The women’s soccer team continued their up-and-down season Monday, losing their final non-conference match of the season to Princeton, 1-0.
Scoring chances were hard to come by in a game dominated by defense. Princeton, however, was able to cash in on theirs with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
The game’s lone goal was scored inside the penalty box by Princeton Tigers’ midfielder Lauren Whatley, on a shot that landed just under the crossbar, which AU goalie Arianna Efstathiou was unable to defend. With the home field crowd on Princeton’s side, the goal proved to be too much for AU’s inconsistent offense to overcome.
The Eagles managed just six shots, three in each period, against the Tigers. They were unable to build off of the energy shown in their prior game against Bucknell, a 3-1 win at home. Princeton goalie Alyssa Pont only had to make three saves because of the sputtering AU offense.
AU’s best chances to tie the game came towards the end of the second half, when a header by Kristin Piorun sailed wide and a shot by Kelsey Brasher was stopped. Freshman Carleigh Morba had the two other shots on goal for the Eagles, but they weren’t good enough to get by Pont.
AU only had two corner kicks in the game — one that was two minutes in and the other that occurred early in the second half.
In the past two games, which were both wins, the Eagles totaled six goals. AU has tallied 12 goals in their six wins, while scoring just once in their seven losses. This game looked to be a prime opportunity for the Eagles’ offense to break out, as the Tigers had won only two of their past eight games.
Even though the offense sputtered, the defense played well, preventing any offense for the Tigers on the six corner kicks they were able to generate. Despite allowing the only goal, Efstathiou remained strong in net, saving three shots in the match. She has allowed just three goals in her past four games.
This loss against Princeton makes the Tigers 7-0 all-time against the Eagles.
“I think we played with a lot of heart and effort for 90 minutes,” AU Head Coach David Bucciero told AU Athletics. “We were a little unlucky not to get a goal in the second half. If we continue to play with the determination that we played with tonight, we will have a lot of success with our remaining games.”
Despite the loss, the news was not all bad for the Eagles on Monday. Brasher was named both Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and AU student-athlete player of the week, while midfielder Michelle Montilio received the Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
