Women's Soccer: Fourth straight shutout not enough for win

The women’s soccer team ran its shutout streak to its 403rd minute on Saturday afternoon at Roberts Stadium. Unfortunately for Princeton (5-6-3 overall, 1-2-1 Ivy League), it also ran its ongoing scoreless streak to 220 minutes. The end result was another scoreless tie for the Tigers, this time against Columbia (6-5-3, 2-1-1).

The Tigers posted their fifth shutout in their last six games, but they did not get the three points they needed to keep pace with Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers only notched four goals in that six-game timeframe.

“I think we played better soccer and created chances and just can’t finish,” head coach Julie Shackford said.

On a cold, wet and windy day, both teams demonstrated that they wanted to win, but neither could find a way to put it away. The game had a physical tone, and the teams were called for 12 fouls apiece over the 110 minutes of play.

Junior goalkeeper Alyssa Pont in particular was, in a word, omnipresent. There were a number of scary moments for Princeton — especially in the first half — but Pont and the defense helped avert disaster a number of times.

The most precarious of these moments came in the 17th minute. The Lions had the ball in the Tigers’ half on a throw-in. Columbia worked the ball to forward Marissa Schultz, who, in Princeton’s 18-yard box, turned and fired. Pont was there to block the shot, but couldn’t scoop the ball up and take control. The ball was still loose in the box, and Schultz managed to collect the ball and fire it again, but fortunately for the Tigers, junior defender Marissa Sampias was there to knock the ball away.

Schultz actually managed to collect the ball yet again, but this time, her shot went wide right and out of bounds.

Pont made another spectacular play in the 29th minute. Lions forward Chrissy Butler was carrying the ball up the field on the counterattack when she flicked the ball over to forward Ashlin Yahr. Yahr and Butler timed the pass perfectly, and Yahr was left with a one-on-one opportunity against Pont.

But Pont roared out of the box and stonewalled Yahr to preserve the scoreless tie.

The defensive performance was especially impressive considering Columbia’s performance against the Bears: The Lions scored four goals in that contest.

“I think we’ve been defending well. We’ve changed a couple of things after the Dartmouth game that may have helped us a bit,” Shackford said. “[The defense has] been great, they’ve been very reliable, and you just wish we could be a little more consistent on the other end.”

For the game, Pont made seven saves on 10 shots.

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“I think overall, she did very well,” Shackford said of her goalie. “She was confident.”

In the first half, Columbia actually outshot Princeton, 6-3, though the Tigers did notch five corners to the Lions’ one. Gradually, the Tigers took control of the game — especially in the second half.

Princeton began to dominate possession of the ball. The Tigers settled down and patiently worked the ball around a number of times, and they generated some scoring opportunities as well, but no one could finish.

With roughly one minute left in the first half, freshman midfielder Rachel Saunders almost got the ball to freshman forward Jen Hoy in Columbia’s goal box, but Hoy couldn’t get to the ball before Lion goalkeeper Lillian Klein wrapped it up.

Senior defender and tri-captain Melissa Seitz also had a nice shot off a free kick in the 77th minute. Her shot arced over Columbia’s wall and was headed toward the top of the Lions’ net, but Klein jumped up and punched the ball up and over the crossbar to prevent the score.

Both junior midfielder Lauren Whatley and freshman midfielder Caitlin Blosser also had shots on goal, but Klein was there to meet both.

Senior forward and tri-captain Marci Pasenello tried to put the game away in the overtime periods — all four of her shots came after regulation, but none found the back of the net.

“We’re making plays, we’re getting in, we’re getting chances, but nobody is finishing them,” Shackford said.

It was a disappointing tie for Princeton, especially considering the results from around the league. Yale prevailed with a 2-1 overtime victory to improve its league record to 3-0, while Harvard also extended its record to 3-0 with a 1-0 overtime win over Brown. The league’s leaders were set to meet earlier in the season, but their showdown was postponed due to rain.

The Tigers will play the Crimson next weekend in Cambridge, Mass., in a game that they must win if they hope to keep their dwindling title hopes alive.