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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Fairfield
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Players Mentioned
Peteraf's Late Goal Saves Princeton Again; Tigers Top Fairfield 1-0
September 30, 2008 | Women's Soccer
Not so coincidentally, Princeton has won all three contests.
Tuesday night against Fairfield, Peteraf's just-in-time goal came in the 82nd minute, giving the Tigers a 1-0 win. It won't be called the prettiest of the four she's scored this season, but it counted just the same.
“I thought we stood our ground,” Princeton head coach Julie Shackford said. “We weren't that sharp in the first 20 minutes, but from that point on, I thought we played really well. I think that was the best soccer we've played all season.”
Along the endline beyond the left post, Peteraf fired toward the goal and hit a Fairfield defender, sending the ball skyward. When it came down, it went off the hands of Fairfield goalkeeper Kelly Boudreau and over the goal line.
Peteraf's first goal of the season came in the 72nd minute against Boston University, tying that game before Lisa Chinn won it with little more than a minute to play in Roberts Stadium's debut. Two weeks later, Peteraf scored a golden goal in the 97th minute to beat Towson.
The win gave the Stags only their second loss of the season and improved Princeton's record to 5-1-1. Fairfield entered the game ranked second in the northeast region according to the NSCAA and was receiving votes in the organization's national poll.
“They were a good team,” Shackford said of Fairfield. “We knew coming in that they had played some tough games and had a good record. I thought the game after ?the game' is always a little bit tough emotionally to get re-motivated.”
Princeton was just three days removed from a win at Yale, also by a 1-0 score, in which the Tigers scored in the first half and survived the second to win their league opener.
The shutout was Princeton's third straight and continued a season-long streak, behind sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Pont and a defense centered by two-time All-Ivy honoree, senior Taylor Numann, in which the team hasn't allowed more than one goal in a game.
Princeton outshot Fairfield 12-9, including an 8-3 margin in the first half. Pont made three saves.
Tuesday's game began a stretch in which Princeton will have four of five games at home. The next will come Saturday at 1 p.m., part of a doubleheader against Dartmouth with the men's team in which Roberts Stadium will be formerly dedicated at halftime of the men's game.