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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Women's Soccer to Face '06 National Runner-Up Notre Dame, Washington State in Indiana
September 11, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Princeton vs. Notre Dame
Fri., Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Alumni Field (Notre Dame)
Records: Princeton 0-2-1; Notre Dame 1-2-1
All-Time Series: First meeting
Princeton head coach: Julie Shackford (13th season/William and Mary '88)
Notre Dame head coach: Randy Waldrum (9th season/Midwestern State '81)
Princeton vs. Washington State
Sun., Sept. 16 at 11 a.m.
Alumni Field (Notre Dame)
Records: Princeton 0-2-1; Washington State 2-0-1
All-Time Series: First meeting
Princeton head coach: Julie Shackford (13th season/William and Mary '88)
Washington State head coach: Matt Potter (4th season/West London '92)
Tough schedule continues
Princeton's three games so far have been against teams ranked or receiving votes in national polls at game time. That trend continues this week as Princeton visits Notre Dame and meets with Washington State on the Irish's turf. Notre Dame is ranked ninth in the nation by SoccerAmerica, 11th by the NSCAA, 13th by SoccerTimes and 16th by SoccerBuzz. Washington State is receiving votes in the SoccerBuzz poll.
On the tournament
Orange and black will be visible colors at Notre Dame this weekend as Oklahoma State joins Princeton and Washington State in visiting the home of the Irish. Oklahoma State and Washington State will take the field prior to Princeton and Notre Dame on Friday night, with Notre Dame and Oklahoma State following Princeton-Washington State Sunday.
Last time out
Princeton had gone five years without a 0-0 tie and now has had two in as many seasons. The most recent one came last Friday against Villanova, when Princeton outshot the Wildcats 18-8 and 8-3 on net but had to settle for the draw.
Stingy D
Senior captain Maren Dale backstops a defense that has allowed a league-low two goals in 290 minutes so far this year. Two other Ivy teams have allowed two goals, with only Penn doing so in as many or more games (four).
A Tiger in China
Princeton senior Diana Matheson is half a world away in China as the Women's World Cup began this week. Matheson, who has been a part of the full Canadian national team since 2003, is commonly in the starting lineup in the midfield for the Big Red. Matheson's games can be seen live on ESPN, but those in North America will have to rise early to see them. Canada will face Norway at 8 a.m. ET Sept. 12, Ghana at 5 a.m. Sept. 15 and Australia at 5 a.m. Sept. 19.
Shackford nears record
Princeton head coach Julie Shackford has 133 wins at the school, having passed Bob Malekoff's previous record of 52 on Sept. 30, 2000 at Columbia. Shackford is only three wins from tying Jimmy Reed for the title of winningest coach, men's or women's, in school history. Reed coached the men's team from 1938-66.
Playing right away
Five of Princeton's freshmen have already seen time on the pitch. Defender Marissa Sampias and forward Alexandra Valerio have started all three games, while Libby van Beuren and Kayleigh Iatarola have played in all three and Lauren Whatley has played in two with a start. Rounding out the freshman class, Bernie Da Costa has been unable to play due to injury and Aly Pont and Jillian Hewitt are backup goalkeepers.
On her way back
Sophomore Vicki Anagnostopoulos, who was second on the team last year with six goals, saw her first action of the season against Villanova after being out with injury the first weekend in Boston. Anagnostopoulos subbed in during both halves, playing just more than 20 minutes in total.
First time for everything
Princeton will meet four first-time opponents this month, with two coming this weekend in Notre Dame and Washington State. The other newcomers to the Princeton historical record are Saint Joseph's (Sept. 23) and Sacred Heart (Sept. 26).
Big time against the Big East
While Princeton has never faced Notre Dame, three other members of the Big East, the Irish's conference, are on the schedule this year in Connecticut, Villanova and Rutgers. Princeton has also faced Seton Hall and Syracuse from the Big East in previous seasons.
On Notre Dame
The 2004 national champions and 2006 runners up, Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in the nation by the NSCAA heading into last weekend before falling to Santa Clara and Stanford. That followed up a season-opening tie against Michigan and a 2-0 win over Florida. Four Irish players have the team's four goals, and Notre Dame has employed three goaltenders over nearly 387 minutes on the field, but no one keeper more than 162 minutes.
Local connections
Notre Dame has one resident of Princeton's home county on its roster in sophomore Micaela Alvarez, a Cranbury resident who prepped at Peddie School in Hightstown.
On Washington State
The Cougars are 2-0-1 after 2-1 wins over Montana and Gonzaga and a 3-3 tie against Utah Sunday. Twin sisters Brooke and Brynn Bemis, seniors, have had pronounced roles in WSU's games, with Brooke leading the team with three goals and Brynn playing all 308 minutes in net.
Princeton and the Pac-10
The Tigers have faced four Pac-10 teams, all since 2001. Washington State joins UCLA, California, Arizona and Washington as schools from the conference to square off against Princeton. The Orange and Black's proudest moment came against a Pac-10 school in 2004 when Princeton defeated Washington in the national quarterfinal to advance to the College Cup.