On Friday night in Charlottesville, Va., women’s soccer (14–5 overall, 6–1 Ivy League) fell to the Virginia Cavaliers (13–5, 5–5 ACC) in an intense battle in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“I’m disappointed, because I really think we would go a little further, and I think that most of the team did. But, you know, the draw was difficult, and Virginia was a great opponent,” Head Coach Sean Driscoll told The Daily Princetonian.
During the 2023 season, Princeton secured a win in the first round of the tournament, with a narrow 1–0 home win against Michigan. In the next round against Texas Tech, the Tigers suffered a heartbreaking loss in penalty kicks.
Fast forward to this year’s match, and it was a battle from the blow of the first whistle. Both teams saw early offensive opportunities with breakthroughs at midfield.
It did not take Princeton long to capitalize, though. Just six minutes into the game, senior forward Heather MacNab distributed a pass from the left sideline to star junior forward Pietra Tordin, who chipped a ball into the net through the Cavalier defense. With Tordin’s first career NCAA tournament goal, Princeton held a 1–0 lead.
40' left, 1st half | Princeton 1, Virginia 0
— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) November 16, 2024
PIETRA TORDIN! WE SCORE FIRST!
💻: https://t.co/zL1OFKYoYs pic.twitter.com/OCoj3vEDUl
From there, Virginia began to possess the ball in Tiger territory, keeping Princeton’s defense extremely active. The teams collided in trying to settle lofted balls, and the Tigers worked to prevent any crosses coming in from Virginia’s midfielders.
Princeton’s senior goalkeeper Tyler McCamey was a force from Princeton’s defense, contesting balls in the air. Ten minutes into the half and facing a long ball from outside the box, McCamey came off her line to punch out the incoming pass, preventing the Cavaliers from getting a shot off.
Despite these efforts, though, the Cavaliers soon evened the score. Off of a pass from the midfield, Virginia midfielder Yuna McCormack struck a deep shot from outside the box into the lower right corner of the net, knotting the score at one.
“I think that’s a moment in the game where things changed quite a bit. They scored eight minutes later and we needed to hold on a little longer,” Driscoll told the ‘Prince.’ “I felt like they scored too quickly after our goal and that kind of changed a little bit of the complexion.”
The teams continued to battle throughout the half. Princeton out-shot Virginia 4–2 during the first 45 minutes of play, creating opportunities from Cavalier turnovers. Virginia stood strong though, deflecting Princeton’s shots and intercepting passes in the box.
The game entered the break still tied at one goal a piece, as a spot in the second round was on the line.
Coming out of halftime, Virginia continued to threaten the Tiger defense. Just three minutes into play, the Cavaliers snuck into Princeton’s box, netting their second goal with a lofted ball over the head of a diving McCamey.
Princeton continued to battle, forcing Virginia’s goalkeeper to make three saves throughout the half. The Tigers continued to out-shoot the Cavaliers, but they were unsuccessful in converting these opportunities.
The Tigers dominated possession until the end, finding most of their breakthroughs by utilizing their wingers and forwards to bring the ball up the field. The Virginia defense prevented the Tigers from taking quality shots, forcing them to shoot off-balance or from afar.
The game ended with a final score of 2–1, putting an end to Princeton’s impressive season one-round short of last season’s performance.
“When I look back on the season, there’re so many highs, you know,” Driscoll told the ‘Prince.’ “I got my 100th win with this team, that’ll be something I’ll always treasure. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Driscoll credits the leadership of his seniors to much of the success the team found this season.
“It’s such an incredible group of women led by an irreplaceable group of seniors and two tremendous captains,” Driscoll said. “I just already miss them, you know. I think it’s one of those things where you look forward to the moments that they share and the laughter, the moments of inspiration every day.”
Lily Pampolina is a staff Sports writer and a staff Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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