NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior
Alanna Butcher scored two goals to propel the Yale women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Princeton on Sunday afternoon at Reese Stadium. Butcher tallied a pair of scores in the first 22 minutes and the Bulldogs' defense held the potent Tigers' offense to a single goal.
With the victory, Yale improved to 8-4-1 overall with a 2-1-1 mark in conference play. The Bulldogs also handed Princeton its first Ivy League loss of the season. The Tigers dropped to 8-4-0 overall with a 3-1 conference record.
"I am so proud of our group for their response from our last game," said
Sarah Martinez, Loring Family Head Coach of Women's Soccer. "We challenged them to be on their front foot, to play our brand of soccer, and to capitalize on momentum. We did just that. Alanna stepped up big time with two great goals, and I couldn't be happier for her to be rewarded for her consistency."
"We knew Princeton would come out and flood some numbers in the second half and we weathered it at times, but stayed disciplined defensively," Martinez said.
How it Happened
- 18' | GOAL! Butcher scored her first goal of the game to give the Bulldogs the lead. After taking a pass on the far side of the box from Ellie Rappole, Butcher dribbled inside the 18 and fired a left-footed attempt which sailed over the head of Princeton goalkeeper Tyler McCamey into the upper corner of the net. 1-0 Yale
- 23' | GOAL! Just over five minutes later, on a nearly identical play, Butcher handled a pass from teammate Vienna Lundstedt. After getting the ball on her left foot, the senior took a shot that deflected off a Princeton defender and found the back of the net for her second score of the game. 2-0 Yale
- 69' | Kayla Wong scored for Princeton to cut the Yale lead in half. 2-1 Yale
Game Notes
- Yale picked up its eighth victory of the season, the most in a single campaign since 2019 (11). The Bulldogs still have three regular season games remaining.
- Yale is the first team to score multiple goals against Princeton this year and the first Ivy opponent to net a single score against the Tigers.
- Butcher's goal in the 18th minute snapped a scoreless streak of 388 minutes by the Princeton defense.
- Butcher scored her first two goals of the season. She is the only Yale player to have a multi-goal game this season.
- Anna Shamgochian made her third start of the season in goal for the Bulldogs, making two saves.
- Lundstedt, Rappole, Andie Miller and Tanner Cahalan each recorded assists for Yale. Rappole leads the team with four helpers this season.
Up Next
"I told our team to enjoy this win and we will turn the page tomorrow to bring preparation for Cornell," Martinez said.
The Bulldogs will travel to Cornell for a conference match up with the Big Red on Saturday, Oct. 19.
