Hot off of a 2–0 road win against William and Mary (5–3–0 overall, 0–0–0 Coastal Athletic Association), Princeton women’s soccer (4–1–0 overall, 0–0–0 Ivy League) returned home to Roberts Stadium to take on the Drexel Dragons (1–4–1 overall, 0–0–0 Coastal Athletic Association). Despite a slow offensive start from the Tigers that led them to face a 1–0 halftime deficit and an upset threat, the attack woke up and fired 11 second-half shots, including the game-winner by junior midfielder Summer Pierson.
Immediately after kickoff, the Princeton offense got a quick start with two corner kicks that led to two quick shots from senior midfielder Lily Bryant and Pierson, but both veered off-target. After the start, however, Drexel would quickly come to control both the pace and the ball; before the sixth minute, attacker Casey Touey beat senior goalkeeper Tyler McCamey to the bottom right of the goal from the 6-yard box to surprise the Tigers and take an early 1–0 lead.
The possession bounced back and forth between the two sides for the next 20 minutes of play, until a three-way substitution from Princeton in the 28th minute. In the next minute, senior forward Heather MacNab fired off Princeton’s only first-half shot on goal from the right corner of the goalie box, but it was saved by Drexel.
The next two minutes had two more promising runs for the Tigers, but both were flagged for offsides. Neither team would see another scoring opportunity in the first. McCamey managed three saves in the first to avoid a bigger hole for Princeton, but the offense couldn’t make the most of opportunities with just a single shot on goal.
“There was a collective frustration [in the locker room] that we were not performing [as] well as we intended to. The first half was frantic and chaotic, and usually we are a team that is composed and values possession,” senior defender Ryann Brown told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “So during our halftime discussion, we made it our goal to outwork the other team.”
Despite the first-half offensive struggles, Princeton came out of the locker room with a much more aggressive game. This paid off quickly as they evened the score just a minute and a half into the second half. Off of a free kick well outside the box, MacNab fired an arching ball into the box that bounced between defenders until junior forward Drew Coomans freed it and converted from a few feet away for the equalizer.
Just five minutes later, Princeton freed up another opportunity off of a cross when first-year forward Alexandra Barry got a clean header look but sent it just wide. After fending off a Drexel attack, another cross in the 54th veered two feet from the goal and a Tiger attacker went down in the box, but the Dragons shut down another go-ahead opportunity.
The onslaught continued two minutes later when MacNab put a header off of the left post, and another Princeton shot from 10 yards out was saved by Drexel with 33 minutes remaining. Drexel’s offense stayed dormant, and another chance for Princeton on a shot from McNab ricocheted just a foot left, and a chance off the corner was saved by a diving Drexel goalie Sammy Widnick.
After controlling the ball, the Tigers at long last broke through with another free kick, when their set piece was executed to perfection. MacNab launched a lob pass to the back post, where Pierson rose above the defense to head it into the bottom left corner to cheers at Roberts Stadium. The celebration was extra special for Pierson, as the eventual game-winner was her first career goal.
With the lead secured, the Tigers shifted from their offensive attack back defensively. The Dragons threatened a few times with a deep free kick that floated right and a breakaway that McCamey had to dive at the top of the box to kill, but Drexel never truly threatened an equalizer as Princeton closed out the match.
“I think our ability to settle down and regroup during halftime helped drive the comeback. All of us were fired up to change the narrative of the game. So we did,” Brown added.
The second-half comeback for the Tigers was driven by 11–4 shots and 6–1 shots on goal advantages, and with all of the close chances the margin could have been even wider.
With the upset threat dispatched, Princeton will now look ahead to hosting the Georgetown Hoyas (3–1–3 overall, 0–0–0 Big East) back at Roberts Stadium on Sunday at 5 p.m.
“I think what we took from this game is how important it is to enter every single game with a chip on our shoulder,” Brown concluded. “We need to maintain an identity and play the same no matter who we’re up against. If we do this, I believe we have the ability to be great.”
Tate Hutchins is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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