Dartmouth Women Fall Just Short in Ivy Battle with Princeton

Saturday, September 29

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

PRINCETON

Around the World With Dartmouth Women's Soccer - Fourth Installment

Dartmouth Women Fall Just Short in Ivy Battle with Princeton

9/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

Hanover, N.H.- The Dartmouth and Princeton women's soccer teams turned in a classic 90-minute Ivy League battle tonight at Burnham Field but the Tigers edged the Big Green, 2-1, in the conference opener for both.

The squads combined for more fouls with 30 than shots with 29 and Princeton led in both categories, outshooting the Big Green 16-13.

"I thought we played well and we fought, especially in the first half after we lost the goal and we maintained that throughout the game but we just gave away a bad mistake for the first goal. At this level and in this league you can't give yourself such a battle from the start," said Head Coach Angie Hind.

Dartmouth dropped to 2-7/0-1 Ivy while Princeton improved to 3-4-1/1-0 Ivy.

Hind was referring to Princeton's first goal of the game, scored at just 10:58. Alexandra Valerio picked up a through ball and came towards the box while Dartmouth goalkeeper Laurel Peak (Redding, Conn.) came out to make a play for the ball. The Tiger won the footrace as Peak misjudged the distance leaving room for Valerio to sneak the ball in over her head.

Down 1-0, the Big Green responded well and mounted a counter-attack, but could not find the back of the net before halftime and Princeton's 1-0 advantage held into the break.

The hard-nosed play continued in the second half with neither squad willing to give up ground. Peak made several spectacular stops to keep the game within reach for the Big Green.

After Peak made a big save following a Princeton corner kick from the right side, the Tigers earned another from the left in the 73rd minute. Elizabeth van Beuren sent the ball into the box where Melissa Whitley just connected on a header amidst a goalmouth scramble to make it 2-0 Princeton at 73:17.

Though the game seemed out of reach, Dartmouth filled the field with strikers and made a late offensive surge. Senior back Annie Stanley (Winnetka, Ill.) had a beautiful shot that Princeton goalkeeper Maren Dale just got a hand on to pop it over the crossbar in the 81st minute.

The Big Green finally had something to celebrate when sophomore Maggie Goldstein (Hillsborough, Calif.) scored with an arcing shot from 25 yards out at 87:37. Dartmouth restarted quickly, and held possession late but could not get the equalizer before time expired.

"Our players showed character and they didn't give up kept the intensity and Maggie scored a great goal but it came a little too late. We're young and we're getting better and we certainly don't give up," said Hind.

Peak finished with seven saves in goal for Dartmouth while Maren had three for Princeton. Big Green freshman back Melisa Krnjaic (Washington, D.C.) led Dartmouth in shots with three and played a solid game defensively along with Jenny Stone (Wilmette, Ill.), Thea Sutton (San Rafael, Calif.) and Stanley.

The Big Green is back in action again on Saturday Oct. 6 when it heads to Yale for a 7:00 p.m. start.