Women's Soccer: Princeton better than ever after Harvard loss

“There were two things that could have happened after a game like Harvard,” senior middle back Taylor Numann said. “We could have crumbled, or we could have used it as extra incentive.”

If the past week was any indication, Princeton (11-2-2 overall, 4-1-1 Ivy League) has shown that firing up a team that already prides itself on tireless work ethic can prove devastating for the opposition. After their rain-drenched 2-1 loss to Harvard (9-3-4, 4-1-1), the Tigers roared back, handing Bucknell (11-6-2) a 3-0 loss Wednesday night at Myslik Field and dismantling Cornell (2-11-1, 1-5) in Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday.

“I think we bounced back really well,” Numann said. “It shows a lot of character for our team that we can do that. We know what we need to do to win the Ivy League championship, and we did what we needed to.”

Princeton’s Fall Break got off to an inauspicious start when the Crimson made the trip south for a showdown between the league’s top two teams on a day when the forecast called for thunderstorms. Though rainy days are often a codeword in soccer for defensive struggles, Harvard put the Tigers on their toes early, when midfielder Kelly Okuji banged home a cross from forward Katherine Sheeleigh only 22 seconds into the game to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead. Less than 10 minutes later, Sheeleigh converted a free kick to hand Princeton its first 2-0 deficit of the year.

“They scored a goal off of our own kickoff, 22 seconds into the game. I think we were pretty stunned after that,” Numann said. “We started building momentum, and then the game was delayed because of the lightning. Then we had to rebuild the momentum all over again.”

A Tiger comeback looked possible when senior midfielder Sarah Peteraf netted her ninth goal of the year to shrink Harvard’s lead to 2-1. Throughout the year, Princeton has made a living off late-game heroics, and Peteraf’s goal provided hope that the Harvard game would be no different. Unfortunately for the Tigers, a lightning delay with 30 minutes left in the second half quashed the offensive momentum, and the team managed only one shot on goal in the second half.

“Last year we lost to Harvard, and we took it as an ending point to our season,” senior midfielder and tri-captain Jen Om said. “I think from that, we realized that we still have a chance this year at the Ivy League title, and it’s not the end of our season. We still need to win the rest of our games. I think we really rallied on the fact that we’re a much better team than we showed against Harvard.”

Two factors aided Princeton in its rapid turnaround over Fall Break. The first was the chance to spend an entire week focusing on soccer, and the second was a midweek visit from Patriot League opponent Bucknell.

“I think it helped to be on Fall Break. We didn’t have school and other stuff to deal with,” Om said. “We really focused on the problems that we faced in the Harvard game, both defensively and offensively. We went into practice and did repetition after repetition. I think now, more than before that game, everyone is on the same page with certain plays and things we need to do at the start of the game.”

While the week off was a welcome respite for the Tigers, it proved unfortunate for a Bucknell team that took a break from its conference schedule to play Princeton in its final non-conference game of year.

Having been on the receiving end of an early deficit four days earlier, the Tigers wasted little time seizing the lead against the Bison. In the 32nd minute, Peteraf took a pass from Om, dribbled past the Bucknell defense and knocked her 10th goal of the year into an empty net for a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later, it was freshman forward Kalie Bartholomew getting her foot on a corner kick from senior outside back and tri-captain Lisa Chinn to make the lead 2-0. For good measure, Peteraf added another goal in the 55th minute, giving the Tigers their largest home win of the year.

“I think if we had had the whole week off, we could have wallowed in our sadness from the Harvard game,” Numann said. “Being able to get a victory [against Bucknell] lightened our spirits a little bit.”

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With its offense firing on all cylinders, Princeton made the trip to upstate New York for a conference matchup against Cornell. For those expecting Wednesday’s goal-scoring fireworks to continue, the game did not disappoint. Freshman forward Alissa Boddie, not content to score her first collegiate goal in the 23rd minute, staged a full-fledged coming-out party. Boddie scored Princeton’s first three goals of the game and for good measure assisted on Peteraf’s 12th score of the year as the Tigers rolled to a 4-0 road victory.

“I’m really proud of Alissa. She’s been getting herself into goal-scoring position in other games,” Om said. “I think the Cornell game was great for her, and I think she stepped it up in the front.”

The win against Cornell allowed the Tigers to recapture a tie for first place in the Ivy League and strengthen their credentials for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. It also proved once more that this team has spent the season not so much looking adversity in the face as blowing it out of the water.

“The Harvard game was not good, but it gave us a benchmark,” Numann said. “We’ve been successful up until now. But when we face a good team, there are going to be things that we need to tighten up in order to continue our season. Harvard showed us what things we need to tighten up. In that sense, it helped us reevaluate our goals.”

And to score a few more as well.