PRINCETON -- For the first time in the 2007 season, the Princeton
women's soccer team was able to walk off the field winners. With goals from Vicki
Anagnostopoulos and Jen Om, the Tigers topped Saint Joseph's 2-0 Sunday afternoon on Powers
Field at Princeton Stadium.
The win came in Princeton's (1-4-1) first game against a team not ranked or receiving votes in a national poll at the time of the contest, six games into the season.
Princeton outshot the Hawks 30-3 and forced Saint Joseph's (2-5-0) goalkeeper Megan Bastianelli to
make 16 saves, but only two of those 30 shots found the back of the net.
“It wasn't one of our best games,” Princeton
senior goalkeeper Maren Dale said. “I think we were struggling. But it's
important for us to know when we're not playing our best game, we can still
win.”
Having started classes during the past week and not having
played a game since last Sunday, Princeton took
a little time getting going. The game was 10 minutes old before Princeton had its first shot on goal.
“I think we moved the ball well for periods of the game, but
we need to be more consistent,” Princeton
coach Julie Shackford said. “But an ugly win is better than a pretty loss.
Hopefully we'll get another one going into league play.”
Princeton will host Sacred Heart Wednesday at 7:30 before
heading up to Dartmouth
for the season's first Ivy League contest Saturday night.
After Bastianelli had made five saves, Vicki Anagnostopoulos
helped Princeton break through with its first
goal. Taking a pass up field from Marci Pasenello, Anagnostopoulos fired across
the box and into the left half of the goal in the 32nd minute.
Princeton's second goal
came three minutes into the second half when Alexandra Valerio threaded a ball
across the goal line to Jen Om, who tipped it in to double the lead.
Across the field, Dale needed to make only two saves while
helping keep Princeton's opponents scoreless
in its two games at home this year, a span of 200 minutes.
Notes: The win was the 134th of Julie Shackford's
13-season tenure at Princeton. She is just two
wins behind Jimmy Reed for the title of Princeton's
all-time winningest soccer coach. Reed coached the men's team from 1938-66.
Princeton improved to 38-12-2 all-time and 23-4-1 at home against
Philadelphia “Big
Five” teams. The Tigers are undefeated in their last eight games overall and at
home against Philadelphia
schools.
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