Perfect start for women's soccer ends in first-round NCAA tourney defeat

By many standards, the women's soccer team had its finest season in recent memory. It began the season 12-0-0, the longest the Tigers have remained undefeated, and the squad won the first outright Ivy League title in the program's history.

Yet for all their success and accomplishments, this season will also be remembered as 'the year that could have been.'

Despite putting a team on the field that was, as head coach Julie Shackford said, "by far the most talented team I have ever coached," the Tigers fell victim to a late season slide and a correspondingly weak seed in the NCAA Tournament.

After the 12-0 start, the team finished out the regular season by winning just one of its final four games. After losing to Harvard, Princeton had to wait for Dartmouth to lose its final game before securing the outright league title.

In the first round of the tournament, the Tigers drew 12th-ranked Big Ten powerhouse Penn State, home of senior forward Christie Welsh. She was the 2001 National Player of the Year and is a finalist for the award again this year.

The Nittany Lions downed Princeton 2-0 on two Welsh goals, and the Tigers returned home with the knowledge that their season ended prematurely. Penn St. went on to beat No. 17 Maryland in the second round and will take on No. 23 Virginia in the round of 16.

"We were better than a first round team," senior captain and midfielder Kelly Sosa said. "Our season was cut short, an untimely ending for sure. But we played a tough, complete and balanced team. It was a shame we had to play them so early."

"I think we'll learn from this experience and from this disappointment," junior midfielder Liz Bell said. "We know that we have to work on conditioning and strength. We also have to finish better during the regular season. It was unfortunate what happened with the seeding in the tournament, but we lost a few key games down the stretch."

Not withstanding the early exit from the tournament, the team, overall, had a successful year. Drawing on its considerable youth and depth, the Tigers accomplished many of the preseason goals they had set out for themselves. The squad won the league title outright after sharing the crown the last two seasons. Princeton also made a name for itself on the national level, climbing up through the rankings for much of the season. At its peak, the team was ranked 15th in the country.

"Overall, we had an amazing season," Sosa said. "You can't look at it as a down season. It was a fun experience with a great group of girls. We won our league title outright for the first time, and our league has become much more competitive in recent years."

Several players had breakout seasons. Sophomore midfielder Kristina Fontanez wowed crowds and dribbled through defenses withher explosive first step and a superior touch on the ball. Fellow second year player Brea Griffiths established herself as a force on defense, earning herself the consensus nickname of "Enforcer." Two freshmen — midfielder Emily Behncke and forward Maura Gallagher — showed throughout the season that youth does not necessarily mean inexperience. Both players were among the team leaders in scoring.

Also returning next year will be Bell, owner of one of the league's most feared shots. Sophomore defensive backs Rochelle and Janine Willis will be back as well. Despite their youth, the Canadian wing backs have fifth-year senior field awareness.

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But the squad will have to do without some key players next year. Gone to graduation will be defender Heather Deerin, midfielders Joan Cundey and Sosa and attacker Krista Ariss.

In years to come, the history books will recognize this season as the first time the women's soccer team didn't have to share the Ancient Eight title. But for now, the team is trying to cope with the sad fact that its immense talent was never fully realized on a national level.