Shutout sends Tigers toward Ivy play

Every Ivy League team's soccer season has two real parts: the less important first few contests and the crucial ones against Ivy League opponents. Last night, amid spurts of sloppiness and flashes of brilliance, the women's soccer team closed the first part of its schedule with a 3-0 win over Sacred Heart that showed a vastly improved team just a few small tweaks away from becoming a serious Ivy League threat.

On a perfect night at Princeton Stadium, the Tigers (2-4-1 overall) disposed of a much weaker Pioneers team (0-8-1) by using conservative defense, superb midfield play and streaky offense.

"It was ugly, but a win is a win," sophomore forward Vicki Anagnostopoulos said. "At this point in the season we will take what we can get, but there are definitely some kinks that we need to work out."

Coming off their first victory of the season against St. Joseph's last Sunday, the Tigers certainly started the game with some momentum.

Not three minutes into the game, Princeton worked the ball down into the Pioneers' defense, where junior midfielder Sarah Peteraf fired a shot on goal. The ball hit the post but came right back to junior midfielder Jen Om, who buried a shot for her third goal of the season.

The tally came just two minutes and 23 seconds into the half, and though the Tigers dominated play for the rest of the half, it would prove to be the only goal they would muster in the first frame.

"Getting an early goal like that is big," head coach Julie Shackford said. "But in some ways, I think it may have hurt us. Those first few minutes were so good, and after the goal we seemed to lose our rhythm."

With Sacred Heart clearly reeling, Princeton continued to pressure the ball. Tiger midfielders suffocated all the Pioneer attacks and mounted their own effective offensive. Working the ball through the wings, the Tigers were able to generate numerous strikes of their own. Sophomore forwards Marci Pasenello and Agnagnostopoulos each had legitimate scoring opportunities in the first half, as did Peteraf and freshman forward Alexandra Valerio, both of whom were thwarted by nice saves from Sacred Heart's goaltender.

The defense similarly dominated, holding the Pioneers without a shot on goal for the first 38 minutes of the half. Senior goaltender Maren Dale was forced to make a quick near-post save for her first touch of the half, then recorded a quick save ranging to her right just minutes later. The two-shot outburst was the first real offensive production for Sacred Heart and its last sustained pressure of the game.

The first half ended with Princeton up 1-0, but the lead was overshadowed by what could have been. An inability to finish chances and control possession plagued the Tigers in the first half, and a game that should have been out of reach after the first 45 minutes headed into the second frame up for either team to grab.

Princeton, however, opened the second half as it left off the first, pushing the ball deep and generating scoring opportunities. Sacred Heart once again looked flat to start the second half, and Princeton took advantage with another early goal.

Just 6:21 into the second frame, freshman midfielder Elizabeth van Beuren found a ball bouncing around in the box and tucked it inside the left post for her first career point. The goal itself was a good representation of the game as a whole: a few great Princeton chances blocked in the box before finally finding the net.

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Up 2-0, the Tigers continued to apply pressure, yet also continued having difficulty putting away quality scoring opportunities. Valerio had a long breakaway broken up by a strong defensive play, and just minutes later, Om hit the post on a pointblank shot.

Midway through the second half, Princeton opened its lead to three goals, effectively putting the game away for good.

Streaking down the sideline with the ball, senior defender Melissa Whitley found Pasenello open in front of the net. Whitley threaded the ball between a Pioneer defenseman and the goalie, finding Pasenello in stride for her first goal of the season. From there, the Tigers cruised to their second win of the season.

Looking ahead to the Ivy League schedule, the Tigers are confident that the team is prepared.

"We're as ready as we can be," said Anagnostopoulos, who is second on the team in scoring. "We are going to need to work a little bit on possession and finishing, but overall we're excited and confident about league play."

The team received an added boost this year with the return of senior midfielder Diana Matheson, who is back from her stint with Team Canada in the 2007 Women's World Cup.

"Getting Diana back will be big for us," Shackford said. "She gives us an added dimension in the midfield, and her leadership and on-field presence will make a huge impact."

The team begins its Ivy season this Saturday against Dartmouth, a team Princeton battled to a tough 1-0 loss last season. The Tigers will take momentum into that game, however, and if they can combine last night's midfield play with better finishing and more possession, they will be a force to reckon with this season.