First Title in Nine Years within Reach

It may have been raining in Princeton, Saturday, but it certainly did not rain on the Crimson’s parade. Within the first 22 seconds of the women’s soccer game between Harvard (9-3-3, 4-1 Ivy) and No. 20 Princeton (9-2-2, 3-1-1), the Crimson pulled ahead of the Tigers and never relinquished the lead, ultimately winning 2-1.

Princeton had the kickoff, but after the first touch, the Crimson stole the ball. Sophomore Katherine Sheeleigh took the ball up the right side of the field and booted a beautiful pass to junior Kelli Okuji, who met the ball on the left side of the box. She blasted a shot past diving Tiger goalie Alyssa Pont for her first goal of the season.

“There was definitely a feeling of excitement and anticipation before the game,” co-captain Nikki Rhodes said. “After the first goal, we felt that a lot of pressure had been taken off of our backs.”

Less than nine minutes later, Harvard struck again. Sheeleigh took a free kick from about 30 yards out, and with senior Erin Wiley distracting the defense, shot the ball into the goal, putting the Crimson up 2-0. The goal marked the first time this season that Princeton has allowed an opponent to score more than one goal in a game.

“An excellent start certainly helped us,” Harvard coach Ray Leone said. “We came out strong and played hard. Now only if we could keep that intensity the entire game we will be set.”

32 minutes into the first half, the Crimson almost strengthened its lead to 3-0, but freshman Hana Taiji’s shot was barely off target, hitting the crossbar. Sheeleigh’s follow-up was saved by Pont.

Late in the first half, the Tigers finally began to gain some momentum and produced their first shot on goal. Junior Laura Dale saved three consecutive shots from Princeton before Sarah Peteraf was finally able to sneak a shot by Dale at the 44:11 mark, making the score 2-1.

Shortly after the second half got underway, the weather took a turn for the worse. The lightning, torrential rain, and gusting winds caused the game to be delayed for 70 minutes.

“The weather was crazy,” junior defender Lizzy Nichols said. “We used that craziness to fuel us and give us energy.”

After the heavens abated, the game got back underway. This half, the defense shined and prevented any more Tiger goals. Princeton only had one shot on goal in the second half, which Dale successfully blocked.

“It was just an incredible defensive effort,” Leone said. “We did not score again, so it was an incredible performance for our team just to hang on.”

Coming into the game, Harvard had won five straight and was looking for number six. The Tigers were hoping to continue their streak as well, as Princeton had not lost for 10 consecutive games. But in a winner-take-all scenario for the lead in the Ivy League, the Crimson outplayed the Tigers, putting Harvard in a position for its first league title since 1999. The Crimson has 12 points in the Ivy League table, just ahead of Columbia and Princeton with 10 apiece.

“We are happy to be in control of our own destiny,” Rhodes said. “We set ourselves up well in the conference. It’s a good position to have.”

Harvard continues its hunt for an Ivy championship against Dartmouth on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. before hosting Columbia to close out the year.