On Saturday night, the women's soccer team learned the hard way that few offensive threats lead to little offensive production. The Tigers (1-4-2 overall, 0-1-0 Ivy League) fell 2-1 to No. 24 Yale (7-2-0, 1-0-0) to open the Ivy League season in front of a raucous home crowd at Lourie-Love Field.
It was the latest disappointing loss in a season full of them for Princeton, which has struggled to find the form that propelled the squad to an undefeated Ivy League season and a berth in the NCAA final four last season.
The lone Princeton goal came unassisted from senior forward Emily Behncke, who has either scored or assisted on every goal the Tigers have scored this season. With Princeton down 2-0 in the 72nd minute, Behncke beat the last Yale defender. With Bulldog goalkeeper Chloe Beizer charging, she hit a shot towards the right side of a goal. The shot was deflected by Beizer's outstretched leg, but Behncke calmly collected the rebound and knocked it into the nowopen Yale goal.
"I didn't make the best decision on placing the first shot," Behncke said, "but I saw that the ball was going to come off the keeper's leg. So I regrouped and positioned myself to make the most of the second opportunity."
Despite the goal, the Tigers failed to find more offensive options. Behncke and sophomore midfielder Diana Matheson, who have together scored all of the Princeton goals this season, were often doubleor triple-teamed by the Yale defense.
"There is an enormous amount of pressure on Diana [Matheson] and Emily [Behncke], and we really need other players to step up," head coach Julie Shackford said. "[Senior midfielder] Maura [Gallagher] played well the first half, and [freshmen midfielder] Aarti Jain looks like she could become an offensive threat ... but we really need a more consistent follow-up on offense."
Bulldog speed too much
The lack of offensive diversity was not the only factor keeping the Tigers from victory Saturday night. The Bulldogs showed tremendous speed on both sides of the field. While Princeton created few fast breaks against the quick Yale defense, the Bulldogs created many, resulting in both of their goals.
In the 53rd minute, Bulldog forward Jamie Ortega outraced the Princeton defenders to a through ball near the left sideline. She fired a cross into the box that squirted past sophomore goalkeeper Maren Dale as she dove for the ball, and forward Mimi Macauley drove the ball home.
The second Yale goal also came on a breakaway cross, but this time the Tigers did the hard part for the Bulldogs. In 63rd minute, Dale managed to deflect and save the Yale cross, but the ball bounced off a Princeton defender and into the net for an own goal.
Dale started the game in place of the more experienced seniors, Madeline Jackson and Emily Vogelzang, who split time in net last season. Overall, Dale played solidly, making two saves, including one at pointblank range on a Yale breakaway with 15 minutes left to play in the game. But she made some mistakes characteristic of a lack of experience, such as misreading several balls in the air and trying to cut off crosses that were perhaps out of her range.
Though none of her mistakes resulted in goals, this lack of consistency at the goalkeeper position could present persistent problems for the Tigers as their season progresses.
Goal called back
The game was not without controversy, as the Tigers appeared to score a goal in the 65th minute that was called back for offsides. A hard Yale foul had earned Princeton a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box on the right side of the field. Matheson swung the ball in to Jain, who came sweeping into the middle of the field from the weak side and volleyed the ball past the keeper to the near post, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But the line judge called Jain offsides, nullifying the goal and keeping the score 2-0 in Yale's favor.
Overall, the Tigers had too few offensive opportunities, just one of the weaknesses of this year's Princeton team that was highlighted.
"We are a young team, and we are still figuring out what is working," Shackford said. "The league race is still open. It's rare to run the table in the league as we did last year. We just need to concentrate on getting better as a team."
The Tigers are back in action on Tuesday against LaSalle, before returning to league play on Sunday at Dartmouth.
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