Women’s soccer scores twice late to stun Yale 2–1

Seventy-three minutes into their game against rival Yale (5–6 overall, 0–2 Ivy League), Princeton (5–4–1, 1–1) found itself in a 1–0 hole. Less than seven minutes later, the Tigers had the lead.

This all transpired during an explosive stretch late in the second half, where the dam of all the missed opportunities for both sides throughout the game burst open.

“They were already pushing really hard for the initial goal prior to going down 1–0,” head coach Sean Driscoll told The Daily Princetonian after the match. “Rather than fall victim to going down a goal, they actually responded with just incredible mentality.”

Yale began the game applying pressure, forcing Princeton to play on the defensive within the first ten minutes as the Bulldogs sent shots at the goal.

The Tigers turned the tables as its offense increased the pressure on Yale. Sophomore forward Nina Cantor sent a shot just above the crossbar in the 23rd minute. Junior forward Dylan Jovanovic floated one towards the box just a minute later, but it was headed away.

While Princeton had greater possession, the Bulldogs remained a threat. In the 40th minute, a shot on goal by a Yale midfielder forced junior goalkeeper Sydney Romano to make a save for the Tigers.

Princeton continued to push near the end of the half. Shots by junior forward Alexandra Barry and first-year forward Gianna Camporeale just missed the goal. Another shot on goal just before the half forced a save from Yale goalkeeper Isabel Willems. 

At halftime, the Tigers had outshot the Bulldogs 6–5, with both teams having one shot on goal.

Princeton began the second half with pressure. Within the first two minutes, Cantor and Barry both recorded shots. Cantor’s curled left of the goal, while Barry’s resulted in a leaping save by Willems. 

As the minutes of the half ticked down, the intensity of the contest and urgency for a goal increased. In the 62nd minute, Cantor beat two defenders to pass the ball to Barry, who was near the goal, but the ball was knocked away by a Yale defender.

In the 73rd minute, a Yale midfielder was fouled inside the box, giving the Bulldogs a penalty kick. The shooter sent the ball to the left side of the goal as Princeton senior goalkeeper Cecilia Cerone dove right. The Bulldogs were up 1–0.

“After we conceded the unfortunate penalty kick, we got even more competitive,” Jovanovic wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Instead of putting our heads down, everybody stood a little taller. We knew that we had been so close to scoring too many times to lose that game.”

The Tigers’ response was swift. Less than three minutes later, sophomore midfielder Maddie Recupero sent a pass toward goal between two Yale defenders. First-year forward Stella Monberg found the ball inside the six-yard box and knocked it into the net for her fourth goal of the season, tying the game at 1–1.

Princeton wasn’t ready to settle for a tie. Less than four minutes later, sophomore defender Anna Chau sent a long free kick into the box. The ball bounced around in front of the net before Monberg again found the loose ball and knocked it home, giving Princeton a 2–1 lead with her second goal of the night and fifth of the season. 

After 73 scoreless minutes, three goals had arrived in a matter of minutes as Princeton turned a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 lead.

“Both of our goals were complete grit, messy balls bouncing around the box, and I think that was indicative of the ruthless mentality we came out of the Yale goal with,” Jovanovic wrote. “We had been knocking on the door all game, with patient meticulous build ups, but sometimes the goals don’t come that way. We knew we needed two no matter what and we went and got them.”

“It could be one of those moments you look back and say that was a moment that really changed things for the context of our season,” Driscoll told the ‘Prince.’ “It easily could have gone in a different direction, especially given our history playing there. [W]e just doubled down, worked twice as hard, really refocused, re-energized, and refused to lose and that was really good to see.”

Not going down without a fight, Yale followed a corner in the 84th minute with two shots on goal, but both were blocked as the Tigers’ defense stood strong. The Bulldogs had a free kick with 20 seconds to play, but Princeton cleared the ball and held on to complete the second-half comeback against its rival.

In the end, Princeton outshot Yale 17–8 and held a 7–3 advantage in shots on goal. Yale’s goalkeeper had five saves on the night, but the Princeton offense eventually proved too overpowering.

“[T]his game, we had extended periods of time with possession in the final third,” Driscoll said. “We were patient, but we did a really good job of creating great chances. I was really impressed by their mentality to get back into the game to tie it and then to go on and win it.”

The Tigers now sit in a four-way tie for third in the Ivy League. Their next game is on Saturday, Oct. 10, at home against the University of Pennsylvania (5–4–2, 0–1–1).

Walker Vivian is a Sports reporter-in-training for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.