Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Top Four Teams Meet Tuesday as Field Hockey Hosts Maryland
September 27, 2010 | Field Hockey
GAMETIME: Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.
2010 RECORDS: Princeton (6-0, 2-0 Ivy); Maryland (8-0, 2-0 ACC)
RANKINGS: Princeton (Poll: 4, RPI: 2); Maryland (Poll 2: RPI: 3)
SERIES RECORD: Maryland leads 14-4-1 overall and 7-2-1 at Princeton
LAST MEETING: Maryland won 7-5 on Nov. 20, 2009 at Wake Forest in the NCAA Semifinal
STREAK: Maryland has won the last 13 meetings
LINKS: Live Video | Livestats
PRINCETON (9/27/10) - The fourth-ranked Princeton field hockey team hosts second-ranked Maryland on Tuesday night in a rematch of last year's National Semifinal. Both teams enter the game with unblemished records.
Princeton is a perfect 6-0 this season after defeating Yale 7-0 on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in Ivy League play. Princeton continues to have the nation's highest-scoring offense with an average of 5.67 goals score per game. Princeton is the only team averaging better than five goals per game. Tuesday's opponent, Maryland, ranks second in scoring.
In Saturday's win, the Tigers got goals from five different scorers. Kathleen Sharkey led the way with three goals and now has a nation's best 16 this season. It was the fourth time this season she has scored three or more goals in a game. Additionally, Michelle Cesan, Katie Reinprecht and Molly Goodman all scored their fourth goals of the season in the win. Allison Behringer notched her first of the season in the win. Both Princeton goalies split halves in goal with Christina Maida getting the win after a shutout first half. Jennifer King made two saves in the second half.
The win was Princeton's 19th-straight Ivy win and puts the Tigers atop the league standings in a tie with Cornell. The Big Red defeated Columbia last Friday to earn its second win. Princeton's next Ivy League game comes this Friday at Columbia.
Princeton's meeting with Maryland on Tuesday night is its second straight non-league game against a ranked opponent. Princeton began that stretch with a win over Syracuse last Sunday and Princeton plays its remaining five non-league games against teams currently ranked in the national polls.
Princeton and Maryland played two exciting games last season with the Terps coming out on the winning side of each. The teams first met in early October in Maryland and despite Princeton leads of 1-0 and 2-1, the Terps were able to tie the game and win in overtime. Sharkey and Rachel Neufeld scored for Princeton in the game and King made 11 saves in goal. The game was the only one in the regular season that Maryland didn't win by at least two goals.
The teams met again in the NCAA semifinals at Wake Forest and the Tigers lost a more offensive game but a 7-5 score. That afternoon, Princeton opened the scoring and led 1-0 before four-straight Maryland goals gave the Terps a 4-1 lead early in the second half. Momentum swung and three-straight Tiger goals knotted the score at 4-4 with 18 minutes left in regulation. The flow turned again and Maryland regained the lead with three straight goals before Princeton's final goal. Katie Reinprecht had two goals in the loss and Cesan, Sharkey and Kaitlin Donovan also scored.
Princeton is 4-14-1 all-time against Maryland and is 2-7-1 in the series at home. Maryland has won the last 13 games dating back to a Princeton win in September of 1998. Tuesday game is the third straight between the teams in which both teams are ranked in the top four.
Maryland is 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the ACC this season. The Terps are one of four undefeated teams in the nation along with Princeton, North Carolina and Virginia. Maryland has beaten five ranked teams including eighth-ranked Wake Forest last weekend. The other ranked wins Maryland has came against Drexel, Old Dominion, Boston College and Massachusetts.
Following Tuesday's game, the Tigers are back in action for two games next weekend. Princeton visits Columbia on Friday and hosts 15th-ranked American on Sunday.