Women's soccer: Peteraf puts one past Peak

“It’s a heart attack for me, but they’re finding ways [to win],” head coach Julie Shackford said. “That [was] the epitome of a league game right there.”

This time, the victim was Ivy League rival Dartmouth (4-4-1, 0-2), who made the long trip to Myslik Field only to fall to a Princeton team that keeps emerging with creative victories.

While the Tigers had pulled out their previous two wins on fluke goals that deflected off the opposing team before finding the net, Princeton needed no such luck Saturday.

Senior midfielder Sarah Peteraf launched a magnificent strike from 25 yards out in the 33rd minute that went over the outstretched arms of Dartmouth goalkeeper Laurel Peak before hitting the upper-left corner of the goal. Hanover-native Peteraf, whose father is a Dartmouth professor, scored for the first time in her career against her hometown team.

“[Senior midfielder and tri-captain Lisa] Chinn and I had gone out [Friday] in practice. There had been a couple opportunities in recent games where I had had some really obvious chances but hadn’t taken advantage,” Peteraf said. “We tried to go out and take care of the opportunities and practice [taking shots]. I just tried to place it [today].”

The hard work paid off, as Peteraf’s “SportsCenter”-worthy goal was her fifth of the year, eclipsing the cumulative total of her first three seasons.

“This is my first year as a regular starter,” Peteraf said. “I’m just trying to realize that I’m playing for the team and that it’s not about my own playing time. I’m thinking about it like this is our last year to do well.”

Much like Princeton’s game against Fairfield last week, the opening 30 minutes of the game were a virtual stalemate as both teams fought to establish a tactical advantage and take control of the game. Neither team created so much as a shot on goal, with the ball seldom reaching the 18-yard box of either team.

In the 30th minute, the Tigers began to take charge, generating the game’s first legitimate scoring opportunity when a long ball was played to Peteraf, who controlled the ball before Peak came off her line to prevent Peteraf from getting a good shot.

The final 15 minutes of the first half belonged to Princeton, with the team pinning the ball deep in Dartmouth’s half of the field and creating numerous scoring opportunities. The Tigers’ best chance to extend their lead in the first half came off a corner kick, when a header from senior center back Taylor Numann sailed just over the crossbar.

In the second half, the Big Green came out firing and forced Princeton to play much of the game’s final 45 minutes on the defensive. Dartmouth totaled eight shots in the half, but sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Pont once again proved too strong for the opposition, making five saves to record her fourth-consecutive clean sheet.

“Aly played great,” Shackford said. “She has exceeded my expectations.”

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Pont’s most impressive save came in the 73rd minute, when she made a diving stop to her left to preserve Princeton’s lead.

Princeton had to overcome the absence of senior midfielder and tri-captain Jen Om, who missed the game due to injury. The Tigers were forced to make further adjustments on the defense when freshman outside back Lauren Brown left the game in the first half with a leg injury.

“What we lost [without Om] was that presence in the middle,” Shackford said, “someone to compose the team and put their foot out, just to break the momentum of the game.”

Despite these challenges, the Tigers’ morale never wavered, and they responded to every challenge the Big Green threw their way.

“I think we’re going to start working on how to play with leads, how to defend better when teams change to three forwards [and] just be a little bit sharper when we have the lead,” Shackford said.

Princeton will leave the friendly confines of Myslik Field, where it is 4-0 on the year, for a Tuesday trip to the nation’s capital to take on American University. The Tigers bring a six-game undefeated streak, 400 consecutive minutes of shut-out soccer and the confidence and cohesiveness gained from a season spent living on the edge.