Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Ivy Opener and Top 10 Meeting Up Next for Field Hockey Team
September 16, 2010 | Field Hockey
GAMETIME: Friday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.
2010 RECORDS: Princeton (3-0, 0-0 Ivy); Dartmouth (4-0, 0-0 Ivy)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 22-6-2 overall and 11-3-1 at home
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 6-1 on Sept 19, 2009 in Hanover
STREAK: Princeton has won the last five meetings
LINKS: Live Video | Livestats
No. 8 Syracuse at No. 4 Princeton
GAMETIME: Sunday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m.
2010 RECORDS: Princeton (3-0, 0-0 Ivy); Syracuse (4-2, 0-0 Big East)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 10-3 overall and 5-2 at home
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 7-3 on Nov. 15, 2009 at home
STREAK: Princeton has won the last two meetings
LINKS: Live Video | Livestats
PRINCETON (9/15/10) - It will be a busy weekend at Class of '52 Stadium as the fourth-ranked Princeton field hockey teams plays host to Dartmouth Friday night in the Ivy League opener and then hosts eighth-ranked Syracuse in a battle of top-10 teams on Sunday.
It is the second two-game weekend for the Tigers, who played both Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth last weekend. Princeton defeated both and outscored the pair by a 10-2 margin. The Tigers have scored a total of 17 goals through three games this season and own the nation's most proficient offense with an average of 5.67 goals per game.
Junior Kathleen Sharkey leads the Princeton charge with 10 goals, two assists and 22 points this season. Her goal and point totals lead the nation. On Tuesday she won her fifth career Ivy League Player of the Week Award after a seven-goal weekend. The first six goals came in Princeton's win at Richmond as she set a Princeton single game record for goals and points in a game.
Junior Rachel Neufeld, sophomore Michelle Cesan and senior Katherine Cape also added goals over the weekend for the Tigers. Princeton's 17 goals have come from six different scorers. Seven players have assists this season with Cesan and classmate Julia Reinprecht leading the pack with three apiece.
The Tigers regained the fourth spot in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. Princeton was fourth in the preseason poll, but dropped to fifth in the first poll of the season. Princeton continues to also garner first-place votes in the poll, this week collecting three such votes. Princeton is currently on of seven teams still undefeated in the country. Along with Princeton; Miami, Michigan State, Dartmouth, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina all sport unblemished records.
Princeton kicks off the Ivy League campaign on Friday night under the lights against Dartmouth in the lone meeting in the country this weekend between undefeated teams. Princeton enters the Ivy season in search of its 16th Ivy title in the last 17 years, its sixth in a row and its 20th all-time. All eight Ivy League schools begin the league slate this weekend. Princeton and Dartmouth play on Friday night with the remaining six league schools playing on Saturday.
Friday's game between Princeton and Dartmouth also pits the two highest scoring offenses in the country this young season. Dartmouth ranks second to Princeton with an average of 5.50 goals per game in its four wins this season. Dartmouth opened the year with a one-goal win over Fairfield and has since beaten Missouri State, Pacific and Bryant. All four wins have come at home and the last two were by a combined 15-3. Kelly Hood and Meghan Everett, who each have five goals this season, lead Dartmouth's offense.
Princeton is 22-6-2 all-time against Dartmouth and owns a five-game winning streak against the Big Green that includes a 6-1 win in Hanover last fall. Sharkey had three goals in that win and Julia Reinprecht also added a pair of goals. Princeton leads the series 11-3-1 at home and has outscored Dartmouth 18-3 over the last five seasons.
The Tigers continue the weekend on Sunday against a familiar foe, Syracuse, as the teams will meet for the fourth time in three seasons. The teams first met in the 2008 NCAA quarterfinals in Syracuse, a game won by the Orange 3-2 in overtime. They met again early last season in Central New York, with Princeton gaining the upper hand in overtime by an identical score. The third meeting came in Princeton last November in the NCAA quarterfinals and Princeton won the game 7-3 to advance to the Final Four. The matchup is one of three in the country this weekend between top-10 teams. Also 10th-ranked Ohio State visits both seventh-ranked Wake Forest and ninth-ranked Duke. Beginning this Sunday, Princeton's remaining seven non-league games are all against ranked teams.
Princeton is 10-3 all-time against the Orange and is 5-2 in the series at home. Katie Reinprecht, Cesan and Neufeld scored in last year's regular season win. When the teams met in the NCAA tournament, Sharkey led the way with three goals and then senior Kaitlin Donovan added two more. Cesan had a goal and two assists in the win.
Syracuse is 4-2 this season and currently ranked eighth in the national polls. The Orange won its first three games, but has fallen in two of three since, both losses coming in overtime. Syracuse opened the year with wins over Northwestern, Northeastern and 14th-ranked Ohio State, before falling to Kent State in overtime. Syracuse rebounded with a win over 17th-ranked Old Dominion but fell last Sunday to third-ranked Virginia, again in overtime by a 2-1 score. Syracuse's 17 goals have come from nine different scorers this season. Heather Susek and Lindsey Conrad lead the way with three apiece.
Looking ahead the Tigers visit Yale a week from Saturday and host second-ranked Maryland a week from Tuesday.