Women's Soccer: 36-second stretch drops Tigers in Ivy opener

A 36-second stretch of game time was all it took to decide the winner of the women’s soccer team’s match against Yale. The Bulldogs (4-3-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) scored twice in the 57th minute and played shutdown defense the rest of the way as Princeton (1-6-1, 0-1) fell 2-0 in its Ivy League opener.

The Tigers have made a recent habit of outshooting their opponents, but they have had trouble converting those opportunities. Princeton took 13 shots to Yale’s 11 and put six on goal to the Bulldogs’ four. Still, head coach Julie Shackford’s team was blanked for the third time in its last four games.

“We’ve outshot teams in many of the games, and we just can’t finish them,” Shackford said.

The Tigers fought back from a 2-0 second-half deficit to force a draw against Lafayette on Wednesday night. On Saturday, though, Princeton’s offense could not muster the same results.

“Nobody is grabbing the game, dictating play,” Shackford said.

The scoring opened for Yale when midfielder Kristen Forster took a pass on the left side of the box and maneuvered around several Princeton defenders to get an open look. Forster flicked a shot past the charging goalkeeper, junior Claire Pinciaro, for the first goal at 56 minutes, one second.

After Princeton took a quick shot off the restart, Yale forward Meredith Speck — who caused issues all day along the left attacking side — slotted a pass to open teammate Melissa Gavin in the same spot as the first goal. This time Pinciaro did not charge, but the shot still rolled past her, just 36 seconds after the previous one.

“I think they were defensive mistakes,” Shackford said. “I think they were identical goals.”

Aside from those 36 seconds, the Tigers allowed only two other shots on goal and surrendered just one corner kick. In the past three games, Princeton has given up five goals and notched just the same amount of saves, a subpar ratio.

“Really, we just need to stay focused for 90 minutes,” junior defender and co-captain Alison Nabatoff said. “I don’t think it’s the sort of problem that we can’t fix. We definitely have the players we know are going to be able to get the job done.”

“I thought there were stretches that we played really good soccer,” Shackford said. “I feel like we just don’t reward ourselves for the amount of chances that we create for ourselves.”

Princeton did get a bit of good news with the return to play of Nabatoff. Wearing a large brace on her left knee after an offseason ACL surgery in March, Nabatoff — the 2009 Ivy League co-Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-Ivy last season — entered in the 32nd minute for her first playing time of the season.

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“It felt good. It felt strong,” Nabatoff said of her knee. “There are some limitations on my movement just because of the brace, and I’m not used to it yet, but it feels strong.”

Both teams missed close opportunities in the first half. Junior forward Jen Hoy used her speed and positioning to constantly attack along Princeton’s left side, and senior midfielder and co-captain Sara Chehrehsa helped create a few opportunities with her quick-twitch play. Hoy led the team with six total shots and three on goal, and junior midfielder Caitlin Blosser put two shots on goal.

“We’re obviously not happy,” Nabatoff said. “But we haven’t given up and we know that we can pull through this season.”

Yale keeper Adele Jackson-Gibson shut down the Tigers’ offense by aggressively attacking volleys into the box. In the 24th minute, Hoy had an open look after a long pass down the middle of the field. Jackson-Gibson charged and fouled Hoy just outside the top right of the box, receiving a yellow card in the process. On the ensuing free kick, Jackson-Gibson left her position in goal and intercepted the cross, clearing the danger.

At the other end, Yale’s offense ran through Speck on the left side. Shackford moved defenders around to stop the speedster, but neither sophomore Gabriella Guzman nor freshman Gabrielle Ragazzo could totally shut her down. In the 40th minute, Speck juked into the box and ripped a shot past Pinciaro that rattled the top of the crossbar. That was as close as Yale came until the fateful 57th minute.

Princeton hopes to balance its Ivy League record at Dartmouth on Saturday.