Women's soccer cruises past Lehigh as freshmen make their presence known

Last year the women's soccer team posted 13 shutouts on its way to an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

This year's Tiger squad has picked up where its predecessors left off, opening the season with 180 minutes of shutout play, including last night's 6-0 win over Lehigh on Lourie-Love Field.

Princeton (2-0) dominated its last game before the beginning of league play from start to finish — the Mountain Hawks (2-4) rarely touched the ball in the Tigers' end and when they did were quickly swarmed.

"Defense is our pride," junior midfielder Alex Fiore said after the game. "It's what we go from. We try to play strong individually all over the field, and that translates into no goals."

Coming off a 10 day layoff after their win against Iowa State, the Tigers did look somewhat rusty in the opening minutes.

It did not take too long, however, for Princeton's speed and ball control to take over the game.

A misplayed clear in front of the Lehigh goal led to the Tigers' first score of the night. Freshman defender Rochelle Willis controlled the ball and sped a centering pass to Fiore, who beat an out-of-position Lehigh goalkeeper to draw first blood.

Princeton would score five more times, including a goal that slipped through the keeper's hands and trickled into the right corner of the goal.

As in the first win, the Tigers' freshmen would play an integral role in the lopsided victory.

Willis contributed a goal of her own in addition to the opening assist. The centering pass on Willis' goal came from her classmate, midfielder Esmeralda Negron. Fellow member of the class of 2005, forward Kristina Fontanez also added an unassisted goal to push the score to 4-0 just before halftime.

"The freshmen are doing an amazing job," Fiore said.

Princeton's offensive efficiency seems to be greatly increased from last season. In this same matchup against Lehigh one year ago the Tigers recorded 27 shots, with only two finding the back of the net.

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One explanation for the increase in offensive production may be a deeper bench than Princeton has enjoyed in recent years.

"One of the hardest decisions the coaches have to make right now is choosing the starting lineup," head coach Julie Shackford said. "A lot of the people coming off the bench are starter caliber players."

"After the last 10 days, I think we had some initial rustiness," Shackford added, "but we kept the ball really well and our depth is really helping."

Fiore echoed her coach's thoughts on the Tigers' recent hiatus due to the tragic events of last week.

"We were so ready for a game. We needed to get out and play against someone other than ourselves."

Princeton faces its first test as defending Ivy League champion this Sunday when the Tigers travel to New Hampshire to take on Dartmouth.

"It's going to be a very even game," Shackford said of the weekend matchup. "The little things are probably going to make the difference."

"Right now we're just trying to get some intense practices in, trying to avoid any letdowns," Fiore added.

Saturday, May 10

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