A first half goal by junior forward Grace Sherman proved to be the difference maker in the Princeton Tigers’ 1–0 victory over the Cornell Big Red (1–5) on Saturday, Oct. 30 at Sherrerd Field. With the win, the team improved to 13–2–1 overall and 5–1 in conference play.
Prior to the start of the game, a celebration occurred for senior day, in which the nine seniors on the team were honored: Grace Barbara, Caroline Noonan, Aza Keohan, Amy Paternoster, Olivia Kane, Gabi Juarez, Emma Davis, Tatum Gee, and Lucy Rickerson.
Following kickoff, the Tigers got off to a strong start, creating some strong chances to score and applying pressure on Cornell’s defense. After knocking on the door for most of the first half, the breakthrough finally came in the 32nd minute. Receiving a throw-in from midfield, sophomore forward Alexis Hiltunen was able to make her way to the right edge of the box, subsequently passing it off to sophomore midfielder Aria Nagai. Nagai then flashed some skill with a centering pass to Grace Sherman, who made a turn and tucked the ball away into the bottom left corner to give the Tigers the lead going into halftime.
Coming out of the half, the game became more physical as Cornell began to apply pressure of its own. The Big Red threatened from within the box multiple times, but the efforts of goalkeeper Barbara and the rest of the Princeton defense was enough to keep Cornell scoreless.
“This year our mantra is grit, so we have really been trying to embody that and make the most of every game. Sometimes we may not have the best performance, but I think we were able to show that good teams find a way to win,” said Nagai while reflecting on the hard-fought victory.
Overall, Princeton outshot Cornell 16–10, with 11 shots on goal as opposed to the Big Red’s five.
The Tigers will play their final conference game on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the University of Pennsylvania.
“It’s going to be an emotional one for a lot of our seniors since it’s the last Ivy League game,” Nagai said, “but we’re trying to finish out this tremendous season strong and keep it going in the NCAA tournament.”
Eric Lee is a staff writer for the ‘Prince’ Sports section. He can be reached at ericlee@princeton.edu.
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