Princeton (5-1-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) got off to a slow start against Fairfield (7-2-2) and had difficulty maintaining possession and creating quality attacking chances. Peteraf’s fourth goal of the season, however, lifted the Tigers to a 1-0 win over their non-conference opponent.
In the 82nd minute of play, Peteraf lofted a shot toward the goal from the left flank. Fairfield keeper Kelly Boudreau came off her line to play the ball but mishandled it, punching it into the back of her own net. Though the goal may not have been her prettiest, Peteraf has shown that she’ll do anything to help the Tigers get another tally in the win column.
“We were putting pressure on them for a good portion of the game,” Peteraf said, “[and we knew] the goal was coming. This year … the four seniors [on the team] have been realizing that it’s our last year, and we need to step up and try to make a difference as much as we can. I think I’ve gained a lot of confidence in the past year.”
Merely 30 seconds after the goal, it appeared as though Fairfield had found the equalizer, as a shot from a Stag attacker sailed toward the goal only to graze the crossbar. Finding a sense of urgency, Fairfield mustered four shots in the final nine minutes but couldn’t put a shot past sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Pont, who preserved the shutout for the Tigers.
Peteraf registered the only Princeton shot in a slow first half hour of play, but her tenacity ignited the Tigers, resulting in a slew of chances in the remaining 15 minutes.
In the 32nd minute, senior midfielder and co-captain Jen Om received a ball from senior defender and co-captain Lisa Chinn in the midfield and turned to find junior forward Marci Pasenello checking hard in her direction. Pasenello collected the ball and found Peteraf streaking down the left side, but Peteraf was unable to escape defensive pressure in the corner to manage a cross.
Undeterred, Peteraf had three shots in the next seven minutes, the best opportunity coming off a feed from sophomore defender Marissa Sampias.
The Tigers continued to pressure the Stags for the remainder of the half, as sophomore midfielder Kayleigh Iatarola and freshman forward Kalie Bartholomew challenged Boudreau. Pasenello had arguably the best chance of the half with six minutes remaining when she fired a shot toward the net, and Boudreau bobbled the ball, managing to scoop it up before it bounced across the line.
The Tigers outshot Fairfield in the first half, 8-3, but failed to break the stalemate before the buzzer sounded.
Princeton continued to control the momentum during the second half, and it looked as though Pasenello might put the Tigers ahead in the 62nd minute. Junior defender and co-captain Melissa Seitz cleared the ball to Pasenello after preventing a Fairfield cross from entering the box, and Pasenello carried the ball over half the length of the field, unleashing a 25-yard shot that couldn’t find its way past Boudreau.
Chinn had a couple of chances to give the Tigers the lead in the following 10 minutes, but the one to capitalize in the clutch was Peteraf.
The Tigers will face Dartmouth this Saturday in their second Ivy League game and hope to add to their current three-game winning streak.
“All of the Ivies are big games,” Peteraf said. “It doesn’t matter who’s on the field, it’s always going to be a struggle to the last minute.”
As long as the Tigers have Peteraf on the field in the closing minutes, they can have confidence in their chances.
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