outscored its opponents 12-0 thus far, with freshmen scoring seven of those goals. Fontanez's four goals alone would place her second in goals and third in points (8) for the entire 2000 team. Continued strong play by the freshmen is essential if the Tigers hope to repeat as Ivy champions.

"The freshmen bring an element of athleticism," coach Shackford said. "We've always had good soccer players, but there are four or five freshmen that are extremely good athletes."

Princeton next plays tonight at 7:30, against out-of-conference Stony Brook on Lourie-Love Field. The game will give Princeton another chance to solidify before the bulk of the Ivy League season starts this weekend.