Asom, Kennedy Goals Lift No. 24 Princeton at Cornell as Grossi Sets Shutout Record

Saturday, October 27

Ithaca, N.Y.

2:00 PM

Princeton University

10-3-2,4-1-1Ivy

Cornell

1-12-1, 0-6Ivy

Team	1	2	Final F
Princeton	1	1	2
Cornell	0	0	0

Natalie Grossi's 24th career shutout set a program record.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Asom, Kennedy Goals Lift No. 24 Princeton at Cornell as Grossi Sets Shutout Record

October 27, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Natalie Grossi set the program's career shutout record, Mimi Asom added another goal to her climb up the Princeton charts, and most important, the 24th-ranked Princeton women's soccer team left Ithaca Saturday afternoon with three Ivy League standings points to stand a win away from the Ivy title and the NCAA tournament next week.

A 29th-minute goal from Asom and an 88th-minute goal from Tomi Kennedy lifted the Tigers to a 2-0 win over Cornell, extending the Tigers' series win streak over the Big Red to a 23rd game.

Grossi, who didn't have to face a shot on goal, completed her 24th career shutout, breaking a tie with Kelly O'Dell '84 for the program record. With a year still to go in her Tiger career, Grossi is well within range of the Ivy record. Now tied for fourth on that list, Grossi is behind only Columbia alum Ali Ahern (25), Brown alum Kathy Kostic (27) and Dartmouth alum Kristen Luckenbill (29).

Princeton outshot Cornell 21-1 overall and 13-0 on goal. Asom got Princeton on the board when she took a pass forward from Courtney O'Brien, whipped around her Cornell defender and threaded it past Big Red keeper Meghan Kennedy, and the Tigers had a 1-0 lead at the break.

16' to half: #24 Princeton 1, Cornell 0
The Tigers are on the board! Courtney O'Brien sends one through to Mimi Asom, and Princeton is in the lead! Watch the game here on @IvyOnESPN: https://t.co/sC7ZXADPOM pic.twitter.com/Xm3Br1RiGl
— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) October 27, 2018

Kennedy put it away with just 2:06 left. Just ahead of midfield, Caroline Noonan won a ball from a Cornell player and quickly chipped it to Kennedy, who weaved her way until she entered the 18-yard box and sent her shot just inside the left post for the 2-0 lead.

2' left in regulation: #24 Princeton 2, Cornell 0
Tomi Kennedy puts it away for the Tigers! pic.twitter.com/n1BiZCoLF0
— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) October 27, 2018

Asom's goal, the 42nd of her career, broke a tie with Linda DeBoer '86 for the third-most goals in Princeton history, behind only Esmeralda Negron '05 (47) and former teammate Tyler Lussi '17 (52). The two points moved Asom one behind DeBoer, still in fourth on Princeton's career list with 93. Only DeBoer (94), Negron (112) and Lussi (122) have more.

With its 10th overall win of the season, Princeton now has 13 standings points and a 4-1-1 league record to move into at least a temporary first-place tie with Penn. The Quakers will host Brown Sunday afternoon, but regardless of the outcome of that game, a Princeton win over Penn next Saturday at 7 p.m. in Princeton will deliver at least a share of the Ivy title and the Ivy's automatic NCAA bid to the Tigers. Even if Penn wins Sunday, a Princeton win next week would put both teams at 16 points, and Princeton would have the head-to-head tiebreaker the Quakers for the automatic bid. Both teams would be Ivy champs.

The win also marked head coach Sean Driscoll's 50th in his four seasons at Princeton, joining first coach Bob Malekoff (52, 1980-84) and predecessor Julie Shackford (203, 1995-2014) as the only Princeton coaches to reach that number. All four of Driscoll's seasons have seen the team reach the 10-win mark, and it's the second time in program history the team has reached 10 wins four straight years, along with six straight seasons from 1999-2004.