Princeton University Athletics
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2008 Field Hockey Season Opens This Weekend (Schedule Update)
September 04, 2008 | Field Hockey
No. 16 Princeton at Richmond
GAMETIME: Friday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. (Rescheduled from Saturday at 11 a.m.)
2008 RECORDS: Princeton (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); Richmond (1-1, 0-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 4-2, is 1-1 at Richmond
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 5-1 on Sept. 30, 2007 at home
STREAK: Princeton won the last meeting
Free Video Available from Richmond's Website
No. 16 Princeton at William & Mary
GAMETIME: Sunday, Sept. 7 at 2 p.m.
2008 RECORDS: Princeton (0-0, 0-0 Ivy); William & Mary (0-2, 0-0 CAA)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 4-2, is 2-0 at William & Mary
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 1-0 on Sept. 10, 2006 at home
STREAK: Princeton won the last two meetings
The three-time defending Ivy League Champion Princeton field hockey team kicks off the 2008 season with a pair of games this weekend. The Tigers have two weeks of practice under their belts and will get their first game action on the road at Richmond and William & Mary. Please note that the game against Richmond originally schedule for Saturday will now be played on Friday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. The game has been rescheduled as Saturday's forecast calls for heavy rain and wind as Tropical Storm Hanna travels up the East Coast. Sunday's game will be played as scheduled.
Princeton received the 16th ranking in the STX/NFHCA Preseason Poll released a week ago. That ranking is a spot better than the 17th slot where the Tigers finished in the final poll of the 2007 season. Princeton's second opponent, William & Mary, is also in the poll as a team receiving votes.
The 2007 Tigers went 13-5 and advanced to an NCAA Tournament Play-In Game against Massachusetts. The 13 wins was Princeton's highest total since the 2001 season and the most in a season for fifth-year head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn. The Tigers also won their third consecutive Ivy League title and the team's 13th in the past 14 seasons.
The Tiger roster boasts a strong group of returning players as well as several exciting newcomers. Princeton returns an accomplished class of nine seniors that will look to win their fourth Ivy title in four seasons. The group includes eight players that have seen time starting for the Tigers and seven that have earned All-Ivy recognition in their careers. Seniors Candice Arner, Leah Hoagland and Holly McGarvie will serve as the team's tri-captains.
The Tigers' top scorer from last season, junior Christina Bortz, leads a group of seven returning players that amassed 10 or more points last season. Bortz led the way with 32 on 12 goals and eight assists. Other top point-getters include McGarvie, Princeton's leading scorer as a sophomore and third leading-scorer as a junio with 19 points, and junior Kaitlin Donovan, whose six goals and 12 points last season ranked fourth on the team. Arner and senior Katie Kinzer also tallied 12 points, while junior Katherine Cape had 11 and junior Kaitlyn Perrelle had 10.
The Tigers have played two scrimmages since commencing practice, picking up wins over both Penn and Durham University, an English school touring the U.S. Princeton topped Penn 4-1 last Friday night and defeated Durham 4-1 on Monday afternoon.
Princeton opens the season at Richmond on Friday afternoon. The Spiders have played twice already this season, defeating Ball State 8-3 last Friday before falling to Miami on Sunday by a 6-1 score. Alex Malatesta leads the Spider offense with three goals and two assists for eight points.
Last season the Tigers topped Richmond 5-1 on Sept. 30 at Class of '52 Stadium. Donovan scored Princeton's first two goals in the win while Arner added a goal and an assist and sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer King got the win. Princeton is 4-2 all-time against Richmond and is 1-1 in games played on the road.
The Tigers complete the weekend a day later at William & Mary. The Tribe has two games under its belt, both losses, coming at the hands of Virginia and Providence. Rebecca Wagner managed the lone Tribe goal as they have been outscored 7-1 in the two losses. William & Mary will take on Columbia on Saturday before facing the Tigers on Sunday.
Princeton and William & Mary resume their series after not meeting in the 2007 season. The teams last played on Sept. 10, 2006 at Princeton, a game that the Tigers won 1-0 when Kinzer scored in the closing minutes following a penalty corner. Princeton is 4-2 all-time against the Tribe and has won the last two meetings. Princeton is 2-0 in games played at Williamsburg.