Princeton University Athletics
Field Hockey Heads to Boston For Big Weekend
October 24, 2003 | Field Hockey
Oct. 24, 2003
Of the four Princeton-Harvard matchups taking place on the banks of the Charles River Saturday, it's the field hockey game (noon, Jordan Field) that has the most immediate impact on the outcome of the Ivy League race. Princeton (9-3, 5-0 Ivy) and Harvard (10-3, 4-0 Ivy) are the lone remaining unbeatens in league play, and the winner of Saturday's game will certainly have the inside track to the Ivy title and the league's automatic NCAA berth.
The 15th-ranked Crimson may have the easier road to the title with a win Saturday, since Harvard finishes the league season with games against Dartmouth and Columbia, a combined 0-8 this season in league play and a combined 3-23 overall. Eighth-ranked Princeton would clinch at least a tie for its 10th straight Ivy championship by winning Saturday's game, but the Tigers' road to an outright title and fourth-straight undefeated league season would go through Penn, still alive in the league race with a 3-1 record heading into this weekend. In any case, history is on the side of the Tigers in Saturday's matchup. Princeton has nine straight wins over Harvard and 25 wins in 33 all-time meetings with the Crimson. The Tigers have won 29 straight league games overall and are an impressive 64-1 in Ivy play since the beginning of the 1994 season.
The Tigers' success in 2003 has come from a balanced scoring attack and the impressive play of a freshman goalie tandem. Allison Nemeth was named the Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week on Tuesday after a strong weekend in goal for the Tigers, but fellow freshman Juliana Simon has also played well in five starts this season. Offensively, eight different Princeton players have scored three or more goals, and eight different Tigers have at least two assists.
Harvard has also used a balanced scoring attack in 2003, with five different players scoring six or more goals so far this season. The Crimson also beat a ranked team on Wednesday, defeating No. 16 Boston College 2-1 in a non-conference game.
After Saturday's game, Princeton stays in the Boston area overnight and will face Boston University Sunday afternoon (1 p.m.). The Tigers will look to avenge a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Terriers last season.