Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Field Hockey Looks to Complete Perfect Ivy Season Friday at Penn
November 05, 2009 | Field Hockey
GAMETIME: Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Princeton (13-2, 6-0 Ivy); Penn (5-11, 2-4 Ivy)
RANKINGS: Princeton (Poll: 4, RPI: 4); Penn (Poll: NR, RPI: 61)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 18-15-3, is 8-10-1 at Penn
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 5-0 on Nov. 7, 2008 at home
STREAK: Princeton has won the last four meetings
PRINCETON (11/5/09) - The fourth-ranked Princeton field hockey team looks to complete its 13th perfect Ivy League season on Friday night when it concludes the regular season at Penn. Princeton has already clinched the Ivy League Championship.
Princeton wrapped up its 15th Ivy League title in the last 16 seasons last Friday night in its 10-1 win over Cornell at home. The win was Princeton's 16th straight Ivy League win dating back to the 2007 season and Princeton has won 33 of its last 34 Ivy League contests over the past five seasons.
With its win over Cornell, Princeton also sewed up the Ivy League's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first team to officially qualify for the postseason tournament. The remaining four automatic bids and the participants in the three play-in games will be decided this weekend in conference tournaments. The tournament field will then be announced on Tuesday night following the three play-in games.
Princeton's win over Cornell was full team effort as all 20 Tigers appeared in the game. Sophomore Katie Reinprecht and freshman Michelle Cesan led the charge as Reinprecht scored a goal and added three assists, and Cesan scored three times and added a single assist. Sophomore Kathleen Sharkey also added two goals and sophomore Alyssa Pyros had two assists.
Katie Reinprecht and Cesan were named the Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively for their efforts. Reinprecht became the third Tiger this season to claim the weekly player award and Cesan notched her second award for being the week's top rookie.
Princeton remained ranked fourth in this week's NFHCA Coaches Poll. The top four positions in the poll were unchanged as Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Princeton continue to hold down those spots. Syracuse currently holds down the fifth spot in the poll. Princeton is currently ranked fourth in the RPI.
Princeton and Penn meet for the 37th time on Friday night in a series Princeton leads 18-15-3. The Tigers trail Penn 8-10-1 in the series in Philadelphia. Princeton has won four straight games in the series and was taken 14 of the last 15 meetings with the Quakers. Last year Princeton topped Penn 5-0 in its regular-season finale. Sisters Sarah and Katie Reinprecht each had a goal and an assist in the win. Sharkey and senior Lauren Capps also scored in the win.
Penn is 5-11 overall and 2-4 in the Ivy League, although three of Penn's Ivy League losses have come in overtime. Penn has league wins at Harvard and Brown and overtime league losses to Cornell, Dartmouth and Yale. The Quakers most recently played Columbia on Tuesday in a game that was twice postponed and fell 2-0 to the Lions. Kelsey Tahan leans Penn with six goals and 15 points.