The women's soccer team made a statement last night. Using superior ball control and composure, Princeton dominated Rutgers in all facets of play as the Tigers defeated their instate rival 1-0 in a rematch of last year's second-round NCAA tournament game which the Scarlet Knights won.
The victory pushes Princeton's unbeaten streak to 10, as it remained one of only two teams in Div. I to be both undefeated and untied. Rutgers dropped to 7-4-2 with the loss.
From the opening tap the Tigers controlled play, but the team was unable to get on the scoreboard in the first half. In the second, they came out firing again, but to no avail after the first ten minutes of the period. With both teams undoubtedly feeling the effects of the grueling pace of the game, play got a little chippy as the second half continued.
In total, six yellow cards were handed out during the game, with half of those coming in a five-minute span of the second half.
"I thought the physical play was to our advantage," senior captain Heather Deerin said. "We were already so focused on getting revenge [for last year] that their physical nature played right into our hands."
As the torrid pace continued, Princeton used its deep bench to keep its players fresh.
With just under 30 minutes to go in the game, sophomore reserve midfielder Kristina Fontanez made a run up the right side. As she moved towards the goal, a Scarlet Knight defender took her down and the ref blew his whistle.
Controversially, the play was ruled to have taken place outside the penalty box. No penalty shot was awarded.
On the ensuing direct kick, junior midfielder Liz Bell hit a curving shot over the wall of Rutgers defenders. The ball appeared to be heading top shelf before the Scarlet Knight keeper tipped the shot over the cross bar. Though they hadn't broken through yet, Princeton looked alive.
Freshman forward Maura Gallagher — a crowd favorite all night long — took the corner. Her cross curved in and found the head of sophomore linemate Esmarelda Negron, who buried the shot for her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
"Maura hit an awesome ball," Negron said. "The keeper jumped up in front of me, but I guess she misplayed it because the ball sailed over her head and I headed it in."
But with still over twenty minutes to go, the Tigers were not about to sit idly by and play preventive defense. The team continued to push up and force the issue, getting shots from all parts of the field. Gallagher nearly recorded a second assist off another corner, but her cross was barely tipped out by the keeper.
As time expired, everyone seemed to be meditating on the same thing.
"I think this was the best overall game that we've played," Negron said. "We played well and we played with a lot of intensity. We were focused because we felt we should have beat them last year. We just played really well."
"This was definitely the best game we've played," head coach Julie Shackford added. "Front to back, we played strong."
On defense, Deerin once again showed why she is the most feared player in the league. Any time the Scarlet Knights looked to push forward, Deerin plugged the holes on the ground and in the air.
"Heather's been doing it all season," Shackford said. "She's such a great player back there. More than anything, she prevents plays from happening and she doesn't make mistakes."
Always modest, Deerin pointed to the team effort of the defense.
"I think the back four played well," Deerin said. "We played behind each other and backed each other up well. We talked before the game and decided that we weren't going to let them break us down."
After the game, Shackford cautioned against getting swept up in the emotion of the game.
"We're trying not to get caught up in our record," she said. " We're trying to play well and get better. We don't want to be complacent."
Pleased?
"Yeah, I'm definitely pleased."
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