The women’s soccer team is off to a strong start this season and is currently on a three-game winning streak, its first since the 2008 season.
Next up for Princeton (3-1) is a game against Long Island (4-1-1) tonight at Myslik Field. So far this season, Long Island has beaten Hartford, Hawaii, Longwood and Fordham, while tying Harvard 2-2. The Tigers are expecting a tough game from the Blackbirds.
“They are going to have strong kids. That’s not a question,” head coach Julie Shackford said. “They are going to be physical and it will be a good challenge for us.”
The team is optimistic about its chances against Long Island.
“Coming off great wins from last week, I think we are confident and prepared to continue winning,” sophomore midfielder Caitlin Blosser said. “We know we can’t get complacent, and if we stick to our game plan we will be successful.”
Princeton began its season Sept. 3 with a 2-0 loss at Rutgers (5-2), the team’s only defeat this season.
“The Rutgers loss was a great learning experience for our first game because it showed us everything we did wrong and how we needed to fix it,” Blosser said. “I think we came from that game knowing we had to be more physical and more tactically aware if we wanted to be successful, and that’s what we have been focusing and working on.”
The team learned from the Rutgers match and has showed improvement in the past three games. The Tigers hosted Seton Hall (3-3) on Sept. 5 and won 3-1. Freshman midfielder Gabriella Guzman scored the Tigers’ first goal of the year after just 10 minutes of play, while junior midfielder Sara Chehrehsa and sophomore forward Jen Hoy each contributed a goal in the second half. After the game, Guzman was ranked 38th by TopDrawerSoccer.com on the site’s list of 100 best women’s soccer freshmen.
Princeton’s next game was against Hartford (2-5), who the Tigers beat 1-0 in overtime on the Hawks’ home field. Blosser played the hero in that game, scoring the winning goal in the 97th minute.
In their most recent game against James Madison (3-3) on Sept. 12, the Tigers defeated the Dukes 6-3. It was Princeton’s highest scoring game since the team scored seven goals against Cornell in 2004. The Dukes also had not given up six goals since 2004. Blosser had a goal and two assists, and Hoy sparked the team with a hat trick. Hoy now has a total of four goals on the season. The Tigers scored on all of their shots on goal.
“We had a really strong freshman class last year who got a ton of playing time,” Shackford said. “We started six or seven freshmen last year, so their experience has helped a lot.” She also noted that the team has great leadership from their two senior captains, midfielders Kayleigh Iatorola and Alexandra Valerio.
In the Tigers’ three wins, Blosser has accumulated two goals and five assists. For her early season outburst, Blosser was recently named athlete of the week by GoPrincetonTigers.com and a primetime performer of the week on CollegeSoccer360.com, and she was also placed on the TopDrawerSoccer.com “College Team of the Week” list.
“I feel very honored and humbled to be named GPT athlete of the week and for the TopDrawerSoccer.com and CollegeSoccer360.com honors,” Blosser said. “Although they are individual honors, the team as a whole succeeds together, and without my teammates, these accolades wouldn’t exist.”
Blosser attributed the team’s early successes to its hard work and determination. “The team has come together this preseason to fight and work for each other and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” she said.
Shackford agreed that the team came together early, integrated its new freshmen easily and had a smooth preseason, all of which has helped it succeed in the past few games.
So far, Shackford said, the team has been “possessing the ball well and finishing the chances that we have.” She added, however, that the team still needs to work on staying organized and disciplined in transition.
Princeton will receive a boost this weekend from last year’s Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year, sophomore defender Alison Nabatoff, who has been out with an injury for a few games and will return to play against Long Island. Shackford said that Nabatoff’s return will help organize the backfield, as she can lead from the center back position.
With Nabatoff back in the fold and the offense firing on all cylinders, the Tigers appear primed to continue their early season success under the Friday night lights.
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