MONTGOMERY — Ava Tabeart and the defense for the Princeton High varsity girls’ soccer team showed they know how to play defense as well as anyone this fall. In 20 games with first-year head coach Meghan Brennan, the Tigers only allowed 19 goals and posted nine shutouts. It appeared as though they might be headed for another blanking Thursday when the 16th seed visited eight-seeded Montgomery in the second round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group IV Tournament. Despite playing without its starting goalkeeper for 74:25 of the contest, Princeton kept the pressure on the home team throughout, and that defense held tough before head coach Yannick Smith’s Cougars survived with a 1-0 victory. Montgomery (13-5) advances to play Monday at the winner of last night’s game between fifth-seeded Hillsborough (12-4-2) and fourth-seeded Monroe (15-2-1). After 56 minutes of scoreless play, the game winner came when junior back Abby Schwartz sent a ball ahead that sophomore forward Emma Seamon corralled and made a skillful dribble to the side of the net. After passing two players, Seamon got just enough of the ball before it crossed the end line to slip an angled crossing shot into the goal with 23:31 to play. “I used my left foot, so I was trying to make sure I hit net,” Seamon said. “We knew if we all worked hard, we could score a goal.” After that, the Tigers went back to playing the same shutdown defense they had shown with junior backup goalkeepers Mona Mobin-Uddin and Olivia DeLuca manning the line. In front of them, Tabeart, juniors Romy Johnson and Kacey Howes, plus sophomores Mathilde Pouliot and Helena Murray clogged the passing lanes to make life tough on the Cougars. “We had a rough middle of the season, but toward the end, we pulled it together,” said Tabeart, who is a captain as well as one of seven seniors on Brennan’s roster. “We had scrimmaged them, so all of us knew they were going to try to stretch our defense out. Olivia did great in a tough situation. She and Mona always step up when we need them.” Mobin-Uddin and DeLuca were needed to step in after Princeton sophomore starter Julia Zaldarriaga went down in a mid-air collision with a Montgomery player in the middle of the box 5:35 into the contest. No cards were given, but Zaldarriaga was unable to return under concussion protocol. “I was expecting a close game,” Brennan said. “What I wasn’t expecting was for our goalkeeper to get taken out in the first five minutes. Olivia and Mona played really well for us. But it was big not to have Julia out there. She trains with the Argentinian National Team.” The Tigers fought through the turn of events, and, after Montgomery had a goal disallowed by an offside call 11 minutes in, actually had one of the best chances to score first when Clara Burton took a free kick at the top of the box three minutes into the second half, only to see Cougars junior goalie Victoria Formica make the save. After Seamon put a crack in Princeton’s stellar defense, the visitors kept attacking in this very even affair. Their last quality offensive chance came with 3:40 left when Burton sent a corner kick from Quinn Gallagher over the crossbar. Princeton (6-10-4)           0   0    —    0 Montgomery (13-5)          0   1    —    1 Goal: ESeamon (M); Assist: ASchwartz (M). Shots: 7 (P), 7 (M); Saves: JZaldarriaga 0, Mobin-Uddin 1, DeLuca 4 (P), Formica 6 (M).