The women's soccer team will not win the outright Ivy League championship this year. Nor will the Tigers receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that comes with winning the crown. Dartmouth has already sewn up that prize.
And only if the stars line up just right will Princeton even get a share of the league title that it has held for two years.
But don't start counting this team out yet. There are still goals that can be reached, goals that dwarf a simple conference championship.
Heading into tomorrow's regular season finale against Penn (8-5-3 overall, 2-3-1 Ivy League), the Tigers (11-1-3, 4-1-1) are in an excellent position to nab an at-large bid to NCAAs. If the team can avoid a letdown against the Quakers in Philadelphia, anything can happen from there.
Head coach Julie Shackford prepares her squad as well as any coach in Division I soccer, and the Tigers' youthful exuberance and consequent naivete might provide just the combination to upset some squads in November Madness.
Earlier this year, Princeton proved it could play at the highest level, when the team tied then–No. 10 California. In that contest, despite the Bay Area heat and obvious jetlag, the Tigers held a 1-0 advantage in the second half. Only a Cal penalty kick prevented what would have been the biggest win in program history. If the team can make it to the tournament, the sky is the limit. But that's a pretty big "if."
Despite a less-than-stellar Ivy League record, Penn will, if nothing else, test the heart and courage of the young Princeton bunch. Penn-Princeton matchups are rarely decided on skill and finesse alone. The victor earns it with guts and determination, composure and cohesion.
"Penn is definitely one of our biggest rivals," senior forward Theresa Sherry said. "We play them in the preseason every year, so we see them a lot. It's always a tough game."
Home field advantage
The Tigers and Quakers played to a draw when they met earlier in the fall, so the game should show which team has improved the most over the course of the season. Last year, Princeton slid by a pesky Quaker squad, 2-1, in overtime. That game, however, was in the friendly confines of Lourie-Love Field — a place where the Tigers did not lose a game this year. Tomorrow's matchup will be held at the soccer stadium at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, a place with more nooks and crannies than a Thomas' English Muffin.
With train tracks on both sides of the field, and trains going by every few minutes, there will be plenty of distractions as the field rumbles.
Along with the conditions, Princeton will have to contend with Penn's standout junior forward Katy Cross. Cross is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week after breaking a single-game scoring record for her school. She tallied four goals and added an assist in Penn's 5-2 win over Lehigh last week.
On the season, Cross leads her team in goals with 13, in assists with six and in points with 32. She is one of the few players in the country whose numbers compare favorably to Princeton's standout forward, junior Esmarelda Negron. Negron also has 13 goals this season, and her four assists give her 30 points for the year.
The Quakers' second leading scorer this season has been sophomore forward Carolyn Cross. Though both share a propensity for scoring goals and a common last name, they are of no relation.
The Tigers enter the contest on a two-game winning streak after they tied Harvard in late October. Penn is also riding a two-game winning streak, but the Quakers lost their previous three games. But while Penn's postseason hopes have long since faded, a victory over the Tigers could spoil Princeton's fun.
Last season, the Tigers went 1-2-1 over their last four regular season games, needing the automatic tournament bid it was granted for winning the league to get in to the NCAA's. This year's squad does not have that luxury. A loss tomorrow leaves no netting to catch the fall.
The Tigers, to be sure, are one of the dark horses with a chance to go far in the NCAAs. A win tomorrow gives them that opportunity. A loss puts their postseason fate in the hands of a committee.
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