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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Matheson Named First-Team All-America By SoccerBuzz
August 18, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2005
Diana Matheson has been named a preseason first-team All-America by SoccerBuzz Magazine. Matheson, entering her sophomore year at Princeton, was an NSCAA first-team All-America last year as a freshman, when SoccerBuzz named her a second-team All-America and the runner-up for its national Freshman of the Year award.
Matheson was also the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-Ivy League selection a year ago, when she had seven goals and seven assists. A member of the Canadian National Team, Matheson played this summer for the Ottawa Fury, leading them to the W-League championship game.
In addition, Princeton has been ranked 21st in the preseason by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Tigers finished last season ranked fourth after going 19-3 and reaching the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.
Princeton, who tied Wake Forest for 21st in the preseason poll, was ranked 20th in the preseason by SoccerBuzz magazine.
The Tigers open their season Sept. 2 against No. 3 UCLA in a tournament at Miami. UCLA defeated Princeton 2-0 last year in the NCAA semifinals. In addition to UCLA, Princeton will also face No. 9 UConn and No. 18 Arizona in September.
Princeton's preseason ranking puts them below two teams that the Tigers defeated in last year's NCAA tournament, No. 16 Boston College and No. 20 Washington.
Princeton lost 10 seniors from the 2004 team, which won more games than any other Ivy League women's soccer team in history and became the first Ivy team ever to reach the Final Four of a 64-team NCAA tournament.
The Tigers will be led by a senior class of seven, led by co-captain Emily Behncke, and by sophomore Diana Matheson, a first-team All-America last year as a freshman and the other co-captain along with Behncke. Notre Dame, the defending NCAA champion, begins the season ranked first, followed by North Carolina.