April 5, 2008
PRINCETON, N.J. - Getting 20 turnovers from undefeated No. 2 Princeton was an unexpected occurrence for No. 13 Yale Saturday afternoon at Class of 1952 Stadium. Unfortunately it was one the Bulldogs did not take full advantage of, as they committed 20 turnovers of their own. After grabbing an early 2-0 lead on a pair of Tiger miscues, the Yale offense went scoreless for 30 minutes while Princeton regrouped and put together a five-goal run. The Bulldogs were never able to get back in the game after that, falling 9-6.
Princeton (9-0, 3-0 Ivy League) had four turnovers in the game's first eight minutes, and were it not for a pair of Yale turnovers the Bulldogs might have done even more damage than the two goals they did get. Senior midfielder Lauren Taylor opened the scoring with a nice move. Double-teamed as she drove toward the goal, Taylor pulled up, then dodged her way in between the two defenders and sent a sidearm shot high into the back of the net at 26:26.
Taylor played a key role in Yale's next goal as well, starting with an interception in the midfield. As the Bulldogs set up on attack Taylor got the ball to senior midfielder Kat Peetz on the right side, and Peetz quickly got it back to Taylor at the top of the 12-meter arc. Taylor spotted junior midfielder Taylor Fragapane open in front, and she got her the ball for a high shot that made it 2-0 Bulldogs at 21:28.
The Tigers had trailed for only 40 minutes all season, so being down by two goals was a relatively new feeling for them. They responded with a run of their own. Katie Lewis-Lamonica started it by scoring at 19:23 on Princeton's first shot on goal of the game.
Yale senior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron later made a big save on Kristin Schwab, but the Tigers maintained possession and were able to work the ball to Christine Casaceli for the game-tying goal at 15:09.
After a Yale turnover at midfield the Tigers took advantage of a 2-on-1 to score in transition as Ashley Amo took Casaceli's feed and made it 3-2 Princeton at 9:39.
A minute later Cameron stopped a Schwab free position shot to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance. Another Bulldog turnover with two minutes left in the half denied Yale a chance at the final shot, but the defense buckled down and forced the Tigers into a shot from an off angle that went wide as time ran out.
The Tigers continued their run as the second half began, however. A pair of goals in the first eight minutes by Casaceli -- her 19th and 20th of the season -- made the score 5-2.. Taylor finally ended Princeton's run by scoring an unassisted goal at 21:26. That also ended a scoreless drought of 30:02 for the Bulldogs.
The Tigers had to handle some more adversity when Lewis-Lamonica, the team's second-leading goal scorer, went down with an injury with 20 minutes left and went to the sideline for the rest of the game. Right after that Cameron made a huge save on Holly McGarvie and grabbed the ground ball, but the Bulldogs were unable to keep the momentum. They turned the ball over, and a one-handed goal by Schwab as she was falling to the ground made the score 6-3 and prompted a Bulldog timeout.
The Tigers then got the draw control and extended their lead on a goal by Alison Murray with 17:09 left.
Yale (8-4, 2-2 Ivy League) had a pair of chances to get back in the game that fell by the wayside shortly after that. Cameron chased down a loose ball near the cage to end a Princeton possession, and at the other end of the field Taylor drew a foul for a free-position attempt with 14 minutes left. She passed to sophomore attacker Jenna Block, who was fouled, but Block's free-position shot was denied and Taylor then hit the side of the net with a shot. The Tigers took the ball down the field for a goal by McGarvie that made it an 8-3 game.
With the way the Princeton defense -- ranked No. 4 in the country -- was playing, eight goals was enough. The Bulldogs did put together a late run, though. The Tigers called timeout when junior midfielder Jenn Warden took advantage of a Princeton turnover and scored with 6:54 to play. Another Tiger turnover with 4:30 remaining gave Taylor the chance to draw a foul and convert a free-position shot to make it 8-5. But when the Tigers got the ball after a Yale turnover with 3:30 left, they slowed the game down and worked time off the clock. The Bulldogs had to get aggressive in an attempt to get the ball back, and that resulted in a free-position attempt that Kristin Morrison used to score the Tigers' ninth goal with 1:59 on the clock.
Tigers goalie Kaitlyn Perrelle's save on a free-position shot by Taylor with 1:26 left was one of the highlights of her six-save day. The Bulldogs did tack on one last goal, as junior attacker Linden Ellis scored with 18.3 seconds remaining.
Princeton has now beaten four of the six teams that it lost to last season, avenging a 6-5 loss to the Bulldogs at Johnson Field.
Yale hosts Columbia Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity