The women's soccer team has been rolling lately, and its timing couldn't be much better. Having won four consecutive games, the Tigers (4-4-1 overall, 1-0-0 Ivy League) will take on Brown (2-6-1, 0-1-0) in Providence, R.I., tomorrow looking to stay tied atop the Ivy League standings.
Though Princeton began the season winless through five games, the struggles came against nationally ranked teams. The experience of playing these elite programs set up the Tigers' steamrolling of their four most recent opponents, whom they have outscored 12-2.
Having won its first Ivy League matchup against Dartmouth, 2-1, Princeton is coming off a 5-1 pounding of instate rival Rutgers on Tuesday night. The win against the Scarlet Knights put head coach Julie Shackford in the record books as the winningest coach in Princeton soccer history — men's or women's — with 137 victories. Senior captain and midfielder Diana Matheson also laid claim to the all-time Tiger assist record after notching the 20th and 21st assists of her collegiate career against Rutgers.
Princeton will try to use this momentum as it moves deeper into its Ivy League schedule.
"We are playing with a lot of determination and desire right now, and that fact has led to some good results," Shackford said. "It is always good to be heading into a game on the heels of a couple of good wins."
Princeton will be looking for revenge this year, as Brown easily handled the Tigers in a 4-0 win at Lourie-Love Field last year.
The Bears' season has been similar to the Tigers'. Of their first three games, two were losses to nationally ranked foes Boston College and Connecticut. Brown also dropped its Ivy League opener to Columbia, 1-0.
Brown's rocky start is likely due in part to the loss of a number of key seniors from last season, including Jill Mansfield and Kathryn Moos, who both scored two goals against Princeton in the game between the two teams last year.
"Brown was very good last year and gave us our worst loss of the season — at home no less," Shackford said. "Moos and Mansfield did graduate, but Brown has quality players to take over right where they left off. Their [record] may lead you to believe they are rebuilding, but they have played a very, very tough schedule so far — probably tougher than ours."
In last year's matchup, the Bears pounced on the Tigers early in the game, scoring all four of their goals in the first half. Princeton only had three shots on goal, so the team will look to turn the tables and get off to a quick start of its own this time.
The two top Tiger goal-scorers this season have been junior midfielder Jen Om with four and sophomore forward Marci Pasenello, who has added three. Though she has played in only two games, Matheson's two assists tie her for the team lead with senior defender Melissa Whitley.
Senior captain and goalkeeper Maren Dale has saved 74 percent of shots against her during nine games in goal. Dale will look to build on that number against the Bears, who have been shut out in five of their six losses this year.
Brown's two victories came against Maine, 2-0, and Army, 2-1. Goal-scorers for Brown include sophomore forwards Kiki Manners and Kellie Slater and junior forwards Lindsay Cunningham and Jamie Mize.
But if Princeton plays the way it has over the past four games, it shouldn't matter too much who is on the other side of the field.
"We will go out [tomorrow] night and try to play with the same intensity and desire that we did against Rutgers," Shackford said.
The rest of the Ivy League would rather see the Tigers keep that kind of effort within the Garden State.
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