Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Meet Penn State in NCAA Field Hockey First Round
November 13, 2003 | Field Hockey
Nov. 13, 2003
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Princeton (12-5) vs. Penn State (17-6)
NCAA First Round
Nov. 15, 2003 ? 2 p.m.
Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex ? College Park, Md.
Today's Fact of the Day
Lions & Tigers, Oh My! - Princeton and Penn State have now played each other in four of the last six NCAA tournaments. The Tigers won games against the Nittany Lions in the 1998 and 2000 tournaments but lost to Penn State in the quarterfinal round last season.
Five More Things You Can't Live Without
First Things First -Princeton has advanced to at least the second round of the NCAA tournament in seven of its previous eight tournament appearances.
Winning Numbers -Princeton has a 13-8 record in NCAA tournament games. The Tigers have advanced to the national semifinals four times and the national championship game twice.
The Revenge Factor -Penn State defeated Princeton 3-2 at Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium Sept. 14. The Lions' Neilye Stoner scored with just 1:23 left in the game to give Penn State its third straight win over the Tigers.
Best Against the Best -The Princeton-Penn State game is one of two NCAA first-round matchups between teams ranked in the top 10 in the final STX/NFHCA poll. Fourth-ranked North Carolina and sixth-ranked Michigan are also playing on Saturday.
Playing the Field -The Tigers have a 1-4 record this season against teams that made the NCAA tournament field. The lone win in those five games came at home against Old Dominion Oct. 19. More Notes & Anecdotes
Small But Mighty -Princeton has just 14 field players on its roster this season. All 16 healthy players overall have started at least one game this season.
Balancing Act No -Princeton player has more than eight goals this season, but seven different Tigers have scored at least five goals.
We're Honored... -Princeton's Claire Miller was named the Ivy League Player of the Year Tuesday. Goalie Allison Nemeth was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
More Honors -Eight Princeton players earned All-Ivy League honors, the most of any league team. Miller, Cory Picketts and Natalie Martirosian were first-team all-Ivy picks, Lizzie Black and Maren Ford earned second-team honors and Nemeth, Shahrzad Joharifard and Ashley Sennett were honorable mention selections.
League of Their Own -The Tigers have won 31 straight Ivy League games dating back to a loss at Brown in Oct. 1999. Princeton has won 10 straight Ivy League championships overall and just completed its fourth straight undefeated league season.
Familiar Turf -Princeton has already played a game at the Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex this season. The Tigers fell to Maryland in an overtime thriller, 3-2, back on Sept. 26.
More Balance -12 of Princeton's 14 healthy field players have scored at least one point in 2003. Of those 12 players, only sophomore Hillary Schmidt has yet to score a goal this season.
Got You Cornered Princeton has nearly twice as many penalty corners (178 to 93) as its opponents this season.
It's Miller Time -Claire Miller, the 2003 Ivy League Player of the Year, is also a three-time first-team All-Ivy League pick. Miller has started all 74 games of her career and has 72 career points (23 goals, 26 assists).
The Brick Wall -Allison Nemeth earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week four times this season and was the league's Player of the Week Oct. 21 after saving 12 shots in a win over Old Dominion.
Split Decisions -Allison Nemeth and fellow freshman Juliana Simon split starting duties in goal in Princeton's first six games, but Nemeth started the final eight games of the regular season and has played 470 of the last 560 minutes.
Big Stops -Allison Nemeth saved a Penn State penalty-stroke attempt late in the first half when the teams met Sept. 14. The Lions also missed another penalty-stroke attempt wide in the second half.
Unanimous Decisions -Cory Picketts and Natalie Martirosian also earned unanimous first-team All-Ivy League honors along with Miller. Martirosian leads the Tigers with seven assists, while center back Picketts has added 12 points.
Double Vision -Twin sisters Natalie and Alexis Martirosian are both starters for the Tigers. Alexis has a goal and two assists in 17 games this season.
Back in Black -Lizzie Black has a team-leading 20 points in 17 games this season after scoring six points in 32 games her first two seasons.
Shooting Star -Lizzie Black has a team-leading 63 shots overall and 33 shots on goal this season. Black serves as Princeton's main shooting option on penalty-corner situations.
No Sophomore Slump -Sophomore Maren Ford has a team-leading eight goals this season. Ford played in only nine of Princeton's 19 games as a freshman.
Playing the Percentages -Maren Ford is leading the Tigers in shooting percentage (.421). Eight of Ford's 11 shots on goal this season have resulted in goals.
Injury Report -Junior Lauren Quinn is likely to play Saturday despite an ankle sprain suffered at Penn last Friday. Quinn has six goals and two assists this season.
Already a Champ -Junior Kelly Darling also plays for the Princeton women's lacrosse team. The Tigers won their second straight national championship last season.
Playing From Behind -Princeton has fallen behind in the first half in six of its past nine games but still has a 6-3 record in those nine games.
Playing With Experience -Despite the fact that the Tigers lost seven seniors to graduation after last season, eight of Princeton's 11 probable starters are either seniors or juniors.
Against the Ivy -The Tigers outscored their seven Ivy League opponents 25-9 this season. Princeton only trailed for 15 out of a total 494 minutes in seven Ivy games, a stretch midway through the first half at Harvard.
Neutrality -Princeton played one neutral-site game in the regular season, falling to William & Mary in a game played at Old Dominion two weeks ago. The Tigers were 7-2 at home and 5-2 in road games this season.
Never Out of It -Princeton trailed Maryland 2-0 on this field with less than four minutes left in the game but scored twice in an 18-second span to send the game to overtime.
Simon Says -Juliana Simon started Princeton's game at Maryland here Sept. 26 and had 10 saves, including a diving stop on a penalty-stroke attempt early in overtime that kept the score tied at 2-2.
Terp Territory -This weekend marks Princeton's third trip to College Park for NCAA tournament action in the past seven seasons. The Tigers also played here in 2000, defeating Penn State before losing to Maryland, and won two games here in 1997 against Boston College and Maryland to advance to the national semifinals.
Getting Offensive -Princeton and Penn State are two of the 13 teams in NCAA Division I that are averaging more than three goals per game.
Getting Defensive -Allison Nemeth is ranked 17th nationally in Division I in goals-against average (1.47). Nemeth was ranked in the top five nationally in that category for much of the seaon before allowing four goals in 35 minutes at Old Dominion.
Just Like Last Year? -Princeton had seven players earned All-America honors in 2002, the most of any team. Four of those players are still on the team in 2003.
On the Bench -Kristen Holmes-Winn was named Princeton's head coach in March 2003. She replaced Beth Bozman, now the head coach at second-seeded Duke.
More From the Coach -Kristen Holmes-Winn was a three-time All-America field hockey player at Iowa. She also played on the 1998 World Cup team and has seen action in 36 international matches for the U.S. team.