Still winless in Ivy, W. soccer welcomes Crimson

The women's soccer team doesn't have much left to fight for. Once dreaming of an NCAA bid, the Tigers are now simply aiming to claw their way to a winning record, but they intend to go to the max in order to do so.

Princeton (0-4 Ivy League, 5-7-1 overall), which has three games remaining on the schedule — only enough to surpass the .500 mark — will be the final matchup of an unofficial Princeton-Harvard Day this Saturday.

With Tuesday's 3-0 win over American that snapped a four-game slide, Princeton's confidence level was boosted just in time for the important match against its rival. Harvard (2-2, 3-10-1), on the other hand, enters the match coming off a two-game losing streak, giving the Tigers the momentum advantage.

More importantly, the Crimson's recent loss to Holy Cross was tremendously demoralizing. Harvard dominated the game, recording 24 shots and a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks but could not hold on for the win against the Crusaders.

Princeton also has had its share of misfortunes this season. Between the sporadic intervals without junior captain Diana Matheson and the presence of only three seniors on the roster, the Tigers have struggled with a noticeable lack of experience.

"We're a young team, there's a lot of inexperience," head coach Julie Shackford said. "We just focus on getting better in practice and hope that will translate."

Saturday, Princeton will take on an even younger team, as Harvard boasts only one senior and two juniors. The Crimson carries 12 rookies on its roster this year.

Princeton leads Harvard statistically in every category except opponent's shot percentage, where the Tigers have allowed .148 shot percentage by opponents, while the Crimson have allowed a shot percentage of only .130.

Much of Harvard's struggle may stem from the lack of an on-field leader. Statistically, the Crimson's top player is freshman defender Lizzy Nichols, who has notched seven points this season by scoring two goals and assisting on three.

The Tigers, on the other hand, certainly have a leader in Matheson, who has seven goals and four assists on the season for a total of 18 points. The team's dependence on Matheson, however, has caused the Tigers to struggle this season.

Opposing defenses have often managed to disrupt Princeton's play in the midfield, limiting Princeton's attack significantly.

The match against Harvard may hold more meaning for Matheson than games usually do, as it might be her last with the Tigers this season. Matheson will miss the team's match against Cornell due her presence at a World Cup qualifier in South Korea with the Canadian national team. She may also miss the final match of the season against Penn the following week.

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"[The possible absence is] part of having Diana on the team," Shackford said.

The looming possibility for Matheson isn't the only reason Princeton is excited for the historic rivalry game. Princeton's hopes of a winning season ride on the team winning the season's final three games, a feat the team thinks is entirely possible.

"The team knows there are still three games that are winnable," Shackford said.

Winning those three games would also bring Shackford to within three games of the Princeton record for the most career wins by a soccer coach, a record currently held by Jimmy Reed, who guided the men's team from 1938-66.