Princeton played through a pair of nail-biting contests this weekend, eking out a 1-0 overtime win against Towson (3-5-0 overall) on Friday and rallying late for a 1-1 tie against St. John’s (4-1-3) on Sunday.
“I think not having games for two weeks, winning on Friday and then coming back from a 1-0 loss with three minutes left in the game is something to be proud of,” senior midfielder and co-captain Lisa Chinn said. “We’re pleased with the results, but we definitely need to do more to be successful on Saturday [against Yale].”
Princeton (2-1-1) went to reliable sources for the victory in Friday night’s game, as senior forward Sarah Peteraf scored a second clutch goal in as many opportunities at the new Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium, helping the Tigers preserve a perfect 2-0 home record.
With less than four minutes to go in overtime, Towson was called for a foul as Princeton pushed the ball forward, setting up a free kick with great field position. The free kick bounced to the right side of the goal, squirted off to the left to the top of the 18-yard box and landed at the feet of a wide-open Peteraf.
Calmly and coolly, Peteraf legged a shot to the bottom-left corner of the net with three minutes, 13 seconds left in the period. Nothing fancy, but wholly effective, as the Towson goalie dove to block the shot and came up well short.
It was an evening that proved that sometimes all you need is effort. Princeton dominated possession the entire game but just couldn’t seem to finish, displaying a tinge of rust after not playing games for almost two weeks due to Hurricane Ike.
Still, Princeton played tenaciously, holding a 13-3 advantage in shots, with nine of those coming in the second period.
Junior forward Marci Pasenello had an excellent chance to give the Tigers the lead after a free kick about 10 minutes into the second half. The Princeton offense quickly advanced the ball, and Pasenello had a point-blank shot, but the Towson goalie made a difficult save to keep the game scoreless.
Towson, on the other hand, could never seem to muster a sustained threat, notching only one shot in the first period, two in the second and none in overtime. Credit the Tiger midfield and defense, which flustered the opposing attackers and playmakers all night long, preventing any prolonged stays in their own half.
Princeton then traveled to New York to take on St. John’s on Sunday afternoon. The game was evenly matched and remained scoreless through the first half.
The Tigers and the Red Storm each took four shots in the first half, with Princeton forcing the St. John’s goalkeeper to make three saves.
In the second half, Princeton took the intensity to a higher level, but it was the Red Storm that broke through first.
Barely four minutes into the second frame, St. John’s connected on a pass into the 18-yard box, where forward Kelly McConnell beat sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Pont to the lower-left corner and snuck the ball just past the post.
The Tigers, however, just couldn’t seem to break through, despite their seven corner kicks and eight shots in the period.
With only two minutes left in the game, desperation set in, and a pair of freshmen came through in the clutch for Princeton. Freshman midfielder Sara Chehrehsa passed to freshman forward Kalie Bartholomew, who promptly launched a shot from 35 yards out. Bartholomew’s rocket arced over the outstretched hands of the Red Storm goalie, who got a finger on it but couldn’t keep the ball out of the net.
The teams then played a pair of scoreless overtimes, with the game ending 1-1.
“I think we have definitely improved on our possession from Friday to [Sunday],” Chinn said. “I think we kept the ball better. I would say that we’ve been ending games better too — getting stronger and stronger as the game goes on.”
“At the same time, I think we need to come out with more intensity and confidence at the beginning of the game,” she added.
Princeton has a final tune-up on Tuesday against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., before heading to New Haven to take on Yale in the conference opener.
So if you’re looking to watch something exciting, check out the women’s soccer team. It’s sure to please.
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