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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton To Host BC In Women's Soccer Sweet 16
November 15, 2004 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 15, 2004
The Princeton women's soccer team will host Boston College Saturday evening in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. The game will be played at Lourie-Love Field at 6 p.m.
Princeton (17-2), the seventh seed, advanced to the third round of the tournament by defeating Central Connecticut 5-0 in the opening round Friday night and Villanova 1-0 Sunday on Maura Gallagher's goal in the second overtime. Boston College (15-6-1) advanced by defeating Florida State on penalty kicks after a 0-0 game and then Central Florida 2-1 Sunday.
In addition, Princeton freshman Diana Matheson was named one of 12 finalists for the national Freshman of the Year award by SoccerBuzz magazine.
Princeton, one of 17 teams to have played in the Division I tournament each of the last six years, has won two games in the tournament for the first time in school history. The Tigers did play in the 1982 quarterfinals, back when the tournament had a 12-team field, and qualified for the 12-team field in 1983, losing in the first round. The winner of the Princeton-Boston College game will advance to play the winner of the Maryland-at-Washington game in the quarterfinals Thanksgiving weekend. The winner of that game will advance to the Final Four in Cary, North Carolina.
The rest of the draw on Princeton's side has Duke at 14th-seed UCLA and Tennessee at sixth-seed Ohio State.
The other side of the bracket has No.1 North Carolina hosting Santa Clara, with the winner to play the winer of the game between Illinois and Nebraska. The other draw on that side has Texas at No. 5 Portland and Connecticut at No. 4 Notre Dame.
Princeton and Boston College last met in 2002, when the Tigers defeated BC 1-0 on Kristina Fontanez' goal. That game was also memorable because it was believed to be the first game in NCAA history that matched two pregnant coaches. Princeton's Julie Shackford gave birth to her twins Cameron and Keegan shortly after that season, while BC coach Alison Foley gave birth to her daughter Sidnie one month later.
Princeton and BC have five common opponents. Both teams defeated Syracuse, Rutgers, Brown and Hartford, while BC lost to Villanova and Princeton defeated Villanova twice.