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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Saint Louis
Negron, Pillion Goals Lead Princeton Past Saint Louis
September 14, 2003 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2003
Final Stats
Esmeralda Negron and Elizabeth Pillion scored goals and Princeton's defense limited Saint Louis to seven shots to lead the Tigers past the Billikens 2-1 in the final game of the Princeton Invitational.
The victory wasn't sealed until Princeton defender Romy Trigg-Smith volleyed a ball away in the final 10 seconds, preventing a Saint Louis breakaway.
Penn and UNC Greensboro played to a 3-3 tie in the first game of the day as the teams completed a four-game weekend competition. Penn's Katy Cross scored all three goals for the Quakers to become the school's career leader in points scored with 73.
"It was a good weekend," said Princeton coach Julie Shackford, whose team improved to 3-0-0 on the young season as it prepares to head west to take on Sacramento State and California next weekend. "We got to play some different teams, and we got two wins. We have things we need to work on, but you have to be happy to win both." Princeton led 1-0 when Negron scored for the third straight game, this time at the 23;36 mark. It stayed that way until Rochelle Willis, who had also assisted on Negron's goal, chipped a ball into the box, where Pillion collected it and sent it into the top corner of the net for her first career goal with 17:49 to play.
Saint Louis did not go quietly. The Billikens (3-1-1) scored with 1:42 to play on Christie Cigno's second goal of the weekend, and they had a chance to get the equalizer as time ran down as Lydia Bojcun was onsides with a lane to the goal. Trigg-Smith, a sophomore converted midfielder who is Princeton's lone new starter on defense, stepped in front of the chip and knocked the ball up the field as the clock ran out.
"I didn't realize she was there," Trigg-Smith said. "I was just playing the ball. I'm a midfielder. With everybody else back there, I just listen to what they tell me to do."
Princeton had defeated UNC Greensboro 3-0 Friday night, and the Tiger defense allowed just nine total shots in the two games. The Spartans were able to get their offense in gear against Penn, but the Quakers settled for their second tie of the weekend after they opened with a 1-1 game against Saint Louis Friday night.
The highlight for Penn was the play of Cross, the 2002 Ivy League Player of the Year who came into the weekend needing one point to tie the school record, After being shut out Friday, she broke the record on her first goal in the first half and then scored twice more after intermission as Penn erased a 2-1 halftime deficit. UNCG's Cheryl Stewart tied it at 3-3 with 36 minutes to go, and neither team would score for the remainder of the second half or the 20 minutes of overtime.