Princeton University Athletics
Princeton to Host NCAA Regional, Will Meet Duke on Saturday
November 08, 2005 | Field Hockey
Nov. 8, 2005
Princeton, N.J. - The Ivy League champion Princeton field hockey team learned that it will face fourth-ranked Duke this Saturday in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Field Hockey Championship. Additionally, Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium was selected as one of four regional sites for the first and second rounds. Along with Princeton and Duke, 10th-ranked Connecticut and 13th-ranked Boston College were assigned to the regional.
Princeton and Duke will meet in the first semifinal of the day at 11 a.m. Boston College and Connecticut will then play in the second game of the day at 2 p.m. Saturday's winners will meet on Sunday afternoon for the right to advance to the national semifinals in Louisville, Ky., on Fri., Nov. 18. The national championship game takes place on Sun., Nov. 20.
Tickets to the games will be on sale when the gates open at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Adult tickets will cost $7, while tickets for children and students will cost $4 with a Student ID. Saturday's admission is good for both games.
Princeton (9-8, 7-0 Ivy) ran the table in Ivy League play to compete its 10th-perfect Ivy season. The record placed Princeton two games ahead of the competition as the Tigers won their 11th league title in 12 years, and regained it after coming up short in 2004. It was Princeton's 14th championship overall.
Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest and Old Dominion were named the tournaments top four seeds, though only the Terrapins and Deamon Deacons will host first- and second-round games. Ohio State and Princeton are the other host sites for the championship, with each site hosting four teams Saturday and Sunday.
Princeton, which earned the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA championship, is making its 10th NCAA appearance in the past 12 years. The Tigers advanced to the national championship game in 1996 and 1998, reached the national semifinals in 1997 and 2001 and have advanced to the second round seven times in their previous nine appearances. The Tigers will meet Duke in the first game between the schools since the 2000 season. In four games, Princeton is 3-1 all-time against Duke and 2-0 at home in the series. Duke is currently coached by former Tiger coach Beth Bozman, who spent 15 years coaching at Princeton.
Saturday's Princeton-Duke game will be part of a busy day of sporting events on the Princeton campus. The field hockey game kicks the day off at 11 a.m., followed by the Princeton-Yale football game at 1 p.m. Then, at 4 p.m., both the men's soccer and women's volleyball teams play their final home games of the 2005 season.
The complete bracket can be found on the NCAA website by clicking here.