GETTING IT DONE: Princeton University women’s soccer player Jesse McDonough, left, marks a foe in 2015 action. Last Saturday, senior defender and team captain McDonough contributed an assist to help Princeton defeat Dartmouth 2-0. The Tigers, who improved to 8-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 Ivy League with the win, will resume league action on October 8 when they host Brown (5-2-3 overall, 1-1 Ivy). (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

For Jesse McDonough, it was a must-win situation as the Princeton University women’s soccer team hosted Dartmouth last Saturday afternoon.

With Princeton having started the defense of its Ivy League title with a 1-1 draw at Yale a week earlier, senior defender McDonough and her teammates brought a sense of urgency to Roberts Stadium for the clash with the Big Green.

“Our mindset coming off of last weekend was a reality check, we knew we were better than that,” said McDonough, a native of nearby Monmouth Beach, N.J. and a two-time captain of the Tigers.

“We knew we had to pick up the intensity; with a tie going into the Ivy League play, that is all you can really afford so it was do or die for us. This week we really just focused on going at it in training every single day.”

Princeton displayed its focus, scoring two goals in the first 7:19 of the contest with freshman Abby Givens and senior star Tyler Lussi finding the back of the net and never looked back on the way to a 2-0 victory as it improved to 8-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 Ivy.

“They were coming off of a loss so we knew that they were going to be intense because their season was on the line as well,” said McDonough.

“It was a home game for us; we had our fans and our field. We took all of that energy and put it on the field.”

McDonough drew the cheers of the fans when she lofted a free kick into the box that Lussi headed through the goalie.

“I always look for Tyler, usually she goes in there and is unmanageable,” said a smiling McDonough, who now has two assists this season and has tallied two goals and 14 assists over her Princeton career. “I was looking for her, that blonde ponytail up in the air.”

In facing Dartmouth, Princeton was looking to produce a stifling defensive effort.

“Coming off of Yale, we were battered a lot by the offense so I think we really worked on being strong defensively and not letting them get as many chances,” said McDonough.

“We had a really strong player, Haley Chow, back which was awesome. She did very well, so it was great for us.”

Focusing on being a two-way player, McDonough prides herself on having a strong impact at both ends of the field.

“Being a wide back, if we have the space, our coaches like us to get up into the attack,” said McDonough.

“It pressures the other team’s attack and it gets our momentum going as well when we get numbers up.”

As a two-time captain, McDonough feels responsible for getting the Tigers going.

“It has been awesome; I have been playing different roles each year,” said McDonough.

“Last year, I was with Emmy Sura, who was an awesome, loud player. She got the energy going. This year, I have had to step up a little bit and be more of a voice so it has helped me grow in a lot of ways. Helping lead the team is what makes me happy.”

It also makes McDonough happy to be playing college soccer so close to home.

“I am an hour away, it is really nice, my family is always here,” said McDonough

“My sister (sophomore midfielder Samantha) is on the team, which is even better. Being at Princeton, I have always wanted to go to a high academic school and to be able to play a sport as well is just a dream.”

Princeton head coach Sean Driscoll was expecting a high quality performance from his team in the wake of the tie with Yale.

“I would say that the team in general was very focused, very spirited, played with a lot of energy in training,” said Driscoll.

“They enjoyed training, they had a lot of fun last week. It is a very energetic, intense team. I think they were just chomping at the bit to get back on the field and perform at a high level.”

Driscoll credited McDonough with giving Princeton a lot of energy in the win over Dartmouth.

“She is a leader, she was disappointed personally with her performance against Yale; she took things to heart and that is part of what makes her the kind of person she is,” said Driscoll.

“She came back this week refocused. I thought she had an exceptional game. Jesse is very consistent, every game we know what to get from her.”

Princeton has been getting good production from promising freshman Givens, who has scored three goals in her last five appearances and was named the Ivy Rookie of the Week for her heroics against Dartmouth.

“Abby has gotten three goals. As we all know, freshman have ups and downs, it is a roller-coaster ride,” said Driscoll.

“We have been rotating quite a lot of players at the wide midfield position, just trying to see what fits best against different teams. To her credit, she did a very good job against Yale. She scored against them and scored again in the Dartmouth game, two games against Ivy League opponents and two goals.”

In Driscoll’s view, the Princeton defense did a very good job against Dartmouth, holding the Big Green to six shots overall with just two in the second half.

“I thought the best part of our defending was our attack,” said Driscoll.

“We were very, very good on the attack. We held the ball well and when they got the ball, they were limited in their options. Defensively we were able to take care of it. Overall, we have been defending well all season.”

Noting that there is more parity in Ivy women’s soccer this season, Driscoll is confident that his team will be in the thick of the title race.

“We have a track record of being very good on the road and we have a track record of being very good at home this year,” said Driscoll, whose team resumes league action on October 8 when it hosts Brown (5-2-3 overall, 1-1 Ivy).

“I think right now our focus is one game at a time and if we take care of all of our home games, then, guess what, we will be in good position.”

In McDonough’s view, if Princeton maintains a business-like mentality, it will be in position to win a lot of games.

“I think we have seen us training with 110 percent intensity throughout the week,” said McDonough.

“It plays out into the games so I think we are just going to stick with that mentality.”