Negron leads women's soccer on magical run to Final Four

On the cold and windy evening of Nov. 26, the women's soccer team did the unthinkable on Lourie-Love Field. With a 3-1 victory over the Washington Huskies, the Tigers reached the College Cup — women's soccer's Final Four — and became the first Ivy League program to do so.

Though the clock struck midnight on the Tigers' Cinderella run later in Cary, N.C. — UCLA beat Princeton 2-0 in the national semifinals — the Tigers (19-3 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) and their fans were still rightfully ecstatic about their season. Soccer cognoscente across the country agreed — head coach Julie Shackford was named NCAA Divison-I Coach of the Year, while senior attack Esmeralda Negron and freshman midfielder Diana Matheson were named first team All-Americans.

A decade ago, when Shackford took over a program that perennially languished in the Ivy cellar, such success would have been unimaginable. But by the fall of the 2004, Shackford had turned Princeton into a league — though not yet national — power. Still, though the Tigers eventually tore through the Ivy League in 2004, outscoring their foes by a combined total of 24-3, such domination was anything but assured in the first Ivy game of the year against eventual runner-up Yale.

Fresh off their first loss of the year and tied at halftime, Shackford would later say that game was the only time all season she doubted her team. But in the second half, the Tigers convinced her — and themselves — that they could play with anyone, playing some of their best soccer of the season to defeat the then-No. 23 Elis, 3-1.

After that, even defending league champions Dartmouth couldn't stop Princeton, as the Big Green fell, 4-1. The most lopsided win of the year for the Orange and Black came in league play as well, with a 7-0 victory over Cornell that saw four different players score.

Magical run

With the Ivy League wrapped up, the Tigers were guaranteed a berth in the NCAA tournament, and they were determined to avoid the first-round knockout they suffered in 2003. That determination took the form of a 5-0 pummeling of Central Connecticut State University on Nov. 12.

The specter of last year's NCAA loss continued to haunt the Tigers, however, as they next faced Villanova, the team that defeated them in 2003. The fear of a repeat performance weighed on the Tigers as they went scoreless through 90 minutes of regulation play despite outshooting their opponent, 22-2. A first overtime period passed with only one shot taken on either side. Finally, in the second overtime period, junior midfielder Maura Gallagher somehow found the net with a corner kick for a 1-0 victory.

Princeton faced Boston College in the Sweet Sixteen, and after a tentative first half, junior forward Emily Behncke, a first-team All-Ivy honoree, scored twice to give the Orange and Black a 2-0 win and a berth in the national quarterfinals.

The Tigers never lost a game at home this season, stretching a streak begun in 2003 to a school-record 19 consecutive home wins, with the final victory coming against Washington in the Elite Eight.

Fittingly, it was Negron who scored the winning goal against the Huskies, her school-record 20th of the season, taking the return end of a give-and-go from Behncke and burying a shot in the right corner of the net early in the second half. A few minutes later, Negron lofted a flawless crossing pass that senior midfielder Kristina Fontanez redirected into the goal to give Princeton all the insurance it would need.

After setting single-season records in goals (20) and assists (12), Negon was named Ivy Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She also broke Princeton career records for goals (47) and points (111).

Meanwhile, Matheson took home Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors. The only freshman named a first-team All-American this year, she was a true leader on the field for the Tigers, helping give Princeton its normally dominant ball control.

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Princeton's defense was led by two All-Ivy selections, junior Romy Trigg-Smith on the first team and senior Elizabeth Pillion on the second. Splitting time in the goal were juniors Madeline Jackson and Emily Vogelzang, who, with the help of the defense, allowed a total of only 11 goals in all 22 games of the season.

With their success this year, the Tigers created high hopes of defending their newfound reputation as a national power.

"I think we really set the bar high, but we're definitely ready for the challenge to live up to those expectations next year," sophomore defender Christina Constantino said. "This season was the most fun I've had in my whole life."

Of all those fun moments, though, none felt better than that cold day in November, when the Tigers' cleats felt remarkably like glass slippers.