Princeton opens Ivy play with Yale

Beginning Saturday, the women's soccer team's mediocre non-conference record will no longer matter. For the rest of the season, the Tigers will be concerned with just one thing: winning every Ivy League game they play in pursuit of another championship.

Then again, the rest of the league has other ideas — including Yale, which hosts Princeton (1-3-2 overall) in New Haven, Conn., tomorrow in both teams' Ivy League opener. The Bulldogs (6-2-0) hope their young talent is enough to allow them to knock off the defending champions.

"Our goal every year, first and foremost, is to win the Ivy League championship outright," senior forward Emily Behncke said. "Every league game is a must-win for us."

But Princeton immediately faces a difficult challenge in that quest, as the Bulldogs have won six straight games to earn a No. 24 national ranking. During that streak, Yale has demonstrated an ability to win close games, with 1-0 overtime victories against St. John's on Sept. 6 and against Maryland on Sunday.

By contrast, the Tigers are coming off a pair of ties, with Connecticut and Boston University, in which they were unable to knock in a game-winner during overtime despite several chances. In order to beat the Bulldogs, Princeton will need to convert its opportunities into goals.

Rookie threats

Last season, the Tigers beat Yale, 3-0, but the Bulldogs' offense has received an unexpected boost this season from the arrival of a solid group of freshmen. Midfielder Crysti Howser leads the team with four goals and two assists, while forward Emma Whitfield has added three goals and an assist. Forward Maggie Westfal has also chipped in two goals and an assist, including the crucial overtime game-winner against Maryland last Sunday. For her heroics, Westfal was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, the same honor that Howser had received the week earlier.

The potent Yale attack could present problems for a Princeton defense whose inexperience has at times been exposed this year. Seniors Emily Vogelzang and Madeline Jackson, who play about equally, have been solid in goal, though not dominating. Princeton has already allowed 10 goals this year in only six games.

The Tigers are still, however, the team to beat in the Ivy League after winning three out of the last four Ivy League championships and reaching last season's NCAA tournament Final Four.

Princeton can count on the potent attack tandem of Behncke and sophomore midfielder Diana Matheson, who have accounted for all of Princeton's goals this season. Behncke leads the team with four goals and two assists, giving her a hand in every goal the Tigers have scored so far. Matheson has scored the other two goals and has assisted Behncke twice.

"We really want to keep the focus on us," Behncke said. "Yale is a talented team, and we certainly read the scouting reports. But it's better to try to play our game then trying to react to whatever Yale is doing."