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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Columbia
Players Mentioned
Women's Soccer Tops Columbia 4-1 for First Ivy Win
October 15, 2011 | Women's Soccer
PRINCETON -- Two goals from Jen Hoy along with one each from Lauren Lazo and Melissa Downey lifted the Princeton women's soccer team to a 4-1 win over Columbia Saturday on Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium.
The victory was Princeton's first of the Ivy League season and third straight, capping a successful week for the Tigers after what had been a rough first half of the season.
"I only wish it had come sooner," Princeton head coach Julie Shackford said. "I think we've played well all season. I think we've had some unfortunate bounces, so it was nice for them to put it all together today."
Princeton is now 4-8-1 overall and 1-3-0 in the Ivy, adding the win over Columbia to non-league victories over Francis Marion and Lehigh earlier in the week.
Columbia, which had won its first two league games, fell to 4-9-0 overall and 2-2 in the Ivy. It was the first time since 1991 that Princeton had scored four against the Lions and the largest margin of victory over Columbia since 2003.
The Tigers got contributions both from expected sources like Hoy, who came into the game leading the team with three goals on the season, and from rookies Downey and Lazo. In raising her junior-year total to five goals, Hoy enjoyed her second career multi-goal game after putting in three against James Madison last year.
"I think Hoy has been really anxious all season. She has had a lot of pressure on her," Shackford said. "Today, we just asked her to enjoy herself and her body language was so relaxed. She was so much more composed around the goal, so I'm very happy for her."
Princeton has outshot its last eight opponents, but through the first five games of that stretch the Tigers only had a tie to show for it.
"We've been playing so well all season, so you figured if you kept working at it, it would come eventually," Shackford said. "It was nice to be able to finish effectively today."
Lazo's goal came just 59 seconds into the match of successive passes up the field by Sara Chehrehsa and Gabriella Guzman. Chehrehsa found Hoy in the 12th minute, but the two-goal lead was short lived as Columbia made it 2-1 on a goal by Ashlin Yahr three minutes later. Both second-half goals went to Princeton, as Downey put home a pass threaded along the end line by Hoy in the 47th minute before Hoy made it 4-1 in the 76th minute off a pass from Rachel Saunders.
Princeton outshot Columbia 14-4 on the afternoon and though goalkeeper Kristin Watson needed to make only one save, she was key in stopping Columbia's seven corner kicks. Lillian Klein, on whom Princeton didn't score a goal in 2009 or 2010, made four saves while her defenders stepped in to stop two successive close-range attempts by Hoy in the 82nd minute.
The Tigers will look to continue the successful streak Tuesday in its final non-league game of the season against Utah Valley at Roberts Stadium. Princeton will return to Ivy League play against first-place Harvard Saturday in Cambridge.