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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Tiger Women's Soccer Tops Boston College As Magical Ride Reaches NCAA's Elite Eight
By Bill Alden
Although the Princeton University women's soccer team lost all four of its games on its preseason excursion to Germany this past August, senior midfielder Tina Fontanez sensed that something special was brewing.
"The German trip was such a bonding experience," recalled Fontanez. "We learned to play together. We really came together as a team."
Even Fontanez, though, couldn't quite imagine how far the Tigers would come as she basked in the glow of Princeton's 2-0 win over visiting Boston College last Saturday in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 round.
"I'm elated, I'm shocked," said a jubilant Fontanez as the raucous post-game celebration of the 1,822 fans packing Lourie-Love Field swirled around her.
"At the same time, I knew we would get this far. We knew it would take a lot of hard work tonight. They didn't make it easy for us but we never gave up. We had so much heart, I'm so proud of all of these girls."
The win over the Eagles advanced seventh-seeded Princeton to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history. The Tigers, now 18-2, will try to keep their magical run alive this Friday when they host 15th-seeded Washington.
For the first 45 minutes last Saturday, it looked like midnight was about to strike for the Tigers. Dominating play, Princeton outshot Boston College 6-2 but squandered several golden opportunities.
In the opening stages of the second half, the tension mounted as the Tigers kept misfiring. But 81:48 into the contest, Princeton junior star Emily Behncke blasted a pass from Diana Matheson past the Boston College goalkeeper to break the ice.
Less than two minutes later, Fontanez threaded a pass to Behncke and the All-Ivy striker found the back of the net to put the game out of reach.
Fontanez and her senior classmates have felt a special sense of urgency since they came back from Germany to start regular season play.
"We knew this was the year, we've been waiting four years for this," said the Poughkeepsie, N.Y. native who is one of 10 seniors on the Princeton roster.
"Last year, everyone felt that we underachieved. We knew we had a lot more potential, a lot more to give. The seniors knew that this was the end and that we've got to put everything out there every game."
Princeton head coach Julie Shackford has been amazed at how much her players gave her in overcoming the challenge presented by Boston College.
"I'm kind of speechless," asserted Shackford with a broad grin as she reflected on her club's historic triumph. "Going into the half, I thought the game was really tight. I thought we broke away from them in the second half. I thought the second half was one of the best halves we've had all season in terms of moving the ball and getting chances."
The coach was not surprised at how Behncke cashed in the chances she got in the second half.
"I thought they out-physicalled Emily a bit in the first half," explained Shackford of her striker who now has 12 goals on the season.
"In the second half she got herself in position to break away and that's when she's at her best. Anytime she's in front of the goal, she's going to finish."
Fontanez' strong finish to her Princeton career has also impressed Shackford. "The last three weeks, Tina has been awesome," said Shackford of the speedy senior who has three goals this season and has now scored 17 in her Tiger career.
"She has really started to peak. Obviously, she's creating chances. She's working both sides of the ball. I give her a lot of credit, she wasn't having her best season but she has really picked it up."
Shackford made it clear that she is proud of how her team has peaked when it has counted most. "Obviously the program has come a long way but this could be a once in a lifetime thing," conceded Shackford, who is in her 10th season guiding the Tigers and now has a 152-51-10 overall mark in her Princeton tenure.
"Everything has come together. We've been going since August and you know there are going to be lulls but there haven't been any. I don't think the program will necessarily get this far every year. This is a special year. We've got to ride this as long as we can."
Fontanez believes that the team's ride could go all the way to Cary, North Carolina, the site of the national title game on December 5.
"Every game gets better and better," asserted Fontanez. "We learn each other better, we fight harder. We're getting closer and closer to our goal. The goal has always been to go all the way."
No matter how the season ends up, the Tigers have certainly come
a long way from their winless trip in Germany.
