Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Completes Sweep Weekend in Boston with 4-2 Win in Field Hockey
October 24, 1999 | Field Hockey
Oct. 24, 1999
BOSTON, Mass. - The Princeton University field hockey team that traveled down I-95 from Boston today resembles the one that left two mornings ago in name and number only. Before this weekend started, the Tigers were on a four-game skid and desperately needed some positive energy.
Two wins, including today's 4-2 win over No. 13 Boston University, will go a long way in bringing back some confidence to this squad. Even if this weekend isn't enough to send the Tigers back to the NCAA tournament, remember it a year from now. This was the first real time that Princeton stared adversity in the eye and would not blink.
This is the team Beth Bozman believed she had all along. And, if a couple breaks go Princeton's way, she might still have a chance to showcase her young and determined squad to the national powerhouses one more time.
A trio of goals by Ilvy Friebe (Fr., Bonn, Germany) helped lead the Tigers to their first win over a Top-15 team in 1999. Friebe, who scored a crucial goal to help lead Princeton to a 3-2 overtime win yesterday at Harvard, scored a pair of unassisted goals to give the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead and added an insurance goal late in the game.
Although Friebe scored three of the four goals, the game-winner once again belonged to Melanie Meerschwam (Jr., Amstelveen, The Netherlands), who scored on a penalty corner early in the second half to give Princeton a 3-1 lead. Rachael Stillings and Jaclyn Mele scored the two goals for Boston University, which had its 10-game home winning streak snapped today. Meerschwam scored the game-winner in overtime yesterday against Harvard.
Kelly Baril (Fr., Peabody, Mass.) had one of her best games, making 11 saves in her eighth career victory.
The Tigers are off until next Sunday, when they travel to Old Dominion for a rematch of the 1998 NCAA championship game. Princeton is now 8-5 overall, 4-1 in the Ivy League.