Tough act to folllow for women's soccer

Just one season after completing the most impressive run in Princeton women's soccer history — a 19-3 overall record, more wins than any other Ivy League women's soccer team ever and a trip to the NCAA semifinals — the Tigers must pull off an even more improbable run if they are to equal or eclipse that mark this season.

Princeton immediately faces the annual setback of graduation, losing its leading scorer and offensive leader, forward Esmeralda Negron. Negron led the Tigers with 20 goals and 12 assists and garnered widespread acclaim, including Ivy League Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and first-team All-American honors.

With the departure of Negron, Princeton will have to rely more on sophomore midfielder Diana Matheson, who was also a first-team All-American last year. Matheson had seven goals and seven assists for the Tigers last season, and has already shown her potential as a key playmaker this season. Against Loyola-Marymount on Sept. 10 in the Princeton Women's Soccer Invitational, Matheson knocked in the game-winner two minutes, 20 seconds into the first overtime period to give the Tigers their first victory of the year.

Overall, however, Princeton has faced a rocky start, making Matheson's goal all the more important. Despite being ranked No. 21 in preseason rankings, the Tigers struggled out of the gate, losing its first three games. A 1-0 loss to No. 3 UCLA in the opener on Sept. 2 denied Princeton the chance to exact immediate revenge for last year's 2-0 NCAA semifinal loss. The Tigers then fell 3-0 to Miami two days later, and then to Arizona, 2-1, on Sept.

Allowing seven goals in four games is only one sign that this year's Princeton team is markedly different from last year's squad, which gave up only 11 goals all of last year. Seniors Madeleine Jackson and Emily Vogelzang return to man the goal, a position at which they split time almost 50-50 last season, each playing in and winning an NCAA tournament game. But the Tigers lost the core of their defensive unit with the graduation of four starters. Senior Romy Trigg-Smith, the sole returning defensive starter, will need to anchor a new defensive unit that has lacked cohesion in the early games.

Aside from Matheson, the Tigers will count on senior forward Emily Behncke, a four-year starter, for offensive production. A co-captain along with Matheson, Behncke scored 13 goals last season, tying the previous record for most goals in a season — though it was subsequently eclipsed by Negron. She has already demonstrated her ability to lead the team offensively this year, scoring two of Princeton's three total goals so far.

Also returning as a four-year starter is senior midfielder Maura Gallagher, who had four goals and four assists for the Tigers last year. Both players have a history of coming through in big games, as Gallagher knocked in an overtime corner kick against Villanova in the second round of the NCAA tournament to give Princeton the 1-0 victory, and Behncke scored two goals the following game against Boston College, propelling the Tigers into the Elite Eight.

Despite the early struggles, Princeton remains confident of its success when the pressure of the Ivy League season heats up. The Tigers went undefeated last season in Ivy League play and seek to defend their title. Key Ivy League matchups include the home contest against Yale on Sept. 24 and the road trip on Oct. 22 to Harvard, which forced Princeton into overtime last season before falling, 2-1.

Last season the Tigers were the first Ivy League team in any sport to reach the semifinals of a 64-team NCAA tournament. For a similar ending to occur this season, Princeton's players must demonstrate the poise that characterized last year's team.