Over the weekend on Myslik Field, the Ivy League No. 1 seeded Tigers (8–6–3 overall, 5–2–0 Ivy League) faced off against Brown (9–4–4, 3–2–2) and Dartmouth (11–3–4, 4–1–2) in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal and final, respectively. Although they secured a comfortable 3–0 victory against the Bears, they fell to the Big Green in the final in a 1–0 game.
Bringing down Brown
The Tigers started out strong in the first half, with senior defender Drew Coomans, recently named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, helping to secure a corner kick for Princeton early in the game. The Tigers tried to convert it into a push toward Brown’s goal, but the Bears’ defense quickly turned the ball around. The ball was then passed up the field to Brown forward Ayla Sahin, who sped toward Princeton’s goal, only to be swiftly cut off by first-year defender Julia Johnson.
20 minutes into the first half, neither team had scored nor gotten a close shot on goal, but the Tigers maintained the passing and connectivity skills that they had developed all season.
First-year forward Maddie Recupero took the ball along the touch line, weaving through defenders before passing it to sophomore forward Dylan Jovanovic, who touched it to sophomore forward Alexandra Barry. Barry swiftly gave the assist to junior midfielder Kayla Wong, who darted past Brown’s defense and sent the ball to the back of the net. She earned Princeton’s first goal of the game and her first goal of the season.
“I was just super excited that we were able to work the ball up, and Dylan [Jovanovic] was able to play a really good cross to Alex [Barry], and it kind of deflected, and it just left for me, and I was wide open,” Wong told The Daily Princetonian. “I had to punch that in.”
Wong and the rest of her teammates seemed to play even harder once the Tigers were up 1–0. Just ten minutes later, Wong extended the lead off of an assist from first-year forward Sarah Houston. Wong broke free of the Bears and nutmegged past their defenders to score her second goal of the season, bringing the Tigers to a 2–0 lead.
In the second half of the game, the Bears were determined to try to get back on equal footing. The Tigers were content to maintain, or even extend, their two-goal lead. Just 15 minutes in, senior midfielder Kelsee Wozniak fed Barry the ball, who took a shot. The Bears’ defense made a swift save in response. Brown attempted a few shots on goal, but they were blocked by junior goalkeeper Cecilia Cerone.
As the half continued, the Tigers took a couple more shots, but the Bears seemed unwilling to let the Tigers widen their lead. With mere minutes left, it looked like Princeton would clinch the game 2–0. After two shots in a row by Recupero were blocked, she changed tactics. The next time the ball was in her possession near the Bears’ goal, she sent it straight to junior forward Isabella Garces, who scored with just five minutes to spare for a commanding 3–0 Princeton victory.
Downed by Dartmouth
After victory against Brown, the Tigers looked to finish the job against Dartmouth on Sunday and hoist the Ivy League Tournament trophy for the second year in a row.
“I think we were definitely confident going in today, coming off of the win,” Jovanovic told the ‘Prince’ after the game. “We knew that Dartmouth was going to be a tough game, so we were just trying to come in with a lot of intensity and focus on winning the battle on the flank.”
The opening half consisted of mostly back-and-forth play with few meaningful chances from either side. The Orange and Black nearly broke through in the seventh minute when the ball fell to Barry right in Dartmouth’s box, but she couldn’t manage a shot.
Another chance came in the 29th minute when a deflection off a Dartmouth defender provided Barry with a one-on-one opportunity, but the Dartmouth keeper safely gathered the ball.
At halftime, the game remained scoreless. The Tigers slightly edged the Big Green 55 percent to 45 percent in possession, and each side managed two shots.
The decisive moment arrived after the break. The Big Green’s sustained pressure earned a free kick just outside the box in the 63rd minute. The strike bent past the Tigers’ wall and sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Romano into the net, giving Dartmouth a 1–0 lead.
The Tigers had many chances to equalize. Garces had space in the 74th minute, but her shot went wide. A free kick in the 78th caused cheers from the fans, but the Tigers couldn’t quite finish. In the 84th minute, first-year forward Nina Cantor controlled the ball and managed a shot on target, but the ball landed in the hands of the Dartmouth keeper.
With the referee blowing the final whistle, the Big Green rushed onto the field, eager to celebrate their first bid to the NCAA tournament in 20 years. The Orange and Black had outshot the visitors 10–6 and 3–1 in shots on target, but it just wasn’t enough to make up for the handful of moments that went the Big Green’s way.
“Our team fought really hard,” women’s soccer Head Coach Sean Driscoll told the ‘Prince.’ “We created more chances against Brown than we did today — credit to Dartmouth for how they defended us.”
Despite the disappointing loss, the Tigers kept their heads up, reflecting on positives from this season.
“We dealt with a lot of adversity and injuries,” Wong told the ‘Prince.’ “To win the league and host the tournament, I’m incredibly proud of this group.”
“Halfway through the season, I think a lot of people counted us out,” Barry said. “But we really dug deep and trusted each other and knew that we could get this done. I think we showed an immense amount of grit and this senior class really led us in such an incredible way.”
Princeton’s season ends with hardware from the regular season and a narrow miss in the Tournament final. Still, with a strong group returning and many experiences to draw on, the Tigers look well-positioned for next year.
Leela Hensler is a staff News writer and contributing Sports writer for the ‘Prince’ from Berkeley, Calif.
Kai Kim is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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