In last season’s Ivy League opener against Princeton, the women’s soccer team was trailing 1–0 with 10 seconds left on the clock when forward Kristen Forster ’13 scored on a breakaway opportunity. But that goal, which would have forced overtime in dramatic fashion, was nullified by an offside call, giving the Tigers the win. This year, the Bulldogs (3–3–2) will look for a less tragic outcome when they open conference play against the struggling Tigers (1–5–1) on Saturday in N.J.
The Bulldogs will go into the matchup coming off a 3–1 defeat at Boston University on Sunday. Though the Elis erased an early 1–0 deficit with a goal from midfielder Enma Mullo ’12, they were unable to respond to the Terriers’ two second-half goals, resulting in a BU victory.
Despite the loss, head coach Rudy Meredith said after the game that he was pleased with the team’s performance and considered the match a good tune-up for the start of Ivy competition.
“I’m happy with the way we played, and if we play like this against Princeton, I think we’ll be OK,” he said.
Mullo, who was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday, currently leads the team with six points. Goalkeeper Adele Jackson-Gibson ’13 has started all eight games for the Bulldogs and has a 0.83 goals-against average, fourth among Ancient Eight keepers.
Though the Elis have yet to win on the road this season, being the visiting team may work to their advantage against the Tigers, as the road team has won the last four meetings between the two rivals. Yale currently has a three-game win streak at Roberts Stadium.
Princeton last played on Wednesday night when it earned a 2–2 draw against Lafayette. The Tigers’ lone win this season came on Sept. 11 after they defeated Villanova, 2–1.
Five different players have tallied goals for Princeton this season. Forward Jen Hoy and midfielder Caitlin Blosser currently share the team lead with two goals each. Hoy, who scored the game-winning goal in last season’s match between Princeton and Yale, has also racked up a team-high six points. Goalkeeper Claire Pinciaro has played the majority of the minutes in net for the Tigers and owns a 1.96 goals-against average.
Princeton holds a 20–13–4 edge in the all-time series against Yale.
Kickoff against the Tigers is slated for 3:30 p.m. in Princeton, N.J.