Women’s soccer failed to bring home the Ivy League Tournament trophy at a game against Princeton on Sunday, losing 2-0. The loss means Bruno is the tournament runner-up, a better result than last year’s first-game loss to Columbia.
Despite the Bears’ efforts, Princeton had already been declared the winner of the Ivy League’s regular-season play, breaking a four-year winning streak.
Having lost to Columbia in last year’s tournament, taking down the Lions in a first-round comeback victory helped Bruno heal some old wounds.
After Columbia opened the scoring early in the first half, the Bears turned on the second gear. Led by an “olimpico” goal from Gianna De Priest ’25, who scored straight from the corner toward the end of the first half, Bruno tied the Lions.
The Bears began the second half looking aggressive, getting into the box, beating Columbia’s defenders and creating an early chance. Though Bruno wasn’t able to get the finishing touch, a Columbia defender’s handball inside the box gave the Bears a lifeline.
Stepping up to the spot, Lexi Quinn ’25 would soon change the game: beating the keeper at her post, she executed the perfect penalty. Up 2-1, Bruno’s defense sat off the ball, letting the Lions come to them — conceding three corners and getting four saves out of goalkeeper Bella Schopp ’26. Despite a tense end to the second-half, Bruno’s lead remained intact.
The victory against Columbia laid the ground for their matchup with Princeton, the dominant Ivy League giant. Across the season, Princeton only dropped a single game, scored the most goals in the Ivy League and were seeded first in the tournament.
The Tigers were also riding high. After a loss to the Crimson in last year’s tournament, they had avenged themselves earlier in the weekend, defeating fourth-seeded Harvard 3-1 on Friday.
Princeton and Brown have been known to apply a high-pressing aggressive style, so fans were expecting a high-intensity, energizing game on Princeton’s home turf.
Though it wasn’t a typical David and Goliath story, Bruno had their work cut out for them against the Tigers. Any Bears fan will remember the last time these two met: Princeton crushed the Bears 8-0.
But this time around, Bruno maintained their composure. Their play into the forwards was excellent, able to maintain the threat of attack. While the scoresheet may not reflect it, the Bears weren’t completely shut out.
“Princeton has one of the best attacks in the league and one of the best forwards in the league in Pietra Tordin, so we wanted to make sure that we keyed in on those players and keep the game in front of us as much as possible,” Head Coach Kia McNeill wrote in an email to The Herald.
Schopp was excellent in net, providing six saves during the game, including four in the first half to keep the game level. But Princeton found their magic touch that day. After contentious back-and-forth play, Princeton forward Drew Coomans sent a beautiful shot floating perfectly over Schopp’s head. The chip knocked Bruno behind for the second time in the tournament.
Having managed a comeback on Friday, this was nothing new for the Bears. But the Tigers kept the pressure on, with a goal disallowed for offside at the end of the half.
Winning a corner, the Tigers scored off another chip shot that flew over Schopp’s head for the second time.
The goal, however, was contentious. Ella Weil ’28, who was in position to block the ball, was tripped by a Princeton defender prior to the goal being scored, leading to questions from Brown’s coaches. Ultimately, the goal stood.
Another free-kick goal by Princeton was disallowed for fouling Schopp. Bruno was down 2-0 and Princeton’s attack remained just as fierce. The Tigers outshot the Bears 5-2 in the second half.
Despite the Bears’ attempt to move forward, they never managed to find the final ball or clinical finish. A dense Tigers defense kept Bruno out of the Princeton box.
“Most of the chances we generate are from set pieces, but it’s important that we become more dangerous and dynamic in the run of play too,” McNeill wrote. “Our attacking group was very young this season and they did tremendously, given the circumstances, but I think a spring season to train and refine our game is going to be integral to our success in the years to come.”
Nadja Meite ’28 tried a shot similar to Coomen’s by floating one over the Princeton keeper’s head. But it did not succeed.
A final effort from Layla Shell ’26 marked the team’s last chance in the 2024 Ivy League season. But the ball didn’t find the net and the clock ran out on the Bears’ chance for a second comeback that weekend.
The Bears’ finish was a turnaround from last year’s disappointing early tournament exit. Bruno’s runner-up finish marks the end of their 2024 season, unless they are selected on Nov. 11 for the NCAA tournament.
“This season reminds me a lot of our 2018 season where we had a lot of ups and downs in terms of results but we learned a lot that season, grew a lot in the offseason and then came back and won the Ivy Championship in 2019,” McNeill wrote. “We have a ton of potential and really have just grazed the surface of where we can go.”
Dennis Carey is a Sports editor who enjoys playing volleyball, listening to and collecting vinyl records and poorly playing the guitar in his spare time.
