This Sunday, the No. 9 Princeton Tigers (1–0 Ivy League, 4–2 overall) toppled the University of Connecticut Huskies (1–0 Big Eastern Conference, 3–4 overall) 5–0 on Senior Day. Players Helena Große, Beth Yeager, Grace Anne McCooey, Ava Dempsey, and Ella Hampson were honored before the game, and three of the six seniors were involved in the power plays that put the Tigers on the scoreboard as well.
The University of Connecticut is not a easy opponent. Yet, as soon as the first buzzer sounded, Princeton locked in on defense and offense, something they struggled with this season.
“In practice, we have been talking about the forwards leading and how we can be efficient with our movements … I think we’ve sort of hammered that in practice and preseason, and today it really clicked and we were connecting like we never have before, ” senior defender Ella Hampson told The Daily Princetonian.
Senior midfielder Beth Yeager started the Tiger attack: Within five minutes, she rocketed the ball past the cage from the entry pass from sophomore midfielder Clem Houlden, putting Princeton up 1–0.
The UConn team got a shot off around the eight-minute mark in the first quarter, but Princeton’s junior goalie Olivia Caponiti denied the attempt.
For the Tigers, the quarter didn’t end there. Sophomore defender Izzy Morgan found the back of the cage to close out the first 15 minutes of play. Morgan scored off of a pass to the weak-side corner from sophomore midfielder Anna Faulstich, marking her first collegiate goal. Princeton ended the first period with two goals, double the single-quarter number in each of their last three matchups, and UConn went scoreless.
In the second quarter, the Tigers didn’t score, but they limited the Huskies to the same. This was the fourth-straight game the Tigers didn’t allow any scoring from their opponent in regulation.
With around eight minutes to go in the first half, UConn had a two-shot sequence, but the Princeton defense shut them down. With under a minute left in the half, the Huskies drew four corners on Princeton, none of which led to successful shot attempts. Princeton went into halftime with a 2–0 lead.
“I think the energy was just phenomenal. I think we turned the sad emotions into energy and we really brought that to the game,” Hampson said to the ‘Prince.’
The third quarter was all Princeton. The Tigers had a corner with 9:01 to go, and senior midfielder Helena Große passed the ball to fellow senior Yeager, who then gave it to junior defender Ottilie Sykes. She scored, giving the Tigers a 3–0 cushion.
The fun didn’t stop there, though. Hampson was able to pop the ball to the back of the goal on a broken corner play to bring a third senior into the scoring action.
“They were sort of swarming around the keeper, there was nothing much going on because the keeper was lying on the floor,” Hampson told the ‘Prince.’ “You just take the opportunity where you can really.”
The Huskies couldn’t find a way to stop this powering Tiger offense — going into the fourth, the Tigers were up by four.
To end the game, Große brought it home for the Tigers, passing the ball to Yeager in a corner play, who pinged it back for a shot. With Große’s first career goal, the Tigers were on top 5–0.
“It was so exciting. Normally I am on defense so I don’t get that many goals,” Große told the ‘Prince.’ “I was so excited I actually started crying cause all the girls are so supportive and cheering me on, which is the best part about being on this team. Honestly, there is just so much love and support.”
The Tigers will face No. 5 Harvard (0–0 Ivy League, 6–0 overall) on Friday, looking to stay undefeated in Ivy League play.
Emilia Reay is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince’ and the Spanish Language Pilot Program Director.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
University announces Octobersession despite ongoing budget cuts
Nicolas Rohou“I’m excited to take Intro to the Dewey Decimal System,” noted Libby Rarian ’29. “I’ve heard it’s supposed to get really exciting once we get to 749-Furniture and Accessories.” Other notable courses students on campus have been raving about include “Cursive: What’s It Good For?”, “Balancing a Checkbook,” and “A Complete History of Sundials.”
“I’m excited to take Intro to the Dewey Decimal System,” noted Libby Rarian ’29. “I’ve heard it’s supposed to get really exciting once we get to 749-Furniture and Accessories.” Other notable courses students on campus have been raving about include “Cursive: What’s It Good For?”, “Balancing a Checkbook,” and “A Complete History of Sundials.”
NASA’s Princeton-led IMAP set to launch on Wednesday
Andrew BosworthNASA’s Princeton-led mission to explore the solar system’s boundary is now set to launch its probe on Sept. 24 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Princeton Professor of Astrophysical Sciences David McComas serves as the principal investigator for the IMAP mission.
NASA’s Princeton-led mission to explore the solar system’s boundary is now set to launch its probe on Sept. 24 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Princeton Professor of Astrophysical Sciences David McComas serves as the principal investigator for the IMAP mission.
Women’s soccer maintains early lead for a 1-0 victory over Penn
Leela HenslerThe Tigers won their first conference game of the season against the Penn Quakers.
The Tigers won their first conference game of the season against the Penn Quakers.