Women's soccer looks to break school record against Brown

No. 12 women's soccer (8-1-0 overall, 2-0-0 Ivy League) will be gunning for the record books tomorrow when it hosts Brown (4-5-0, 1-1-0) at Lourie-Love Field. The squad will attempt to win its eleventh consecutive home game, a school record.

Last year the two teams battled for 92 scoreless minutes in Providence before a goal by then-freshman forward Meghan Farrell gave the Tigers a 1-0 overtime victory. Another win this year would mark the seventh contest in a row that the Orange and Black have triumphed over the Bears.

This season Princeton faces a young Brown team that has had mixed success. The Bears are coming off a near-upset road game against No. 22 Boston College (8-4-0), where they lost 1-0.

Brown will look to its strong offense, led by sophomores Kathryn Moos and Kathleen Waddell, to get the edge against the Tigers. Though their winning percentage is only .500 through the first eight games, the Bears have outscored their opponents 13-10. Another sophomore, Jill Mansfield, leads the team in assists and plays a key role on the field.

In front of the net for Brown will be Hilary Wilson, who has played every minute of every game this season, putting together a save percentage of .890 while posting two shutouts. The junior averages 1.24 goals allowed per game.

Princeton's last contest came against perennial rival Rutgers on Tuesday night, when they edged the Scarlet Knights for the 1-0 victory and Garden State bragging rights.

Despite the victory, which was won on a goal by senior forward Esmeralda Negron, head coach Julie Shackford was less than enthusiastic about her team's performance. "I think [freshman] Diana [Matheson] did a nice job from the midfield, but I don't think we really asserted ourselves enough," Shackford said. "I don't think our defenders closed space enough. [We need] a more aggressive mentality."

One key element the defense has been lacking all year that could fill that gap has been senior defender Rochelle Willis. Willis had started every single game in her first three seasons, but injured her knee in the preseason against Penn.

Willis missed the first seven games of this season, and only played briefly in the past two. The addition of the first-team All-Ivy performer could bring the defense, already one of the best in the nation, to an even higher level.

"We're trying to work her back in," Shackford said. "I'd say she's probably still 60 to 70 percent. She's just got a battling attitude and physicality that she brings to the defense. Just a very strong-willed defender."

Backing up the defense for Princeton will be the goalkeeping corps of juniors Emily Vogelzang and Madeline Jackson. Vogelzang was in the goal for the shutout of Rutgers on Tuesday (the sixth such win of the season for the Tigers), but the two have split time evenly this season. Only three goals have passed on their watch, giving them an average of 0.33 goals allowed per game, a fraction of their opponent's number this weekend.

Princeton currently sits atop the Ivy League standings, tied with Penn as the remaining undefeated teams. The Quakers host Columbia this weekend, who are in the cellar of the league with an 0-2 record. With a Penn victory there looking likely, the game against Brown becomes even more important for the Tigers.

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Princeton's 10-game home winning streak extends from last year, when they went undefeated at home in all seven games. The previous record of ten was set in a similar fashion, on seven games in the 1989 season and the first three of the 1990 season. Brown won the Ivy title in both those years, their eighth and ninth consecutive championship. The Bears have won only one title since then, while Princeton has taken three (2000-2002).