BRONZE STAR: Diana Matheson controls the ball during her brilliant career with the Princeton University women’s soccer team which saw her help the Tigers advance to the 2004 College Cup national semifinals. Last Thursday, Matheson, a 2008 Princeton alum who holds the program career record for assists (26), scored the lone goal as Canada edged France 1-0 to take the Bronze Medal in women’s soccer at the London Olympics. (Photo Courtesy of Princeton’s Office of Athletic Communications)

Diana Matheson helped lead the Princeton University women’s soccer team reach unprecedented heights when it advanced to the 2004 College Cup national semifinals.

Last Thursday, the 2008 Tiger alum’s brilliance sparked the Canadian women’s soccer team to a first as her late goal gave Canada a 1-0 win over France in the Bronze Medal game at the London Olympics.

It was Canada’s first-ever medal in women’s soccer and only the second medal between men’s or women’s soccer, the other coming when the Canadian men won gold in St. Louis in 1904.

Matheson’s first career Olympic goal, in her second Olympics, came in the 92nd minute and was Canada’s only shot on goal for the entire afternoon.

Indeed, the only Canadian shot that fell within the goal frame was midfielder Matheson’s rebound off a French defender, touching off a celebration that became official only seconds later when the second-half added time had run out.

France outshot Canada 25-4 overall and 4-1 on net. Among the 25 were several near misses, posts and crossbars that made it seem the French were only moments from scoring a goal and taking the bronze.

Later, Matheson, Princeton’s career assists leaders with 26, beamed during the medal ceremony and cradled the medal in her hands for moments after it was presented.

The Reinprecht sisters, Katie ’13 and Julia ’14, wrapped up play for the U.S. field hockey last Saturday as the U.S. fell 2-1 to Belgium to finish in 12th place in the tournament.

The U.S. jumped out to a 1-0 lead but Belgium scored two unanswered goals to pull out the win. As they had done all tournament, both Reinprecht sisters played a majority of the game with Julia getting credit for a pair of shots in the contest.

Princeton athletes ended the London Olympics with seven medals, piling up a gold (Caroline Lind ’06 — U.S. women’s 8), two silvers (Adreanne Morin ’06 and Lauren Wilkinson ’11 — Canada women’s 8), and a bronze (Glenn Ochal ’08 — men’s four) in rowing, two bronzes in fencing (Maya Lawrence ’02 and Susie Scanlan ’14 — U.S. team epee), and Matheson’s bronze in women’s soccer.

On Sunday, a Princeton men’s basketball alum, David Blatt ’81, earned a medal in a coaching capacity as he guided Russia to an 81-77 victory over Argentina in the bronze medal game last Sunday. It was the highest Olympic finish in men’s basketball for Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union prior to the 1992 Games.

Blatt became the head coach of the Russian national basketball team in 2006 and guided the team to the 2007 Eurobasket title and a third-place finish in the 2011 Eurobasket tournament.