Women's Soccer: Three-way title race nears end

Harvard and Columbia will take the field in Cambridge five hours before Princeton and Penn face off on Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium. “If-then” logic leads to a series of potential outcomes for the weekend, but the Tigers are concerned with a sole possibility, as the fate of their season rests in their own hands.

“We basically have one option,” head coach Julie Shackford said, “and that’s to win. The other stuff is out of our control.”

Should Princeton (11-2-2 overall, 4-1-1 Ivy League) defeat the Quakers, it will be guaranteed at least a share of the Ivy League crown, which would be its ninth championship overall. If either Columbia or Harvard should win, the victor will also earn a share of the title. For Princeton to earn an outright championship and the automatic NCAA tournament bid that comes along with it, the Lions must defeat or tie the Crimson.

Harvard last won the title in 1999, sharing it with Dartmouth, while the Lions will be looking for a second championship in three years.

As long as the Tigers find a way to win, they will likely earn at least an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Winning, however, will be no simple task.

Penn (8-5-3, 2-2-2), the reigning Ancient Eight champion, saw its shot at a repeat title disappear with a heartbreaking overtime loss to Brown in its most recent game. Given the staunch rivalry between the two teams, the Quakers will not allow the Tigers to have an easy path to the top.

“Penn is a really good team,” Shackford said. “They’re a fighting team, they’ve got talent, so it’s going to be a really competitive game.”

While none of the Quakers have put up impressive stats for the season, their scoring has been widely distributed and is indicative of a well-balanced attack.

A lot is at stake this weekend, but the Tigers are taking it all in stride, just as they have all season. Abiding by the same recipe that has worked all fall, Princeton will approach this game with quiet confidence.

“This is a group that has dealt with everything pretty well this season. They’ve been in a lot of tough, competitive, pressurized games. I think they know what they want, and they’ve prepared to get it,” Shackford said.

One thing the Tigers haven’t faced much of, however, is adversity, as they have been fortunate in terms of injuries this year. Unfortunately for Princeton, senior defender and tri-captain Lisa Chinn tore her ACL on Wednesday in practice and will not compete this weekend.

While the Tigers will surely miss her skill and leadership on the field, their defensive lineup has been formidable throughout the season, holding all opponents to just six goals and allowing more than one goal only once. The back line, composed of junior defender and tri-captain Melissa Seitz, senior defender Taylor Numann and sophomore defender Bernie Da Costa, has stifled opponents’ attackers all season. Sophomore defender Marissa Sampias has earned quality playing time as an outside back and may be expected to step up on Saturday.

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The Tigers, who are currently ranked 21st in the Soccer Buzz national Top 30, are coming off a convincing 4-0 win against Cornell in which freshman forward Alissa Boddie netted a hat trick and contributed an assist.

The Tigers may also have a slight edge over Penn considering the Quakers’ mediocre road record and the Tigers’ undefeated record on their home turf. Princeton hopes the momentum will continue into the weekend and allow the team to come away with at least a share of the Ivy League title.