Women's Soccer: Defense shines in season’s final two games

The women’s soccer team finished its 2009 season this past week with two Ivy League games against Cornell and Penn.

The Tigers (7-7-3 overall, 3-3-1 Ivy League) beat the Big Red, 1-0, in double overtime before falling to the Quakers, 1-0, on Saturday.

The Halloween home game against Cornell was Princeton’s Senior Day game, in which the Tigers honored their three seniors: defender and tri-captain Melissa Seitz, forward and tri-captain Marci Pasenello and forward Vicki Anagnostopoulos.

Like most of the Tigers’ Ivy League matches, their match against Cornell (1-13-1, 0-7-0) was a close one. Princeton outshot Cornell, 20-4, and it capitalized on a significant man-advantage—Cornell received a red card in the first half—to emerge with a 1-0 victory.

The game was scoreless after 90 minutes, and still scoreless after the first overtime. The Tigers’ only goal came with just 24 seconds left in the second overtime, on a game-winning drive from junior forward Alexandra Valerio. Her goal was her first this season in Roberts Stadium.

The Tigers showcased solid defense throughout the game, led by junior Alyssa Pont in goal.

And with this victory, the team extended its shutout streak to six games.

“Saturday’s win was a true team effort,” sophomore forward Sara Chehrehsa said. “It was a very exciting win. It was Senior Day, and there is no better way than a win to honor our three amazing seniors.”

For Seitz and her fellow seniors, the victory was the best way to end four years of home games as Princeton players.

“Winning our last home game against Cornell was an amazing feeling,” Seitz said. “We scored with 24 seconds left in the second overtime, so it was a great way to go out.”

On Saturday, the Tigers played their final game of their 2009 season on the road against Penn (10-4-2, 4-3-0).

Hoping to post a second straight win over the Quakers, the Tigers allowed a goal in the first 10 minutes of the match, a header by Penn forward Alex Dayneka. This was the first goal allowed by the Tigers since their loss on Oct. 3 to Dartmouth.

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Still, the Tiger defense only allowed Penn two other shots on goal through the rest of the game.

Princeton itself was held to only two shots on goal, allowing Penn to claim a 1-0 win. The loss was very much a payback game, as the Tigers’ double-overtime win over Penn last year gave them a share of the Ivy League title.

“I just don’t think we got on top of the game today,” head coach Julie Shackford said. “[Penn] did all the intangible stuff well. They worked hard, they had energy, they won a lot of first and second balls. In the league, with so much parity over the last few years, one goal is the be-all and end-all.”

While losing to Penn in the last game of the season was not quite the end they wanted, the Tigers did post their 13th straight season with a .500 record or better.

“Toward the end of the season, we really came together as a team,” sophomore defender Lauren Brown said. “This is a great group of girls that has a lot of potential.”

“Losing to Penn last night was definitely a disappointment,” Seitz said of her final minutes playing collegiate soccer. “However, there are so many things to be proud of from this season, and I will always be so thankful for my four years as a Princeton women’s soccer player.”