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Princeton University
Lafayette
Players Mentioned
Women's Soccer Rallies for Tie with Lafayette
September 22, 2011 | Women's Soccer
PRINCETON -- Becoming the first team to score more than one goal on Lafayette wasn't quite enough Wednesday night as the Princeton women's soccer team rallied for a 2-2 tie against their opportunistic Patriot League opponent.
The Tigers outshot Lafayette 29-3 overall and 12-3 on goal, forcing reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Lauren Smedley to make 10 saves on the night.
By halftime, Lafayette (4-3-1) was in position to take its first win in a series that was only played between 1996 and 1998 with the Tigers taking wins all three times. A goal from Jill Dozier after she got behind the Princeton defense put the Leopards ahead 1-0 in the 11th minute, and Lafayette doubled it when the Janelle Pierson scored off a corner kick less than three minutes into the second half.
"Any time you get 2-0 down at the Division I level, it's a big hole to climb out of," Princeton head coach Julie Shackford said. "They played with a lot more pride, energy and intensity in the second half. The first half was not good, and I think we looked unorganized. I think we looked like we were reacting to everything and they punished us for it."
Princeton (1-5-1) held an 8-1 shot advantage at the break and only made it more one-sided after halftime. Senior Sara Chehrehsa scored her first goal of the season when she put back a ball that Lafayette was trying to clear in the 52nd minute, and freshman Liana Cornacchio scored her first collegiate goal in the 63rd minute when she collected a Rachel Sheehy rebound and knocked it in to tie the match.
"I think we just said (at halftime), this is a turning point for us," Shackford said. "Are you going to stay in this same mindset where we're waiting for things to happen before we start playing, or are you going to be the ones to take it to them? I think they showed energy right from the get-go and generated a lot of chances."
Despite outshooting Lafayette 21-2 from halftime forward, Princeton didn't find the go-ahead goal.
"When you're outshooting a team 29-3, for the amount of chances we could get - we were alone with the goalie on at least five or six of those - that we have to finish them," Shackford said.
Even so, the comeback erased a goal drought that stretched through the past weekend, when William & Mary and La Salle dealt the Tigers shutouts. Shackford hopes that will give the Tigers a boost heading into the Ivy League opener Saturday against Yale at 3:30 p.m. back in Roberts Stadium.
"I definitely think they know what they need to do to execute," Shackford said. "I definitely think they know what they need to improve upon in the attacking third in terms of making better chances for themselves, and I think they know that this is the way into the NCAA tournament."
In a move to get some of Princeton's rookie players game action before the league season starts, Cornacchio, Melissa Downey and goalkeeper Darcy Hargadon made their first career starts. Hargadon made one save in her first career start after her only previous time between the posts came in late-game action on Sept. 4 at Cal State Northridge.