Perfect Ivy record on line in w. soccer's final league game at Penn

The adage "save the best for last" certainly applies to women's soccer, as it takes on its toughest and final Ivy League opponent in Penn on Saturday.

While Princeton (14-2-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy League) has already locked down an outright Ivy League championship, the Tigers are not going to let up on the intensity. A game is a game is a game, and just as any athlete can tell you, playing merely "good enough" isn't playing at all.

"It's another game in a season in which we've prided ourselves on putting forth our best effort," junior defender Romy Trigg-Smith said. "And as long as we come out with that mentality, we should do well."

After a rocky beginning, the Quakers (9-5-2, 4-1-1) have rebounded on their season and have only lost one of their last 11 games, three of those ending in a tie. The start of its season saw Penn facing up against teams like No. 11 Texas A&M and No. 15 Villanova, both of which were in the NCAA Sweet 16 last year. Although they lost to both teams, the Quakers showed remarkable determination, a resolve that has continued to appear throughout the season.

In the Texas A&M game, Penn was down, 3-0, at halftime but managed to close the gap to just one by the final whistle, eventually losing 3-2. The Villanova game was also a narrow win for the Wildcats. The Quakers lost that game, 2-1, in the second overtime. Since Villanova, Penn has only lost two games, one of which was to then-No. 14 California.

The Quakers have had five games go into double-overtime. That kind of sticking power could prove important in Saturday's matchup with the Tigers. Princeton has only had two games go into overtime. One was a 2-1 win over Harvard, but the other ended in a surprising 1-0 loss to Colgate over Fall Break. That loss broke the Tigers' 10-game winning streak but also renewed their commitment to staying on top.

"First of all, the Penn game's important to reaffirm our Ivy title and that we are the best in the Ivy League," Trigg-Smith said. "We want to secure our position in the national rankings, so we can get a favorable bid in the tournament."

To do this, Princeton is focusing on taking out Penn's central offensive threat.

"Penn's strongest player has always been Katy Cross, and so our plan is to take her out of the game," senior midfielder Kristina Fontanez said.

Cross, a senior, leads the Quaker team with 12 goals and seven assists. Not only a goalscorer, Cross has a penchant for making those around her elevate their game. She holds Penn's records for goals in a game, goals in a season, goals in a career, assists in a career, and points in a career. She has also scored at least once in every game this season. Defending her will be a top priority for the Tigers.

Princeton currently sits at No. 12 in the NSCAA/Adidas poll but has been as high as No. 8 and is No. 11 in the SoccerTimes Coaches Poll. As scary as the Quaker team is looking right now, the Tigers are even scarier.

Not only has Princeton clinched its sixth straight bid to the NCAA tournament, it also leads the Ivies in nearly every statistical category. The Tigers lead the league in shutouts, goals, assists and points, and have allowed the fewest goals of any team with seven. One category Princeton does concede, however, is fouls. In that statistic, the Tigers are surpassed only by Penn, which suggests a rough game on Saturday.

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The team has also had some individual accomplishments in recent games. Over Fall Break, senior forward Esmeralda Negron broke three school records and tied another. Negron now tops the list in goals in a season (14), points in a season (36) and points in a career (96). She is also tied for most career goals.

In the game against the Quakers, the Tigers stand to not only break the school record of wins in a season (14) and secure a better NCAA position. They also have a chance to go 7-0 in the Ivy League — a feat that has only occurred in women's soccer three times.

"Our expectation for this game is for us to beat Penn soundly," Fontanez said. "We want them to walk off the field not having a doubt in their minds that we are the hottest team in the Ivy League."