After a three-year hiatus, the women’s soccer team returned to the top of the Ivy League last year, sharing the championship with the Crimson. While the Tigers return eight of their 11 starters this season, the team will have a number of concerns to face as it prepares to defend its title.
The departure with the greatest impact will likely be that of forward Sarah Peteraf ’09, who led the Tigers with 12 goals last season, seven of which were game-winners. Peteraf accounted for nearly half the team’s offensive output, and her prominent role in the Tiger offense earned her first-team All-Ivy Honors.
“I think our biggest loss is Sarah Peteraf,” senior defensive back and tri-captain Melissa Seitz said. “She was always our go-to girl to win games.”
Just as integral, however, were backs Lisa Chinn ’09 and Taylor Numann ’09, who quarterbacked the Tigers’ impressive defense. Princeton allowed a grand total of seven goals in its first 16 games, and its defense was among the nation’s best, ranking in the top 10.
So how can the team fill those gaps?
“It’s tough,” Seitz said, “but our freshman class coming in has been really strong … In the preseason we’ve found a team where everyone is equal on the field, and we work together.”
Rather than basing their strategy on tough defense and Peteraf’s late-game heroics, the Tigers will be fielding a more balanced team that focuses on ball possession.
“We’ve been able to pass and keep the ball really well,” junior midfielder and tri-captain Kayleigh Iatarola said. “It takes a lot more effort, but another positive thing is that everyone is willing to work hard.”
“We’re going to have to work on having more people contribute and more people putting the ball away, whether it’s midfielders or forwards,” she added. “I have a feeling that the goals are going to be across the board.”
One area Princeton won’t have to worry about this year is the net. Fortunately for the Tigers, junior goaltender Alyssa Pont will be back after leading the Ivy League with a .45 goals-against average.
“It’s honestly great,” Seitz said of being able to count Pont as the team’s goalie. “She had the most amazing season last year. She’s confident, and it’s comforting to have her behind us.”
As for the youngsters, Princeton hauled in a crop of recruits that composed the highest-rated class in the Ivy League. The nine freshmen have already begun to take on major roles.
Freshmen forward Jen Hoy and midfielders Caitlin Blosser and Stephanie Iantorno have started all four of the Tigers game thus far.
“Jen is the fastest person I’ve ever seen in my life, which is great because now we have this offensive threat,” Seitz said. “[Freshman midfielder] Rachel Sheehy has started the past three games, which has been great for us. Stephanie has been in the back on defense.”
“They’re great,” Seitz said to summarize the class, which is currently getting a valuable dose of experience.
Indeed, though classes don’t begin until today, Princeton has already played four games. The Tigers opened their season with a pair of games at Roberts Stadium on the first weekend in September.
Princeton first faced a tenacious Hofstra team that was playing the fourth game of its season after going 2-1 over the first three.
The game got off to a good start for the Tigers, thanks to its youth movement. Hoy and Iantorno recorded their first collegiate assists on sophomore forward Barb Previ’s goal that gave Princeton a 1-0 lead.
But the Pride rallied late in the first half to even the score at one apiece, and a strange sequence followed at the start of the second half. A foul on Hofstra gave Princeton a free kick at the six-yard box. Seitz’ kick was blocked by the wall, as was sophomore midfielder Sara Chehrehsa’s shot that followed, and Hoy’s after that. Three consecutive point-blank shots, but no goal.
The missed opportunities came back to haunt the Tigers when, a little more than 10 minutes later, the Pride scored. The 2-1 margin held up, giving Princeton a stinging L in its home and season opener.
A second N.Y.-based team — St. John’s — visited next. The Red Storm, 3-0 entering the match, was ranked No. 18 nationally by Soccer America and No. 25 by the NSCAA.
After a relatively uneventful first half, senior midfielder Vicki Anagnostopoulos knocked in a rebound off of Hoy’s shot in the 56th minute. But the Red Storm answered back only a few minutes later.
A similar scenario played itself out later in the game. Blosser’s shot bounced off the keeper to sophomore midfielder Alissa Boddie’s feet. After Boddie knocked in the rebound, the Tigers held on for a 2-1 victory.
Recently, Princeton concluded a small road trip, which saw the team take on Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utes, 4-1 entering the match, were also the proud owners of the No. 21 ranking per the NSCAA. After a scoreless half, Utah scored twice to defeat the Tigers, who were held scoreless.
Princeton’s match against Wyoming, which was 3-1-1 entering the contest, played out similarly: The Tigers were shut out again in a 1-0 loss.Princeton had as many or more shots than the opposing team, but the Tigers couldn’t finish their chances. It’s something the team will continue to work on.
“It’s just a matter of putting the points on the board,” Iatarola said. “We need to finish. When it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, we’ve had trouble with that.”
“I think our biggest weakness is stepping up and taking risks and finishing.”
It would be naive expect a team with so much inexperience at the collegiate level to click immediately. It’s only a matter of time, though, before the talented freshmen figure things out.
“The learning curve is going to be quick. All nine of the freshman, they are very smart soccer players,” Iatarola said. “They know the game. It’s just a matter of teaching it at the college level, which is totally different.”
Princeton currently sits on a record of 1-3, and the team is a young one, but don’t expect the Tigers to suffer through a “rebuilding year.”
Iatarola is confident the team will forge its identity soon.
“I think we haven’t developed [our identity] yet with having such a young team,” she said. “They don’t understand the college game and the intensity of it just yet. Every game is so competitive. The stuff that worked in club doesn’t always work now.”
“Hopefully in the next couple of games, we’ll have our identity … definitely by the Ivy League games, but hopefully before that,” Iatarola added.
Princeton will face Towson, Rutgers and Hartford over the next week. Ivy League play will kick off when Yale visits Roberts Stadium on September 26.
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