Despite a strong start to the season and an impactful defense, Penn women’s soccer falls 1-0 to Princeton in its Ivy League opener, marking the eighth-straight loss to the Tigers (2-3-3, 1-0 Ivy), each time by a single goal.
Following an impressive string of nonconferencegames and with a developing roster, the Quakers (4-2-2, 0-1 Ivy) looked to improve from last year with a shot at Ivy League playoffs. But across the night, the Quakers fell short in offense as the Tigers outshot 7-2 on goal and 16-3 overall.
"We just need to keep the ball, just pass and move, and I think we did [improve at that]," coach Krissy Turner said postgame. "But it still [isn't] at the level that I think we're capable of playing."
The evening opened with back-and-forth efforts from both teams. After four minutes, though, the Tigers started the attack with a dangerous cross. Luckily for the Quakers, there was no one there to finish, but that was far from the first challenge they would face.
Princeton began to dominate control of the ball, but the Quakers' defense initially held strong. After a defensive mistake gave the Tigers the ball at the top of the box, senior goalkeeper Annabel Austen made her first save of the night. Similarly, in the corner that followed, Princeton's shot went wide.
This defensive effort faltered in the tenth minute, when a cross from Princeton forward Ally Murphy found teammate and fellow forward Isabella Garces, who was able to hit the back of the net for a goal for the Tigers.
Penn responded with an offensive attack and began putting more pressure on the Tigers' defense but was unable to organize a shot. An opportunity arose when Penn was granted a free kick just outside the box, but the attempt was cleared by the Tigers. Penn maintained an offensive threat, keeping play near the box, but was unable to get another shot off.
The rest of the half was dominated by Princeton as Penn struggled to build up the field, but the Quakers' defense held strong to keep the game to 1-0.
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The second half started similarly, with Princeton controlling the ball in the beginning. Soon, Penn began to pick up their offense and play more aggressively, although they were still unable to get a shot on goal.
The Tigers responded to those efforts and got close when a long ball left Murphy face-to-face with Austen, but the shot hit the crossbar and Penn was able to settle down amidst the chaos.
Following this, the Quakers' defense faced a lot of pressure but was able to consistently clear the ball. The Tigers would quickly regain control though, and each time sought to strike again, with Penn unable to build into offense following their defensive efforts.
Multiple shots from Princeton followed, and though none found the back of the net, the Tigers outshot the Quakers 16-3 for the night. Austen, who made her return after a three-game absence, notably saved six of the seven shots she faced.
In the last 10 minutes, Penn pushed players up, attempting to facilitate a last-minute goal. At the four-minute mark, there was a chaotic attempt by the Quakers, who again came up empty-handed. Unable to come back from Princeton’s early goal, the game ended at a 1-0 standstill.
Though a tough result in their first game of Ivy play, with a strong run of preseason games under their belt and many league matches to come, the Quakers are hopeful a winning season awaits them.
“I think each game we're striving to just keep getting better, and I think if we can do that, then we have a shot at making the playoffs,” Turner said.
The Quakers will get a chance to redeem themselves in Ivy play as they face off against Dartmouth on Saturday.
