O'Brien Scores Twice, Grossi Ties Shutout Record as Tigers Beat Harvard

Saturday, October 20

Princeton, N.J.

6:00 PM

Princeton University

9-3-2, 3-1-1Ivy

Harvard

6-6-1, 3-1-1Ivy

Team	1	2	Final F
Harvard	0	0	0
Princeton	0	2	2

Courtney O'Brien (20) scored both goals in Princeton's 2-0 win over Harvard Saturday night.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

O'Brien Scores Twice, Grossi Ties Shutout Record as Tigers Beat Harvard

October 20, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

In the video above, catch highlights of Courtney O'Brien's two goals and Natalie Grossi talking about tying the assist record, Princeton's chase for the Ivy title and O'Brien getting on the board.

Courtney O'Brien scores in pairs. That's been true for the Tiger junior over the past two seasons. She's scored in six games, and five of those were two-goal games.

The most recent of those two-goal games was Saturday night on Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium in a 2-0 win over Harvard as O'Brien finished off a Mimi Asom pass in the 47th minute and headed home a Tatum Gee service into the box that Gabi Juarez headed down in the 60th minute.

Princeton's win over Harvard, coupled with last year's 6-1 win in Cambridge, marked the first time since 2005 and 2006 that the Tigers won back-to-back games against Harvard. It was Princeton's first shutout against the Crimson since 2009 and first home shutout against Harvard since 2006.

With O'Brien on the spot at one end, Natalie Grossi and the Tiger back-liners took care of business at the other end, allowing Grossi to complete her 23rd career shutout and tie Kelly O'Dell '84 for the most in a career in program history. Grossi is also now tied for fourth in Ivy League history, six back of the record held by 2001 Dartmouth alum Kristen Luckenbill at 29.

Asom's assist on the first goal allowed her to break a tie for the fourth-most points in program history, now with 91.

42' left in regulation: Princeton 1, Harvard 0
Courtney O'Brien gets the Tigers on the board! pic.twitter.com/gnbcInatOl
— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) October 20, 2018

But, more important than all that for now is that the three Ivy League standings points Princeton picked up with the win allowed the Tigers to keep pace with leader Penn. The Quakers beat Yale 2-1 earlier Saturday to stay in first, now with 13 points, and Columbia beat Dartmouth 1-0 to keep the Big Green from staying even with Princeton. All that left Princeton in second with 10 points, three behind Penn, even with Harvard and one up on Columbia.

The Tigers will look to keep pace in the Ivy race next Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cornell while Penn will host Brown. Princeton and Penn will then meet in Princeton in the regular-season finale on Nov. 3.

30' left in regulation: Princeton 2, Harvard 0
Courtney O'Brien does it again! Tatum Gee serves it into the box where Gabi Juarez heads it down and O'Brien heads it home for her second goal of the game! 2-0 Tigers! pic.twitter.com/k29LdarAMA
— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) October 20, 2018