Princeton routs Blue Devils in first round

By halftime Friday night at Lourie-Love Field, where the Princeton Tigers were battling the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship tournament, physical play and heavy rain had combined to turn the jerseys of both teams into a muddy shade of brown.

Still, the colors that lay beneath all that muck were able to assume significant symbolic value, as the artistry of the white-collar Princeton team prevailed over the scrappiness of their blue-collar opponent in a 5-0 Tigers' victory.

Crisp touch passes and the brilliant play of senior forward Esmeralda Negron, who managed two goals and two assists despite the rain and temperatures in the mid-30's, were what pleased the crowd of 325, but the key to victory was Princeton's willingness to get as dirty as its opponents.

Fighting against Blue Devil defenders as much as the sloppy conditions, the Tigers took control of the game in the 10th minute with two goals separated by less than 30 seconds. Negron opened the scoring when senior forward Kristina Fontanez, handling the ball just past midfield, found her on the left side of the goal box with a bullet pass. Negron knocked it gracefully past the diving Central Connecticut State keeper into the left corner of the goal. Just 28 seconds later, Negron notched her first assist of the game, finding junior midfielder Emily Behncke at the far right corner of the goal box, where she was able to drill a shot into the net.

"I thought we played pretty well considering the rain and mud," head coach Julie Shackford said. "We got out in front early and we were able to build on that."

Indeed, two more goals were added to the Tiger lead before the first half came to a close. Fontanez temporarily matched Negron's offensive output in the 28th minute by adding a goal to the assist she had earlier. Fontanez was able to dribble to her right along the outside of the goal box. Despite the presence of two Central Connecticut State defenders, she got off a powerful, rolling shot that found the net and gave Princeton a 3-0 lead.

Negron then scored her second goal of the game with just 31 seconds remaining in the first half. Dribbling near the sideline about ten yards past midfield, sophomore midfielder Meghan Farrell made a perfect touch pass to freshman midfielder Diana Matheson on her left. Matheson, whose jersey may have been the dirtiest on the field, completed the zigzag through the opposing defense by finding Negron upfield on her right with a second crisp pass. It was then time for Negron to make it look easy, as she blew past a couple of disoriented Blue Devils and got off a solid shot that squirted out of the goalie's hands and rolled quietly into the back of the net for Princeton's fourth goal.

In just the third minute of the second half, the Tigers added to their lead for the last time, and Negron was involved again. Her corner kick was redirected into the net by junior defender Romy Trigg-Smith to give Princeton a five-goal lead.

The score represented a hookup between teammates who are polar opposites in terms of statistical output. For Trigg-Smith, it was her second goal in as many games, after the All-Ivy League first-teamer had scored exactly zero goals in her three-year career up to that point.

For Negron, now the two-time defending Ivy League Player of the Year, the assist gave her the Princeton record for assists in a season (11), to go with her school records for goals in a season (19), goals in a career (46), points in a season (49), and points in a career (109).