Women's Soccer: Princeton wins 4th straight in 5-1 rout at Roberts Stadium

The women’s soccer team was dominant on Tuesday night at Roberts Stadium as it defeated the Utah Valley Wolverines 5-1. Princeton outshot Utah Valley 21-5 in an impressive win that extended the Tigers’ current streak to four games. The hosts jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in this game and never looked back, as Utah Valley’s only goal would come late in the second half.

While many players provided points for the Tigers (5-8-1 overall, 1-3-0 Ivy League) on Tuesday night, three stole the show, each scoring one goal and assisting another in the first half. Freshman forward Lauren Lazo, junior midfielder Rachel Sheehy and junior forward Jen Hoy combined for Princeton’s trio of first-half scores. Hoy leads the Tigers this season with six goals while Lazo is second on the team with four. Sheehy’s score was her first of the season.

Sophomore midfielder Gabriella Guzman padded the Tigers’ lead with a goal in the second half, assisted by freshman forward Melissa Downey. Junior midfielder Stephanie Iantorno rounded out the hosts’ offensive outburst with her second career score.

Princeton’s win on Tuesday night extended the team’s winning streak to four games, in which the Tigers have outscored their opponents 16-2. The streak comes on the heels of a very disappointing start to the regular season. The Tigers opened with a 1-8-1 record and were outscored 19-8 by their opponents in their first 10 games, which included three league losses.

“We were still dominating statwise in a lot of [the games we lost], so I think we’ve just finished better,” head coach Julie Shackford said. “We also had three or four starters that were not totally healthy, and so I think they’ve come around as well and have been able to impact us ... I honestly think our finishing has been a lot sharper.”

Senior midfielder and captain Sara Chehrehsa also tried to account for the team’s recent upswing in success. “I think the team ... just gained some confidence and learned how to work together and move off the ball better, and it’s finally coming together,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s a little too late, but it’s coming together.”

As has been the case often this season, freshmen were key to the Tigers’ success. Princeton started three freshmen tonight, two of whom had a direct impact on the score — Lazo had a goal and assist and Downey set up another goal. It was the second-straight game in which Lazo found the net in the first 70 seconds.

“To get on them early is huge, and Lazo seems to have a knack for doing that,” Shackford said.

Chehrehsa talked about how she and other veterans have tried to get them acclimated and up to speed. “It just takes a while for [freshmen] to figure out the college game, so us upperclassmen are just trying to guide them every step of the way, and they’re figuring it out, which is good to see.”

The game was not without its rough spots for the Tigers, however, as freshman forward Liana Cornacchio picked up a yellow card at the end of the first half and Utah Valley forward Shalayne Janis scored from long range in the second half to break up the shutout.

But the scoreboard told the final story — another comfortable win for the Tigers, who seem to be hitting their stride. “It feels good to put some goals in and get some wins, [having] really good confidence going into Harvard this weekend,” Shackford said. “I think it was a great win for us to get a lot of goals and get a lot of people in the game.”

Princeton will finish off the regular season with three Ivy League games, starting at Harvard this Saturday. After returning home to face Cornell a week later, the Tigers conclude at Penn on Nov. 5.