W. soccer falls to Villanova in first round of tournament

When the women's soccer team first learned that it would play Villanova in the first round of the NCAA tournament, excitement spread like wildfire. But it would be a short stay in soccer's Big Dance, as Princeton fell to the Wildcats, 2-1.

Despite failing to win the Ivy League title for the first time in four years and losing to Penn in the regular season finale, the NCAA selection committee still smiled on the Tigers.

For once, they got a "favorable draw" and a first round game they could win. But in the NCAA tournament, there are no easy games. And the notion of a favorable draw was probably concocted by some statistical analyst who could not comprehend the importance of intangibles, like adrenaline and pressure, and even luck.

And so Princeton suffered an unfortunate, but now familiar postseason fate. Despite outshooting the Wildcats, 15-9, including 11 shots on goal in the second half, the Tigers fell by a goal to Villanova.

For the fifth straight season, head coach Julie Shackford led her team to the NCAA tournament. But this year also marked the fifth consecutive first round loss for the Tigers.

"It's a different problem every year," sophomore midfielder Emily Behncke said. "Last year, we played a team that went to the semis, and they were just a better team. But this year, I don't think the better team won."

In searching for why they lost, the Tigers need look no further than a scant two-minute span in the first half. With the game scoreless, the Princeton defense suffered back-to-back lapses at the midway point of the first half. Doing what one needs to do to win in the postseason, Villanova capitalized on its opportunities. Elizabeth Dauble scored first to make it 1-0 at the 22 minute, 10 second mark. Just over a minute and half later, Lindsey Finnegan made it 2-0.

"We've had lapses like that all season," Behncke said. "We've had trouble staying focused for 90 minutes, and those 10-minute breaks kill us. This time, we gave up two goals."

After Finnegan's goal, Princeton settled down and regrouped. With solid play and surprising composure considering the situation, the Tigers began to go on the offensive. And with just under 10 minutes left in the first half, they got one back. Sophomore midfielder Maura Gallagher lobbed up a free kick that senior forward Theresa Sherry headed home, cutting the deficit in half. Princeton kept up the pressure, but was unable to even the game before intermission.

"We were very upbeat about the game at halftime," Behncke said. "After we got that goal, we really felt that we had the momentum. We were playing really well as a team and hustling after every ball better than we had all year."

The Tigers kept that momentum going in the second half. But time and again, the tying goal eluded Princeton. Behncke hit the crossbar with 10 minutes to go, and Wildcat goalie Chrissy Dolan came up with several huge saves, denying every Tiger opportunity.

The last five minutes saw a flurry of Princeton activity deep in Villanova territory, but the ball simply could not find its way home.

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With the loss, Princeton finishes the season with an 11-3-3 record. But despite the disappointment with the way the year ended, the future of the program still looks bright.

The Tigers will return nine of 11 starters, along with several reserves that saw significant time this year. Princeton will lose Sherry and senior midfielder Liz Bell. Though both were integral to the Tigers' success, a year of growth for this young team should make up for those losses.

"It will hurt losing Liz and Theresa, but we're optimistic about next season," Behncke said. "We will be a much older team, and I think we have some good recruits coming."

The 2003 season will probably be remembered as a bittersweet one. The program took several steps forward, climbing into the national rankings for the second consecutive year and tying a top-10 team. But with no Ivy League title and another heartbreaking first round loss in the NCAA's, many of their expectations went unfulfilled. Expectations will surely rise even higher next season, and the Tigers will have to grow and mature to make sure that they never suffer lapses like this year. Two bad minutes, and the offseason has now begun.