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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Wake Forest
Players Mentioned
No. 15 Wake Forest Edges Women's Soccer 2-1
September 01, 2012 | Women's Soccer
PRINCETON, N.J. (8/31/12) - Jen Hoy scored for the Princeton women's soccer team but the Tigers couldn't get the equalizer as it was edged by No. 15 Wake Forest, 2-1.
It was Princeton's season opener and game 2 of the 2012 Princeton Women's Soccer Invitational. In the first game Colgate, who will face Princeton on Sunday, defeated Hofstra, 3-2.
After a scoreless first half, Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Riley Ridgik in the 72nd minute. Princeton was called for a foul and Wake Forest set up for a free kick to the right of the 20-yard box. Princeton cleared the ball but the official signaled a yellow card for encroachment and awarded the Deacons another free kick from the same spot. Off the restart the ball went into the box and Ridgik put away a Rachel Nuzzolese rebound.
Hoy tied it up in the 77th minute on a play started by junior Gabriella Guzman. Guzman threaded the ball up to sophomore Jessica Haley who was open on the right side. Haley's shot curved into the box to a swarm of players but it was Hoy that got to it first and put it into the near corner.
Ridgik and Nuzzolese teamed up for Wake's second goal in the 81st minute. Ridgik fed Nuzzolese a through ball and as she was running up the field she stopped about 20 yards dead center from the goal and chipped the ball into the back of the net.
Wake Forest had a 10-7 edge in shots, thanks to a 6-3 differential in the second half. The also won the corner kick battle 7-2.
Senior goalkeeper Kristin Watson made two saves in goal. What the stat sheet doesn't show is Watson's physicality in goal. She came out to pull down or punch away a number of dangerous balls on restarts and crosses. Her biggest save came 22 minutes into the second half when she went to the ground to stop a close range shot taken by Nuzzolese.
Princeton had a number of quality scoring chances itself. Hoy nearly gave her team a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when she sped past her defender and sent a low shot that just skirted past the far post. In the 35th minute the Tigers had the ball where they wanted as it pinballed around inside the box but nothing would come of it before a defender would clear it out. Minutes later Liana Cornacchio had a header go just wide. Two minutes later Hoy fed junior Erika Hoglund who fired a shot that went off a defender and back out onto the field, the follow up shot by Cornacchio was wide.
Wake Forest's Aubrey Bledsoe stopped one and allowed one in her fourth start of the season to help her team improve to 3-1-1 overall.
Princeton takes on Colgate on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., in the final game of the Princeton Invitational. Wake Forest and Hofstra will play prior to that game at noon.