Wake Forest hands w. soccer first loss of young season

If the women's soccer team was going to lose a game, this weekend was the time to do it.

After opening the season with three straight wins, including a 2-1 victory over then-No. 5 Texas A&M, the Tigers split games on their road trip to North Carolina, beating UNC-Greensboro, 2-0, on Friday before dropping a 1-0 decision to Wake Forest on Saturday.

Though No. 17 Princeton (4-1) sailed through its early non-conference schedule in each of the past two seasons, both years ended with disappointing losses in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This year, the squad is hoping to take its lumps before both conference and postseason play begin.

"We would rather rebound from a loss now and work on what we need to than discover major weaknesses later on," junior defender Romy Trigg-Smith said. "Still, the loss was disappointing."

Ironically, the team played crisper and more controlled soccer during the Sunday loss. The win on Friday was marked by poor ball control in the offensive third, though the heavy rains during the game likely had an impact on the Tigers' sloppy play.

"We lacked assertion and aggression in and around the goal," Trigg-Smith said. "Our possessions did not have enough purpose and direction."

Still, Princeton managed to put the clamps on a Spartan team that won the Southern Conference title and made it to the NCAA tournament last year.

Freshman midfielder Diana Matheson started the scoring 15 minutes into the contest, converting on a feed from senior forward Esmeralda Negron. Matheson has three goals on the season and a point in each of her first four collegiate games. The score remained 1-0 as the first half ticked down, but UNC-Greensboro started to rally. With less than a minute remaining, the Spartans controlled the ball out wide on the left touch line. A dangerous cross came into the box, and junior Madeleine Jackson had to make three reaction saves in the final 30 seconds to keep the lead going into the half. Jackson has not allowed a goal thus far this year.

In the second half, the Spartans kept the score close for 35 minutes, until junior forward Emily Behncke provided the insurance tally. Controlling the ball from 25 yards out, Behncke made a quick move and let go a shot that nearly punctured the inner side netting of the goal. Luckily for the Spartans, the netting survived, but the scoreboard now read 2-0.

That was all Jackson and the defense needed, as the Tigers finished out their third shutout this year.

Sunday's game was a tale of two halves. After getting outshot in the first half, 8-4, Princeton dominated the second half in all facets of play. Outshooting the Demon Deacons, 9-3, the Tigers did everything but score, and Wake's lone first half goal proved to be the difference.

"I thought we rallied at halftime and came out with a lot more energy," Trigg-Smith said of the Sunday contest. "We found the long switches better from the midfield, started to set the tone from defense and had good opportunities in the offensive third. Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalize on that and get a goal."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The updated national rankings will be released this afternoon and the Tiger squad will have to wait and see how far the committee docks it for the loss. To the team's credit, Wake Forest is also a top-tier program and should itself crack the top 25 with this win.

Princeton's next game is Friday night when it travels to Connecticut for its Ivy opener against Yale. The Tigers beat Yale, 4-2, last year in Princeton Stadium in another game that was marred by poor weather.