NATTY LOOK: Princeton University women’s soccer player Natalie Larkin kicks the ball in a recent game. Last Saturday, freshman defender Larkin contributed an assist as Princeton pulled out a 2-2 tie against visiting Dartmouth. Princeton, now 2-3-3 overall and 1-0-1 Ivy, plays at Lehigh on October 8 before hosting Brown on October 11. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Natalie Larkin acknowledges that moving up to college soccer has been intimidating at times.

“I think the physicality is something you don’t really see at the club level,” said Larkin, a freshman defender for the Princeton University women’s soccer team.

“That is something you have to adjust to pretty quickly or you are going to get manhandled. Going into Ivies is something I have heard a lot about; the battling mentality in those games.”

Last Saturday evening, Larkin displayed her battling mentality as Princeton hosted Dartmouth in a game that turned out to be a classic Ivy nailbiter. Larkin made a number of clears and runs up the flank from her spot on the backline, helping a gritty Princeton team battle back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1. Showing her attacking skills, she made a nice feed to set up Tyler Lussi’s game-tying goal in the second half as the teams ended regulation in a 2-2 stalemate.

When Princeton went a player down early in the overtime due to a red card, Larkin helped shore up the Tiger defense and held Dartmouth at bay as the game ended in a 2-2 draw, a result that moved Princeton to 2-3-3 overall and 1-0-1 Ivy.

In Larkin’s view, the tie reflected Princeton’s strength of character. “Our mantra is heart and we are committed to that; we have a young team and we have been waiting to rise to the occasion,” said Larkin.

“We all knew what was at stake today with Dartmouth; they tied their last game so they were going to be hungry. It was just that everybody stepped up together and we knew what we had to do. We got it done so it was good.”

Larkin got it done offensively in making the assist on Lussi’s goal which forced overtime after Dartmouth had grabbed a 2-1 lead 10 minutes into the second half.

“We kept going at them, it was going to come and it did,” said Larkin, reflecting on her first college point.

“Tyler is always getting in positions to be in front of the goal and ready to score so it is getting a line and whipping it in. Usually you can count on her to get something on it. I did my best.”

When Princeton was reduced to 10 players early in overtime, the back line had to step up.

“We definitely had the momentum but it is obviously a hardship when you lose a player,” said Larkin.

“We are still playing to win but we knew that we had to be a lot more conservative in the back so that changed the game a little bit. I don’t think it changed the momentum at all. It was just a matter of everyone stepping up a little more. We were ready to do it.”

The team’s group of freshmen, which includes Vanessa Gregoire, Mikaela Symanovich, Alessia Azermahdi, Beth Stella, and Katie Pratt-Thompson in addition to Larkin, has proven that it is ready to make an immediate impact.

“We have a great class, off the field we are really close which helps us a lot,” said Larkin, a native of Washington, D.C.

“We are really, really supportive of each other; that helps on and off the field. At the beginning of the season when we had a lot of injuries, we knew that there were going to be chances for us to come in. We had to do our best to be contributors to the team all around.”

Princeton head coach Julie Shackford marveled at her team’s resilience. “We have been hurt all year, we have just battled all year,” said Shackford, noting that senior star Lauren Lazo was sidelined on Saturday, the latest in a number of key veterans to suffer the injury bug. “I always felt like we were in control of it tonight.”

In Shackford’s view, Larkin has been in control along the backline since day one.

“Natalie works so hard, her work rate is incredible,” said Shackford. “She is  more of an attacker than anything. We would love to play her in the midfield but because we are so low on backs this year, we had to play her in the back. She is something else, she is such a positive person. She is good with the ball. She combines, she can score, and she can assist.”

Sophomore Lussi showed her scoring prowess against the Big Green, tallying on a penalty kick in the first half before finding the back of the net with less than 30 minutes left in regulation.

“Tyler scored the game winner against Yale (in a 1-0 win on September 27) so I think she is starting to come into her own,” said Shackford. “I think she has relaxed. She got the equalizer and I liked the way she stepped up on the PK.”

The Tigers stepped up in the overtime, holding the fort playing shorthanded.

“We just played Mikaela Symanovich back and I thought we did well,” said Shackford. “Sometimes when you play with 10 you are ultra organized there just because you have to be.”

While the Tigers were disappointed to not get a win, achieving the draw kept them tied for first in the Ivies along with Harvard and Columbia.

“Everyone else ties and Penn lost so we don’t lose any ground,” said Shackford, whose team plays at Lehigh on October 8 before hosting Brown on October 11. “We are still in the lead with Harvard and Columbia so I think it is all positive.”

In Larkin’s view, the Tigers have the ability and mentality to do some positive things this fall.

“We had all underclassmen on the field except for our senior goalkeeper [Darcy Hargadon],” said Larkin.

“We know we have a team that is deep enough so no matter who is on the field, everyone is going to step up. I think it is important that we battled through that tonight. We are going to have a lot of momentum going into the next game.”