Despite Outshooting Princeton, Women's Soccer Loses, 2-1

Everyone except Hannah Winner thought that Harvard had tied the game. Despite the Crimson sideline’s celebration, Princeton’s junior goalkeeper had managed to corral Harvard senior forward Emily Mosbacher’s 60th-minute shot between her legs before the entire ball crossed the goal line to keep the Tigers’ lead intact on Saturday at Jordan Field. The 2-1 win gave Princeton sole possession of first in the Ivy League.

“It was a perfect cross from Rachel [Garcia],” Mosbacher said. “I hit it as best I could—phenomenal save by that goalie. I still don’t know how she got it.”

The Crimson (7-7-1, 4-1-0 Ivy League) and Tigers (12-3-0, 5-0-0), two teams that have combined for six of the last seven Ivy League championships, each entered the game with an undefeated mark in conference play, with both teams holding a six-point lead on third place Cornell. It was a clash of styles as Harvard’s conference-best defense went head-to-head with the Ivy League’s highest-scoring offense.

“We played a really hard 90 minutes, but so did they. [There were] a couple of tough bounces,” Mosbacher said. “Hats off to them.”

Princeton entered the game as one of the nation’s hottest teams, riding a nine-game win streak and boasting an undefeated mark on the road. Harvard had won five straight contests and had not lost at home since Sept. 22.

Winner’s save of Mosbacher’s shot was one of five the Princeton junior had to make on the afternoon. Despite outshooting the Tigers, 18-8, the Crimson’s only score came from junior forward Rachel Garcia.

Harvard was able to hold Princeton’s potent offense in check for much of the afternoon. However, junior Tyler Lussi and freshman Mimi Asom, two of the Ivy League’s leading goal scorers, were able to cash in on the few chances they did have.

Lussi’s tally in the 57th minute, her 12th of the season, proved to be the game winner. The forward floated a shot over Harvard junior goalkeeper Lizzie Durack to give the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish despite consistent pressure from the Harvard offense.

“First half we were really playing our game,” Mosbacher said. “We’re a really possession-oriented team. In the second half, we just threw all our numbers forward trying to get a goal any way we could.”

Princeton capitalized on strong starts to both halves. Asom, who has won a share of the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week award for five consecutive weeks, got the Tigers on the board in the sixth minute. Sophomore defender Katie Pratt-Thompson caught the Crimson defense off guard and threaded a pass to Asom, who took a dribble and beat Durack.

“The starts and ends of the halves are when most of the goals are scored,” captain Haley Washburn said. “I think we just have to be on our toes and anticipate what the other team is going to do and react. I think we did a good job, but they did catch us on our heels a few times.”

It was the first Ivy League goal Durack has allowed this season, but it proved to be a wake-up call for the Harvard offense. Less than seven minutes later, junior forward Midge Purce blasted a shot on goal that rebounded off Winner to Garcia for the Crimson’s only score.

Garcia saved her best performance as a member of the Crimson for her team’s biggest game of the season. The transfer from the University of Georgia notched eight shots in 90 minutes, but it proved not to be enough.

“It was exactly like our game against them last year,” Mosbacher said. “They scored early, [and] we got one back. Last year, obviously we ended up coming back and getting the better of it, but they got us this time.”

Harvard is no stranger to falling behind this season. The team has conceded the game’s first goal six times this season, but the two separate deficits proved to be too much on Saturday.

“There was a lot of effort,” Washburn said. “It was a battle. It was really physical, but I’m really proud of us for battling it out.”

—Staff writer Stephen J. Gleason can be reached at sgleason@college.harvard.edu.