Brown hands Princeton 3rd straight Ivy loss

The women’s soccer team suffered a third straight tough Ivy loss in a shootout of a game against Brown this weekend. After losing to Yale 3-2 in overtime in their Ivy opener and being defeated by Dartmouth 2-0 in a game that was a lot closer than the final score suggests, the Tigers (4-4-3 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) looked to change their fortunes against Brown (7-2-1, 2-0-1). The opportunities were there, with Princeton taking a total of 14 shots — more than doubling the six they took against Dartmouth — but the team was unable to capitalize.

The Tigers came charging out of the gates, taking a total of six shots in the first 13 minutes. Junior midfielder Jessica Haley opened up the game with a shot that was saved by Brown goalkeeper Amber Bledsoe. Bledsoe saved another shot from junior midfielder Lauren Lazo just two minutes later. Princeton then had a corner kick which Lazo headed towards the goal, but Bledsoe saved that as well. Haley had two more shots, both blocked, and senior midfielder Gabriella Guzman took a shot that went wide.

The Bears countered with two shots, but one went wide and the other was saved by senior goalie Cecilia Di Caprio. Di Caprio was every bit as impressive as Bledsoe, each making three saves in the first half. The Brown offense picked up towards the end of the first half, with the Bears taking six shots in the final 15 minutes of the half. Princeton’s defense was up to the challenge, blocking most of the shots and preventing Brown from capitalizing on either of their two corner kicks. The game was scoreless at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Brown played a new goalkeeper, MC Barrett, who immediately saved a shot by senior defender Kacie Kergides. Brown then had two shots, one which hit the post and another which sailed high. Princeton retaliated with shots by Guzman and freshman forward Tyler Lussi, but Guzman’s shot went wide and Lussi’s was saved.

After those missed opportunities, the Tigers’ luck took a turn for the worse, as Princeton was called for a foul in the box in the 65th minute and Brown was able to convert the penalty.

Haley got another shot off a short time later, but Brown cemented its lead in the 78th minute with another goal. The Tigers fought back fiercely, with three corner kicks and three shots. They took a corner kick with 55 seconds remaining and got the ball to Lazo with 11 seconds remaining, but Barrett made the save and all hope for a comeback was lost.

Both teams took 14 shots and Princeton led in corner kicks 4-2, but Brown’s goalies combined for seven saves, earning a shutout despite having a busy day in goal. Now winless in Ivy play, the Tigers play Lehigh on Wednesday at home and then look for their first league win against Columbia at Roberts Stadium on Saturday.