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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Tiger Women's Soccer Edges Villanova in Overtime To Earn NCAA Sweet 16 Date With Boston College
By Bill Alden
Nobody has scored more points for the Princeton University women's soccer program than senior striker Esmeralda Negron.
The Harrington Park, N.J. native came into last Sunday's NCAA second round clash with Villanova with the school record in career points with 109 and a program-best 49 points this fall.
Racing through the mud at Lourie-Love Field and trying to wrest herself free from the clutch-and-grab defense employed by the Wildcats, Negron fought valiantly to add to her totals.
But try as she might, Negron was held scoreless by Villanova. Yet, the chilly, windy afternoon turned into one of the best days of Negron's storied career as a curling corner kick by teammate Maura Gallagher in double overtime gave Princeton a 1-0 win.
An ecstatic Negron couldn't stop smiling as she reflected on the dramatic triumph that improved the seventh-seeded Tigers to 17-2 and set up a Sweet 16 contest this Saturday against visiting Boston College.
"I'm so excited, I'm so happy," said Negron, beaming through her mudstained uniform. "I don't care that I didn't score, I don't care about anything. It's special for us because this takes us to a round we've never been before."
Negron, though, acknowledged that she was more than a little edgy earlier in the day as Princeton outshot Villanova 24-3 but just couldn't find the back of the net.
"I think we were anxious to score," said Negron, who scored two goals and had two assists in the downpour last Friday as Princeton cruised past Central Connecticut in the first round. "We were frustrated; we had outshot them by a lot. They were holding me a lot, that was frustrating too."
Before Gallagher's moment of brilliance, Princeton head coach Julie Shackford was starting to fear that a win wasn't meant to be for her squad.
"It is scary," said Shackford. "You hit the post twice and you have all of those chances. You think my God, they are well-organized and good on the counter. You lose your footing and you're done."
After having lost to Villanova in the first round of the 2003 NCAA tournament and having edged the Wildcats 1-0 earlier this season, Shackford knew her team was in for a challenge Sunday.
"They're tough; they're physical," said Shackford, whose record at Princeton in her 10-year tenure is now 115-51-10.
"They play a Big East schedule. It is a demanding, physical matchup. They put a priority on defending."
Shackford credited Negron with matching Villanova's scrappiness. "Es had a great game," asserted Shackford. "She did all the dirty work for us today."
After what her club has shown this fall in breaking the program record for wins and producing its first-ever perfect Ivy League campaign, Shackford wasn't surprised that her players rose to the occasion Sunday.
"They are self-regulating, they know what they want," explained Shackford in assessing what sets this club apart.
"It's been a dream for sure. The whole season has been a dream. Every coach hopes for a team like this."
Shackford isn't ready for the dream to end. "We can play with anyone in the country," asserted Shackford, whose club has been ranked in the nation's Top 12 since late September.
"If we get the right bounces, I don't see why we can't win the next two rounds, I really don't. This team deserves to be where they are."
While Negron is proud of what she has accomplished individually, she is intent on helping her team carve out a special niche in Princeton sports history.
"The records are amazing, they were goals of mine since I got here," said Negron, who helped the United Sates Under-21 National Team win the Nordic Cup this summer in Iceland.
"It was awesome to achieve that but now I'm focused on the tournament. I told one of my teammates that there is something magical about this team. We believe in each other. We're just going out and playing and having a good time."
At the rate they are going, Negron and the Tigers could be extending their good times all the way to the Final Four.
