On a rainy Championship Sunday at Sherrerd Field, No. 4 Princeton (14–3 overall, 6–1 Ivy League) faced a challenge that proved too difficult to overcome. The Tigers vied for their seventh Ivy League tournament championship, but in the end it was No. 6 Yale (14–3, 5–2) who achieved their second consecutive title.
The Bulldogs avenged their home loss to the Tigers in March, where Princeton pulled out a gritty 13–11 win in New Haven. But this time it was all Yale, dominating from start to finish in an impressive display that placed them on the Ivy League’s highest pedestal, defeating the Orange and Black 17–6.
Despite the loss, the Tigers played well enough in the weeks prior to qualify for the postseason. They will face the No. 16 UMass Minutewomen in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 9, looking to get back on track against a lower-ranked opponent.
The Bulldogs caught fire early, scoring in under a minute of play and following up to double their lead at the 10-minute mark in the first quarter. Down 2–0, Princeton needed an answer, and they found one. Senior attacker McKenzie Blake scored just 30 seconds after Yale’s second goal as the crowd at Sherrerd Field roared to life. Then, with five minutes to play in the opening frame, senior midfielder Sophie Whiteway found the back of the net to even the score at 2–2.
However, while the Tigers responded well — as they have all year — it was all Bulldogs from that point forward. Yale’s Sky Carrasquillo and Jenna Collignon put on a show, taking control of the first half for the squad from New Haven. After Whiteway’s goal brought the Tigers level, Yale proceeded to score six straight goals, with five coming from the dynamic duo of Carrasquillo and Collignon. The two ended the game with a combined eleven goals, nearly doubling the scoring output of Princeton’s entire squad.
Yale found first half success thanks to thorough control on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs outshot the Tigers by seven while still having just as many saves, committed less turnovers, and won more draw controls. They were also a perfect 10/10 on their clears and converted on each of their two free position shots in the second quarter.
Although junior attacker Jami MacDonald was able to stop the bleeding with a goal in the dying seconds of the half, Yale’s lead stood at 8–3 heading into the locker room. Drastic adjustments would be needed if the Tigers wanted to roar back and claim the Ivy League tournament title.
In the second half, the Tigers fought valiantly to snatch a comeback out from the Bulldogs’ jaws. Four minutes in, senior attacker Nina Montes scored off a free position shot to cut down Yale’s lead slightly, leaving them at 8–4. After Montes’ goal, however, the offense stalled, and the comeback came up far short.
The Tigers initially held the Bulldogs off until the middle of the third quarter. Then, towards the end, Yale’s Carrasquillo broke the ice and scored to widen the gap once again. Collington followed with a streak of scoring three goals in a row to leave the Tigers down 12–4 going into the fourth quarter — almost double the deficit they started the quarter with.
Going into the final quarter of the game, the Tigers were up against both a torrential downpour and a concentrated offensive effort from the Bulldogs, led by Carrasquillo. Despite the Tigers’ defense following her more intensely in this quarter, their attention seemed to initially be on her teammate Collington. In the first minute of the quarter, Carrasquillo scored. She followed that goal up a few minutes with an assist to teammate Lane Taylor, who brought the score up to 14–4.
The beatdown continued as Princeton were powerless to overcome such a large deficit. In the last minute of the game, Yale’s Charlotte Callahan dealt out one final blow, and the Bulldogs won, 17–6.
Beaten down by bad weather and fierce competition, the Tigers suffered their worst loss of the season at home. Yale’s offensive firepower proved to be too much to handle, and the Tiger offense was unable to respond in kind, scoring their fewest goals all season when it mattered most.
Disheartening as the loss may be, the strength of the Tigers’ resume meant they were never in any danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. At 9 p.m. on Sunday, they celebrated as they were drawn against UMass in the opening minutes of the Selection Show.
Though they are ranked twelve spots lower than the Tigers, UMass brings a 15–3 overall record and perfect 10–0 conference record to the table. The two teams share just one mutual opponent, with UMass falling 12–10 to Dartmouth before the Tigers beat them 15–11.
Should the Tigers beat Mass, they will face off against the winner of Liberty and No. 10 Johns Hopkins. Princeton will have five days to prepare for the Minutewomen, and they look to flush the loss to Yale and prepare for their first-round foes.
Lucas Nor is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Leela Hensler is a staff News writer and Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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