Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Field Hockey Team Resumes Ivy Slate Saturday at Cornell
October 28, 2010 | Field Hockey
GAMETIME: Saturday, Oct. 30 at 12 noon
RECORDS: PU (11-4, 5-0 Ivy); CU (10-3, 4-1 Ivy)
RANKINGS: PU (Poll: 6, RPI: 7), CU (Poll: NR, RPI: 31)
SERIES RECORD: PU leads 24-5-3 overall and is 11-3-2 at Cornell
LAST MEETING: PU won 10-1 on Oct. 30, 2009 at home
STREAK: 2 Princeton wins
LINKS: Livestats
PRINCETON (10/28/10) - The sixth-ranked Princeton field hockey team visits Cornell Saturday with a chance to lock up a share of its sixth-straight Ivy League title. Princeton is 5-0 in league play and Cornell is one of two teams tied for second at 4-1.
Princeton split its two games last weekend, defeating Harvard 4-0 on Saturday and falling 11th-ranked Penn State a day later by a 1-0 score. In the win, Kathleen Sharkey continued her high-scoring season with Princeton's first three goals in the win, marking the fifth time this season she has scored at least three goals in a game. Michelle Cesan closed out the scoring in the win and each goal came with a single assist as Rachel Neufeld, Carrie Diamond, Julia Reinprecht and Amanda Bird all collected helpers.
A day later it was a Penn State shutout as the Nittany Lions took advantage of a penalty stroke with 15 minutes remaining to defeat the Tigers 1-0. The loss was the first time Princeton was shut out in more than two full seasons. Princeton goalkeeper Christina Maida made six saves in the loss.
The loss drops Princeton to sixth in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll and to seventh in the most recent NCAA RPI rankings. Princeton has a 3-4 record against ranked opponents this season.
The Tigers have two games remaining on their regular season schedule, beginning this Saturday at Cornell. Princeton is a perfect 5-0 in Ivy League play this season and sits atop the league standings, a game ahead of second-place Cornell and Yale, tied with 4-1 records. Princeton has won its last 22 Ivy League games dating back to a loss to Cornell in the 2007 season.
Princeton and Cornell will meet Saturday for the 33rd time with Princeton holding a 24-5-3 series edge and an 11-3-2 lead in games played in Ithaca. Princeton has won the last two games in the series, taking decisions of 4-0 and 10-1 in the last two seasons. Last year the Tigers were led by Cesan's three-goal outing while Sharkey added two goals in the win. Five others scored single goals in the win.
Cornell is currently 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the Ivy League. The Big Red enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak after an overtime triumph at Brown last Saturday. Cornell has also beaten Saint Francis, Colgate, Lehigh and Harvard in the span. Cornell's league loss came at Yale.