Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Field Hockey Visits Penn One Win Away From Ivy Title
November 03, 2011 | Field Hockey
GAMETIME: Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:15 p.m.
RECORDS: Princeton (8-7, 5-1 Ivy); Penn (4-12, 2-4 Ivy)
SERIES RECORD: Princeton leads 21-15-3; tied 10-10-1 at Penn
LAST MEETING: Princeton won 10-0 on Nov. 5, 2010 at home
STREAK: Princeton has won the last six meetings
LINKS: Livestats | Live Video
PRINCETON (11/2/11) - The Princeton field hockey team enters the final weekend of the regular season one win away from the Ivy League Championship and the Tigers can clinch that title on Friday night at Penn. Princeton enters the weekend tied with Yale atop the Ivy standings with 5-1 league records.
Should Princeton and Yale finish the regular season tied in the Ivy standings, the duo would share the Ivy League title, but Princeton would represent the Ivy League in next Tuesday's NCAA Tournament Play-In Game by virtue of its win over Yale on Sept. 24 at Class of '52 Stadium. A win for Princeton on Friday clinches at least a share of the Ivy League title for the seventh consecutive season and would Princeton's 17th in the past 18 seasons.
The Tigers have won their last five league games after a loss at Dartmouth in the league opener. The Tigers improved to 5-1 in the league with a win last Sunday over Cornell. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed to Sunday because of the snow and icy field conditions due to last weekend's Nor'easter. Princeton never trailed in the game, breaking it open in the second half for a 6-1 win. Nine players had points in the win, including a game-high of five from Amanda Bird, who scored two goals and assisted on another. Amy Donovan and May-Ying Medalia each scored their first collegiate goals in the win.
The win moved Princeton to 8-7 overall entering the final weekend of the regular season. It also kept Princeton on pace with Yale, which had defeated Columbia on Friday night to improve to 5-1 in league play. The pair enters the final weekend of the season tied. Yale will play host to Brown on Saturday afternoon. Yale and Princeton hold a one-game edge over both Dartmouth and Columbia entering the final weekend. Columbia hosts Harvard on Friday night and Dartmouth hosts Cornell on Sunday.
Princeton will visit Penn on Friday night at Franklin Field in the 40th meeting between the two schools. Princeton leads the all-time series 21-15-3 overall but the series is even at 10-10-1 at Penn. The Tigers picked up a 10-0 win over the Quakers a season ago at home as Kathleen Sharkey, Michelle Cesan and Allegra Mango all recorded multiple goals. The win was the sixth in a row for the Tigers in the series and Princeton's 16th in the last 17 meetings. Princeton has shut out Penn in each of the past three seasons.
Penn is currently 4-12 overall and 2-4 in the Ivy League. The Quakers were 3-2 winners last Saturday in their last outing at Brown. Penn also has wins over Cornell, La Salle and Appalachian State this season. The Quakers are 2-2 in their last four with the wins coming over Appalachian State and Brown, and losses coming to Yale and Rider.
Should Princeton be victorious on Friday, the Tigers will host an NCAA Tournament Play-In Game next Tuesday at Class of '52 Stadium against the champion of the Northeast Conference. The NEC tournament is being held on Friday and Saturday at Rider.