Early Goal Lifts Penn to 1-0 Season-Finale Win over Women's Soccer

PHILADELPHIA – While they're used to gutting out 1-0 matches, the Princeton women's soccer team would have liked a different finish to its season than a one-goal defeat at Penn Saturday night.

There were relatively few chances for either team on a chilly night at Rhodes Field, with the teams tying 4-4 in shots overall and Penn edging Princeton 3-2 in shots on goal. Princeton goalkeeper Alyssa Pont made two saves in the loss.

The Quaker win allowed Penn to return last year's 2-1 double-overtime defeat to the Tigers, which gave Princeton a share of the 2008 Ivy League championship. In Philadelphia, Princeton has now suffered back-to-back 1-0 losses, with the 2007 match denying the Tigers a share of the Ivy crown.

Princeton had a six-game shutout streak entering the match, but Penn ended it rather early with Alex Dayneka heading home a crossing ball from Marin McDermott in the 10^th minute. It was the first goal Princeton allowed since an overtime loss at Dartmouth on Oct. 3, a span of 621:09.

“I just don't think we got on top of the game today,” Princeton head coach Julie Shackford said. “(Penn) did all the intangible stuff well. They worked hard, they had energy, the won a lot of first and second balls. In the league, with so much parity over the last few years, one goal is the be-all and end-all.”

During the season, Princeton had 13 games end with a one-goal margin or in a tie, with the Tigers taking a 6-4-3 record in those games. Princeton ended the season with nine straight one-goal games or ties.

Despite the loss, Princeton finished its 13^th straight non-losing season with a record of 7-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in the Ivy League. Penn finished its season at 10-4-2 and 4-3-0 in the Ivy.

“Defensively, we did well over the last four weeks or so, and that's really what has kept us in games,” Shackford said. “Tonight, unfortunately, we let one get away.”

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Alyssa Pont