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Negron's Strong Hunger For Goals Has Tiger Women's Soccer Rolling
By Bill Alden
Esmeralda Negron didn't particularly stand out in the first half last Wednesday as the Princeton University women's soccer team hosted Hartford.
But with the Tigers clinging to a 1-0 lead early in the second half, Negron took the game into her hands and skilled feet.
With 50 minutes gone, the junior forward took an Emily Behncke pass and blasted it on a line past the near post to double Princeton's lead. Then 25 minutes later, Negron put the game out of reach as she emerged from a scramble in front of the net to knock the ball home as the Tigers cruised to a 3-1 win.
Negron's heroics were just the latest episode in a season of deadly finishing which has seen her score a goal in every game the Tigers have played so far.
As she reflected on her performance, Negron acknowledged that she has a way of picking her spots when her team most needs her production.
"A 1-0 game isn't a secure game, I felt like I had to pick up my intensity either to create or score a goal," said Negron, a first-team All-Ivy performer last fall when she scored eight goals and added nine assists. "I wouldn't say I had a great game tonight but I got the job done when we needed it."
In Negron's view, her goal scoring prowess is due more to her mindset than her considerable skills with the ball. "I am hungry to score, I always want to score when I'm out there," said Negron with her brown eyes widening. "If you put that in your head, you're going to end up being successful at some point.
Last Saturday, Negron satisfied her appetite for scoring as she knocked in a goal and added an assist to help ¬Princeton open its Ivy League campaign with a 4-2 win over Yale at Princeton Stadium.
Princeton head coach Julie Shackford believes Negron's outburst which has seen her score eight goals in her seven-game scoring streak is the result of both mental and physical refinements in her game.
"I think she is stronger and she's reading defense better," said Shackford, whose club improved to 6-0-1 with the win over the Bulldogs which was highlighted by senior co-captain Liz Bell scoring the first goal of her Princeton career.
"She's definitely more fit and physical this year. Esmeralda likes the responsibility for finishing and being the one to score. In clutch situations, she embraces that pressure."
Shackford acknowledges that despite Negron's gaudy numbers, she has a deceptive way about her on the pitch. "She's not the typical forward in that she's going to run all day and constantly buzz around," explained Shackford.
"The thing about Es is that she can look tuned out and then five minutes later she has two in the back of the net. She plays like a European player, she picks her spots and that makes her a little savvy."
Shackford knows her team will have to be a little more savvy collectively if it wants to come up with its fourth straight Ivy crown. "I'm happy with where we are at but we have a lot of maturing to do," said Shackford, whose club plays at Dartmouth on October 5 and at Rutgers on October 7.
"We have a lot of games in a short period of time. Unless we're under constant pressure, we lose a little bit of alertness. I don't think that's uncommon but at the same time we need to be a little more mature about it."
Negron, for her part, believes her game is getting more and more mature. "I have a consistency that I didn't have last year," asserted the Harrington Park, N.J. native.
"I didn't always have that intensity to score that I have this year. I have fewer lapses mentally, I'm always in there."
And so far this season, Negron has always been on Princeton's scoring sheet.
