Women's Soccer: Clash with Columbia a contest of Ivy leaders

This weekend, the last two undefeated Ivy League women’s soccer teams will battle it out on the field for control of the first place spot in the league. Princeton (8-4 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) will travel to Columbia (7-2-3, 2-0-1) on Saturday for the pivotal Ancient Eight matchup.

“Our team has been really prepared for Ivy League games,” head coach Julie Shackford said. “The intensity has been really good, they know what they want to get out of the games, and their expectations are high.”

The Tigers can expect a tough fight from the Lions, since both teams boast some of the top players in the Ancient Eight. Last week’s Ivy League Player of the Week was Lion forward Ashlin Yahr. Princeton’s sophomore forward Caitlin Blosser leads the league with 19 points and sophomore forward Jen Hoy is tied for second with 14 points, while Yahr is in fourth with 12 points. These three also lead the league in goals and game-winning goals this season. Hoy leads both categories with seven goals and four game-winning goals. Blosser and Yahr are tied for second in goals and game-winning goals, with six and three, respectively.

“We know that Columbia will be a great match simply based on their results in the league so far,” sophomore defender Alison Nabatoff said. “Every league game is very physical and a lot of emotion goes in, so I’m sure this upcoming game will be the same.”

“We want to go out there and do well, and we want to keep ourselves on top of the Ivy League,” Shackford added. “We know we have a really big battle and Columbia is a really good team. We have our work cut out for us, but we’ve done well. Our intensity and energy for these games is something these girls have brought to the table.”

Princeton is currently on a two-game winning streak and fresh off its final non-league game against Lehigh last Wednesday, which the team won 1-0. Hoy’s game-winning goal came in the final five minutes of play off an assist from sophomore midfielder Rachel Sheehy. When Lehigh and Columbia met earlier in the season, the game ended in a 1-1 tie after two overtimes.

Columbia has been undefeated in its past six games, with three wins and three ties. The Lions’ most recent game was on Tuesday against Long Island University and ended in a 2-2 tie. The Tigers lost to Long Island 1-0 last month. In the Ivy League, Columbia has defeated Penn and Cornell and tied with Brown, while Princeton has topped Dartmouth, Brown and Yale.

The Tigers have been doing well both offensively and defensively this season.

“One of the main things that has made the team so successful has been our energy and willingness to work for each other,” Nabatoff said. “Also, we have been able to stick to our game plan for the most part, which helps keep everyone on the same track.”

“We have been winning a lot of first and second balls, which helps us to gain momentum. I think we are going in the right direction, but we are going to continue to work on our possession throughout the game,” Nabatoff added.

Shackford said the Tigers have been “going about business as usual” by working on their speed and practicing making good decisions.

The defense has been an anchor to the team’s success, with sophomore goalie Kristin Watson recording five shutouts this season.

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“Going into the next game, we need to continue to play organized, honest defense,” Nabatoff said. “As a team we now know that we have the ability to keep the ball out of the net, so we just need to carry our momentum from the past couple of games forward.”

Shackford said she will be looking to her defense to keep up intensity throughout the game and to continue battling, no matter the circumstances of the game. “It’s been what we’ve preached all season: We’ve talked about keeping the momentum through the game,” she said.

Overall, the Tigers are eager to defend their first place spot in the Ivy League.

“We’re very excited to keep the Ivy League season a positive one,” Shackford said. “I think our kids are ready.”