PRINCETON, N.J. – The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team earned its first Ivy League victory of the season Saturday night, scoring in the 88th minute to defeat Princeton, 1-0, at Roberts Stadium. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Tigers and marked Penn's first victory over Princeton since 2014.
The Quakers (6-4-2, 1-1-1 Ivy League) got the decisive goal from senior forward Abbey Cook, who finished a cross from Mia Fuss in the 88th minute for her fifth goal of the season and third in Penn's last two games. Lily White also assisted on the winner, while goalkeeper Ria Desai recorded seven saves for her first career shutout in her second career start.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn earned its first Ivy League win of the season, moving to 1-1-1 in conference play and fifth in the Ivy League standings with four points.
*The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak against Princeton and marked the Quakers' first win over the Tigers since 2014.
*Cook scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute, her fifth of the season and third over Penn's last two games. The senior's score puts her in sole possession of the team lead with five goals and 11 points
*Fuss and White each recorded an assist on Cook's goal. White leads the Quakers with five assists this season.
*Desai made seven saves to earn her first career shutout in her second career start in goal.
*Penn was outshot 19-9, but Desai and the Quaker defense kept Princeton off the scoreboard. The Tigers put seven shots on goal.
*Princeton held a 10-6 advantage in corner kicks.
How It Happened
Princeton created the first dangerous chance of the night, earning a corner kick that led to a header off the crossbar with about 40 minutes remaining in the first half. The Quakers nearly answered moments later when Cook collected a loose ball following a deflection, dribbled through defenders and fired from near the top of the box, narrowly missing the near post.
Desai kept Princeton off the board as the Tigers continued to press. With just over 32 minutes remaining in the half, she came off her line to collect a through ball before the Princeton attack could reach it. Seconds later, Desai stopped a bouncing attempt from Nina Cantor outside the box, and Penn's defense cleared the loose ball from danger.
The Quakers generated their first corner kick with less than 28 minutes left in the half, with Grace Saxton sending a header just over the crossbar. Penn continued to look for opportunities through Cook, who delivered several crosses from outside the box late in the half, but neither team found the breakthrough before the break. The Red and Blue concluded the first 45 minutes without a shot on goal.
Princeton continued to threaten early in the second half, but Desai kept the Tigers off the board with a series of saves. She turned away attempts from Madison Recupero in the 51st minute and Dylan Jovanovic in the 53rd before stopping another effort from the Tigers in the 58th minute. Desai remained busy as Princeton continued to press, making another save in the 62nd minute and denying Jovanovic again in the 76th.
Penn looked to respond offensively, with Cook sending a shot wide in the 63rd minute. The Tigers continued to generate chances, but their attempts from Stella Monberg in the 67th minute and Nina Cantor in the 87th sailed wide of the target.
With the match winding down, Penn found the breakthrough in the 88th minute. After a turnover in Princeton's half, Hailey Adamsky moved the ball forward to White, who carried it toward the box before playing it wide to Fuss. Fuss sent a cross across the goalmouth, where Cook finished from the opposite side to give the Quakers the lead with 1:31 remaining in regulation.
Penn returns to Rhodes Field next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. matchup against Columbia
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