Women's Soccer: NCAA run ends with 2-1 defeat

This was, after all, a team that battled in every sense of the word, fighting for each ball and meeting challenges with strength and resilience. Despite the result, all these qualities held true in the Tigers’ performance against West Virginia (14-3-6) in a game in which Princeton responded with its usual combination of skill and determination to the Mountaineers’ athleticism.

“I was really impressed with our play. I don’t think we let the nerves get to us too much. I don’t think we looked outmatched,” senior middle back Taylor Numann said. “They were a more athletic team, but we played well against them and played hard. It’s a performance that we can be proud of.”

West Virginia put Princeton in an early hole when forward Erica Henderson scored off a corner kick to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.

“We started off strong and were able to put some things together for the first 20 minutes, but we didn’t get many chances,” senior midfielder Sarah Peteraf said.

The Tigers faced another challenge when sophomore goalkeeper Aly Pont left the game in the 23rd minute with a concussion. Pont was replaced by freshman goalkeeper Kristin Watson, who, in her first major action of the year, answered the call by making four saves to keep Princeton in the game.

“The majority of us didn’t know why she was going out of the game. It’s always really hard to lose your starting keeper who we had relied upon for the majority of the season,” Peteraf said. “Kristin came in and had a really solid performance. It’s hard to come in for such an important game. She came in and really showed strength and leadership on the field.”

Pont was injured when she came off her line to challenge a West Virginia breakaway, knocking away the ball while colliding with the opposing player.

“We were concerned for Aly definitely, but we also have confidence in Kristin,” Numann said. “I don’t think we let it affect our play.”

West Virginia handed the Tigers their second 2-0 deficit of the season when forward Blake Miller scored in the 26th minute shortly after Watson entered the game in place of Pont. Princeton stayed strong, though, and continued to battle against the tide of West Virginia’s athletic advantage.

“They are a very big, athletic team,” Peteraf said. “They were able to get another goal off a counterattack. It was a beautiful shot off a bounce that went upper-90. We didn’t fall apart, but we weren’t able to do a lot [after the second goal].”

Following West Virginia’s second goal, Princeton played the Mountaineers to a virtual draw for the rest of the game. Neither team had another great opportunity until senior midfielder and tri-captain Jen Om converted a Peteraf corner kick in the 89th minute to make the score 2-1.

While the goal came too late for the Tigers to mount a significant comeback attempt, it served as well-deserved recognition for Om. She assumed the mantle of unsung hero after Numann’s goal-scoring heroics in the regular-season finale against Penn, and Om had spent much of the season assisting other players’ goals before her own effort late in the game against West Virginia.

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Om’s goal was also a fitting sendoff for a senior class that made up for its small size by playing big throughout the season.

“I would put this [senior] class with my 2004 class. This was a small class. I want to give them all my MVP-award because they deserve it,” head coach Julie Shackford said. “This group was so easy to coach. They were competitive and fun. I’m thrilled for them because I didn’t want them to walk away without an Ivy League title. It was a dream season in a lot of ways.”

The end result will conjure ideas of what might have been had the Tigers been able to gain experience against more athletic teams on their canceled road trip to Texas early in the season. Yet this team is proud of its success and the way it returned Princeton’s program to its winning ways.

“I’m disappointed, but they battled really hard. I think the fact that we got that experience will be wonderful for the younger players,” Shackford said. “I felt like this group brought us back to where we need to be.”

With seven starters returning next season, it is a place the Tigers will be well-positioned to stay.