Last Friday evening, Princeton women’s soccer (2–3–3 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) traveled to Philadelphia to face off against the University of Pennsylvania (4–2–2 overall, 0–1 Ivy League) in 90-degree heat. By the end of the night, the Tigers, defending Ivy League champions and first-ranked team in the league’s preseason poll, prevailed 1–0 over the Quakers.
Despite last year’s strength, Princeton came into the game with three fewer wins than the Quakers. The Tigers had lost to the Army West Point Black Knights 3–1 less than a week earlier, while the Quakers were aiming to win their fifth game of the season and shake off their recent loss to Villanova.
In past Tiger-Quaker matchups, the Tigers had consistently dominated, boasting a 24–10–4 record all-time, and they were determined to continue that winning tradition on Friday.
“Going into any match, our expectation is to win,” junior midfielder Kayla Wong wrote to The Daily Princetonian.
This game was a repeat matchup for Head Coach Sean Driscoll and Penn’s head coach Dr. Krissy Turner. But this time, the Tigers were beginning the season without key players — forward and Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Pietra Tordin, forward Heather MacNab ’24, and goalkeeper Tyler McCamey ’24 have all have left and are now playing professionally.
Sophomore forward Dylan Jovanovic acknowledged the difference these players’ absence has made this season. “As a freshman, my role was to do whatever it took to help the team win, and this year, I feel like my role is very similar,” she told the ‘Prince.’ “However, with the departure of our talented senior class and Pietra, this role manifests itself in different ways.”
Jovanovic, along with her fellow forwards, seniors Drew Coomans and Ally Murphy, first-year Nina Cantor, and junior Isabella Garces, kept the Quaker defense on their toes from the very beginning of the game. In the first four minutes, Jovanovic took a shot on goal that was blocked by Penn’s Annabel Austen, who was named First Team All-Ivy last season.
Princeton’s rapid attack on goal set the tone for the rest of the first half, which became a back-and-forth between a relentless Princeton offense lineup and Austen’s swift reflexes and endurance in goal.
In quick succession after Jovanovic’s shot, both Garces and Wong attempted to score just minutes apart. But it wasn’t until a Penn foul gave Princeton the opportunity for a corner kick that Garces was finally able to break through the Quakers’ defense and score off of an assist from Murphy.
Jovanovic would later describe the moment her teammate scored as a “highlight of the game” for her, explaining that Garces had “battled back from an injury that she got while playing Penn in preseason.”
Even immediately after scoring, the Tigers maintained their swift and offense-heavy style, refusing to let the Quakers even get close enough to take a shot on junior goalkeeper Cecilia Cerone until nearly 30 minutes had passed in the game. By that point, both senior midfielder Pia Beaulieu and first-year defender Julia Johnson had also managed to take shots on goal.
The second half of the game began with multiple fouls on both sides, which initially seemed as though it could be an opportunity for Penn to break through and score. However, Princeton defenders Johnson and senior Kelsee Wozniak remained on top of the ball, returning possession to the Tigers as soon as the ball crossed into their half, and allowing Murphy and first-year midfielder Maddie Recupero to both make attempts to score in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
“Defense is a hard place to play and really the only way you make it easier is by making sure you’re cohesive as a unit,” Johnson wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “You cannot be cohesive without communication and holding yourself and your teammates to a high standard.”
The Tigers continued to fight for another goal in the second half, taking seven shots while only allowing the Quakers to take one.
Rather than attempt any risky maneuvers to rack up the score, Princeton pushed their opponents’ stamina to the limits in the heat. Every player practiced with the expectation of being “fit for 90 [minutes]” on the field, as Wong wrote to the ‘Prince’ following the game. When the whistle blew, the Tigers were victorious, marking an eighth consecutive victory against Penn.
Although the Ivy League season is just beginning, the Tigers are already focused on what they hope to achieve by its end. “The expectation is to still be playing on Nov. 13th, the first day of the NCAA tournament,” Jovanovic told the ‘Prince.’ “Even though we are young, we have enough upperclassmen leadership and the talent to get it done. We have to keep working hard at practice, and if everyone plays together, our goal is attainable.”
Leela Hensler is a staff news writer and contributing sports writer for the ‘Prince’ from Berkeley, Calif.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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