Women's soccer to face Brown in must-win game

After Sunday's disappointing loss to Dartmouth, the women's soccer team needs this Saturday's game at Brown to boost morale and to give the team a shot at staying on top of the Ivy League.

The Bears (7-2-2 overall, 1-1-0 Ivy League), however, have different plans. Brown is traditionally competitive in the league, and this year's squad will be no pushover.

In recent years, Princeton (6-1-2, 1-1-0) has dominated this matchup. Last year, the Bears fell by a score of 2-1, and Brown has not won against the Tigers since 1997. Princeton would like to keep that streak going and add a sixth-consecutive victory to the tally.

In terms of momentum this season, however, the Bears definitely have the edge. They enter Saturday's game fresh off a trio of wins against Providence, Columbia and Hartford.

The Tigers, by contrast, haven't put up a W since their game against Yale on Oct. 27, a 4-2 victory. A Dartmouth goal with under a minute left in regulation edged the Big Green past Princeton, 3-2, on Oct. 5. Three days later, the Tigers watched as a 2-0 halftime lead dissolved against Rutgers. The game ended in a 2-2 tie.

Princeton and Brown have played two teams in common, Dartmouth and Hartford. The Bears and Tigers both beat the Hawks by a two-goal margin, Princeton by a score of 3-1 and Brown 2-0. But Dartmouth had a much greater cushion in its 3-0 win against the Bears than in its Princeton victory.

Brown has several players around whom Princeton must work its way, both offensively and defensively. Senior midfielder Michaela Sewall has the potential to do some offensive damage. She has shown on many occasions how she can find the back of the net, leading the Bears in scoring with 6 goals.

"Sewall is definitely someone we need to look out for," head coach Julie Shackford said. "She's got good size and good field presence."

The Tigers also must find a way to put the ball past goalie Sarah Gervais, who leads the Ivy League with six shutouts on the season. "We've got to be savvy about our shot-taking," Shackford said. "[Gervais has] got the advantage in the air, so we've got to keep our shots low."

The team also needs to play to its advantages and create scoring opportunities.

"We're really fast down the flanks," senior midfielder and captain Liz Bell said. "We'll try to play the ball out wide and cross it in."

Princeton has a weapon in junior midfielder Esmeralda Negron, who has put up big numbers so far this season, racking up eight goals already. In the Tigers' past two games, however, the competition has held her scoreless. Princeton's chances Saturday will be much better if she can convert.

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Negron is not alone in her offensive efforts. Sophomore midfield Emily Behncke would like to add to her five goals on the season. Behncke and sophomore forward Maura Gallagher lead the team with four assists apiece.

Sophomores Madeline Jackson and Emily Vogelzang will likely split time in goal this weekend, as they have all season.

The stakes are high for Princeton if it wants to stay in the race for the Ivy title, especially after its loss to Dartmouth.

"We're in a must-win situation," Bell said. "Our No. 1 goal is to win the league, so we've got to win every league game we play from now on."

Ambitious, yes. Unattainable, no — that is, if the Tigers can bring their game together.

"We've got to play smart for 90 minutes," Shackford said. "We haven't really done that yet this year."

The league field appears fairly even so far this season, and Princeton will have to be all the more careful not to drop any winnable games.

"It's always tough to play Brown at home, and in this league, any team can be beaten on any given day," Shackford said.

The game will likely be close, no matter what. But if all goes according to the Tigers' plan, they should leave Providence with their second Ivy win of the season — and move one step closer to a league title.