Sweet 16! Rookie Davidson Scores Regulation, PK Clincher Goals to Move No. 13 Princeton On

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Women's Soccer

October 11, 1PM

vs Cornell

Princeton, N.J.

Women's Soccer

October 18, 3PM

at Dartmouth

Hanover, N.H.

Women's Soccer

October 21, 8PM

vs Lehigh

Princeton, N.J.

Women's Soccer

October 25, 1PM

vs Columbia

Princeton, N.J.

Women's Soccer

November 1, 1PM

at Brown

Providence, R.I.

Carolyne Davidson probably didn't call for the bank shot before her clinching penalty-kick shootout goal caromed off the right goalpost and in, but it counts just the same.

Moments after standing one N.C. State shootout goal from seeing the season end, the 13th-ranked Princeton women's soccer team came through in the clutch, advancing through the NCAA tournament's second round 5-4 on penalties after tying the 21st-ranked Wolfpack 1-1 through 110 minutes Friday afternoon.

In the penalty-kick shootout, N.C. State went up one after the first round before the teams matched each other goal for goal through the fourth round. Needing a stop, Natalie Grossi made the save on N.C. State's fifth try to keep the Tigers alive, and Tomi Kennedy tied it at 4-4 to extend the shootout. Princeton couldn't capitalize on N.C. State's miss in the sixth round, but Grossi made a save on the seventh try and Davidson stepped up for Princeton's second chance at victory. The carom went in, and Princeton went on.

"It was just lucky that I was number seven and that was the kick that luckily went in, and we won," Davidson said. "It all happened so fast. I think I freaked out for that half-second and then it went in, and then everyone just started screaming. I don't know what happened after that. I was just so happy."

The teams had met on N.C. State's home field on Sept. 2 in a 2-0 Tiger win despite the Wolfpack outshooting Princeton 15-7 overall and 6-4 on goal. Now, with Princeton as the fourth seed in its quarter of the bracket and N.C. State unseeded, Princeton had to play at WakeMed Soccer Park's Koka Booth Stadium field in Cary, N.C., just five miles from the Wolfpack's home pitch.

In a back-and-forth game, Princeton struck first. In the 66th minute, Katie Pratt-Thompson took possession of an N.C. State pass just short of midfield and sent it forward to Vanessa Gregoire, who played it to Mimi Asom at the start of the 18. Asom one-touched it back to Gregoire, who put a shot on goal that N.C. State keeper Sydney Wootten saved but couldn't hang on to, and Davidson put it in the net for the 1-0 lead. Gregoire's assist was the 27th of her career, breaking a tie for the program's all-time record with fellow Canadian Diana Matheson '08 and former teammate Lauren Lazo '15.

Princeton was just 8:44 away from moving on in regulation when N.C. State's leading scorer Tziarra King put her 17th goal of the season just inside the left post, tying it up. It stayed there for the rest of regulation and all of overtime, and even the standard five-round shootout wasn't enough. Eventually, it fell to the rookie from Florida.

"I've said all year that our strength is our depth. Caroline is a perfect example," Princeton coach Sean Driscoll said. "We always said that she knows how to grind and she's a very gritty player. We saw her in preseason. We knew we got a really good deal with her. She's an incredibly smart kid, team-oriented kid, and all season long, whatever opportunity she has gotten, she has played very, very well. She scored some great goals. Today was a perfect example. We couldn't be happier for her. She's just a constant team player, fantastically talented, really, really driven, and I had no doubt in my mind when she went up for that kick that she was going to make it."

Now, the Tigers will have the chance to take on No. 2 North Carolina, holder of 21 NCAA titles, in Sunday's round-of-16 match at 1 p.m. back at Koka Booth Stadium.

"They believe that they can play with anybody in the country, and I think that that's a testament to their drive, their competitive nature," Driscoll said. "For me, it's a dream come true. If you asked me before this tournament what team I would like the opportunity to play against, it's the storied program of UNC. (UNC coach) Anson Dorrance is in many ways a hero of mine. He's a pioneer in women's soccer."

The win was Princeton's third this season over a top-25 team, and it put the Tigers into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004, the year that Princeton went all the way to the national semifinals. As coincidence would have it, that semifinal was played right next door to Koka Booth Stadium at what is now known as Sahlen's Stadium in WakeMed Soccer Park. Princeton is the first Ivy team to make the Sweet 16 since Yale in 2005.

"N.C. State was tremendous in possession today," Driscoll said. "Tim Santoro has done an incredible job with his program and I have the utmost respect for him as a coach and human being. That game could have gone either way with the chances each team created. PKs are a tough way to decide a game, but we are very happy to be moving on. I am immensely proud of our team's ability to grind. They continue to find ways to win and reveal their character. It's amazing to behold."

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