Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Meets Michigan in NCAA Field Hockey
November 14, 2002 | Field Hockey
Nov. 14, 2002
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2002 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament
First & Second Rounds - Hosted by Penn State University
November 16 & 17 - Bigler Field - State College, Pa.
Princeton (11-6) vs. Michigan (18-3) - 11:00 a.m.
Penn State (16-4) vs. Kent State (16-6) - 2:00 p.m.
History Lesson - Princeton is making its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers reached the semifinals in 1996, 1997 and 1998, advancing to the championship game in 1996 and 1998. This is the eighth time that the Orange and Black will compete in the NCAA Tournament (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002).
How Princeton Got Here - Princeton received the automatic berth awarded to the Ivy League champion. The Tigers were 7-0 in the Ivy League this season and have won 24 consecutive Ivy League contests over the past four seasons. The championship was Princeton's ninth in a row. Ivy foe Harvard also received a tournament bid.
Rematch - The Tigers will meet Michigan for only the second time in the history of the two schools. The first meeting came a season ago in the national semifinals at Kent, Ohio. Michigan earned a 4-2 victory in the game en route to claiming the national championship. Emily Townsend and Cory Picketts scored goals for Princeton in the game.
Common Ground - Princeton and Michigan had five common opponents this season. Both teams faced North Carolina, Connecticut, Boston University, Michigan State and Old Dominion. Princeton faced Old Dominion twice while Michigan met Michigan State two times. The Tigers were 2-4 in those games while the Wolverines went 4-2. On The Horizon - Kent State and Penn State will square off in the other first-round game played at Bigler Stadium. Princeton has never faced Kent State, but has met Penn State 12 times, with the Nittany Lions holding an 11-2 series lead. Penn State won the last meeting, a 2-0 shutout last season at the Class of 1952 Stadium in Princeton. The previous season, Princeton earned its only win against Penn State, a 4-2 win in the first-round of the NCAA tournament at College Park, Md. In fact, both of Princeton's wins against Penn State have come in the NCAA Tournament.
Leader of the Pack - Head coach Beth Bozman (Trenton State '76) is in her 15th season at the helm of the Princeton field hockey program. In that time, she has compiled a 187-76-6 overall record and led her team to 10 Ivy League titles, including the last nine. Bozman guided the Tigers to the NCAA Final Four fourtimes, three consecutive times between 1996-1998 and again in 2001.
Win No. 200 - Princeton head coach Beth Bozman recorded career win No. 200 earlier this season with a 5-2 triumph against Cornell. The first 15 of those wins came at Hofstra, and the next 185 came at Princeton. Bozman is omly 13 wins away from her 200th at Princeton.
In The Poll - Princeton broke into the Top 10 for the first time all season in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 9. Princeton spent the majority of the season ranked in the low- to mid-teens.
Everybody's Back - Princeton returned all its players, graduating nobody from last year's team that went to the NCAA final four.
Princeton Nationally - The Tigers have average 4.20 goals per game, ranking them second in scoring in the nation behind Old Dominion at 5.34. Princeton has the fourth-highest margin of victory at 2.53 goals per game, which falls behind Old Dominion, Wake Forest and Michigan State.
Eye On The Tiger - Senior Ilvy Friebe, a three-time All-America, a two-time All-Ivy and a Honda Broderick nominee, leads the Tigers in scoring with 23 goals and 11 assists. Her 23 goals rank her third in the nation and she is second in goals per game. She also ranks fourth in the nation with 53 points, and second with 3.563 points per game.
Scoring By Committee - In addition to Friebe, 11 Tigers have posted goals this season, with five players scoring five or more times.
The Hot Hand - Sophomore Natalie Martirosian had the hot hand down the stretch, recording points in Princeton's last six games and scoring goals in five of them. She ranks second on the team in scoring and was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll twice this season.
In Goal - Senior Kelly Baril has started all 17 games for Princeton this season. Princeton's four-year starter is a three-time All-America and two-time All-Ivy.
Tri-Captains - Seniors Ilvy Friebe, Rachael Becker and Emily Townsend are the 2002 Princeton field hockey captains.
New Faces - Several new faces have been inserted into the Tiger lineup this season. Sophomore Shahrzad Joharifard has played in 15 games after missing all of last season due to injury, and freshmen Maren Ford and Hillary Schmidt have each contributed two goals during the season.