Princeton University Athletics
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No. 2 Field Hockey Looks to Extend Winning Ways vs. Harvard & No. 4 UConn
October 18, 2012 | Field Hockey
Game Info: Saturday, Oct. 20 at 12 noon
Location: Bedford Field, Princeton, N.J.
All-Time Series Record: Princeton leads 35-4-2
Last Meeting: Princeton won 4-1 on Oct. 22, 2011
No. 2 Princeton (11-1, 4-0 Ivy) vs. No. 4 UConn (15-0, 5-0 BIG EAST)
Game Info: Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.
Location: Bedford Field, Princeton, N.J.
All-Time Series Record: UConn leads 12-7
Last Meeting: UConn won 3-2 on Nov. 12, 2011
Live Stats l Live Video ($) l Game Notes l @PUTIGERS l @TigerFH
This Week for the Tigers: The No. 2 Princeton field hockey team (11-1, 4-0 Ivy) concludes its five-game home swing with a weekend double feature at Bedford Field, beginning with Ivy foe Harvard (3-9, 1-3 Ivy) on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 12 noon. The following afternoon at 1 p.m., the Tigers square off with its fourth top-five opponent in undefeated No. 4 Connecticut (15-0, 5-0 BIG EAST).
Last Time Out: In its lone match of the week, Princeton cruised to its third Ivy shutout behind a 6-0 victory versus Brown on Oct. 13. Princeton currently is riding a four-game winning streak following the rout.
On Deck: The Tigers take their final road trip of the regular season next weekend, heading to Ithaca, N.Y. for a Saturday, Oct. 27 meeting with Cornell at 12 noon. The extended weekend trip concludes in Charlottesville, Va. against No. 5 Virginia at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29.
Follow the Tigers: Live video and stats will be available for all Princeton home games at GoPrincetonTigers.com.
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Scouting Harvard: Harvard (3-9, 1-3 Ivy) heads to Bedford Field riding a four-game losing streak, most recently seeing a 4-0 loss versus Cornell on Oct. 13. The Crimson's lone Ivy win came at last place Brown, 1-0, on Sept. 29.
The Harvard offense is led by Noel Painter's four goals and two assists, and Caitlin Rea has notched a team-best four assists.
In the cage, Cynthia Tassopoulos (3-7) has taken the bulk of Harvard's starts and is sporting a 2.90 goals against average, along with 70 saves and 23 goals against. Jenn Hatfield has started two games and lost both behind a 3.20 goals against average.
Tigers All-Time vs. Harvard: Princeton owns the all-time series versus Harvard, 35-5-2, including winning the last 18 meetings. The Tigers defeated the Crimson 4-1 on Oct. 22, 2011 in Cambridge, Mass. in the last meeting between both programs.
Scouting No. 4 Connecticut: The only remaining undefeated top-25 team, No. 4 Connecticut is 15-0, 5-0 BIG EAST entering the weekend slate. The Huskies will travel to Boston College on Friday, Oct. 18 before heading to Bedford to face the Tigers.
UConn has outscored opponents by a 45-11 margin and have defeated five ranked teams. Louisa Boddy and Marie Elena Bolles lead the Husky offense with 12 and 10 goals, respectively.
Sarah Mansfield has served as UConn's primary goalie, starting all 15 games. She has a 0.67 goals against average, made 55 saves and allowed 10 goals against. Lauren Tarantino has played in two games, allowing one goal against in 29 minutes of work.
Tigers All-Time vs. Connecticut: UConn owns the all-time series versus the Tigers, 12-7, with the Huskies winning the last three matchups, including twice last year. UConn defeated the Tigers 3-1 on Oct. 16, before ending Princeton's season with a 3-2 win in the 2011 NCAA Tournament First Round on Nov. 12. Both games were played in Storrs, Conn.
Shut Them Out: Princeton has four shutouts on the year thus far, including keeping its last three Ivy foes off the board. The Tigers have earned clean sheets in the consecutive contests entering this week's action.
Shark Attack: Kathleen Sharkey continues to torment defenses, as she has had at least one point in nine of Princeton's 11 games. The Tiger offensive leader has six multi-goal games, scoring three goals or more on four occasions this year. Along with her scoring prowess, she's also dished six assists in 2012.
She is now first all-time in career goals scored with 90 and career points with 208 in program history.
Leaders of the Pack: The Tigers are in sole possession of first place in the Ivy League. Princeton is the only undefeated team in the league and leads the conference in nearly every statistical category.
On the Rise: Princeton remains ranked in the top-five the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Poll for the week of Oct. 16. The Tigers return to the No. 2 spot for the second time this year. Princeton has not been ranked lower than No. 4 all season.
Ranked Opponents: The Tigers have played six teams that are currently nationally ranked, going 5-1. No. 17 Richmond was not ranked when they played at Bedford, but earned a place in the top-25 the following week.
Princeton's lone blemish came at the hands of the then-No. 2 team in the country Syracuse, 2-0, on Sept. 23.
RPI: Along with being the lone Ivy team nationally ranked, Princeton is also the only conference affiliate in the top-20 in RPI. The Tigers are No. 3 in the Oct. 16 poll.
Tiger Trailblazers: Kathleen Sharkey continues to lead the nation in points per game (4.00) and goals per game (1.75), while coming in at No. 43 in assists per game (0.50). Katie Reinprecht remains No. 2 in the nation in assists per game (1.00) and No. 26 in points per game (1.83). Her younger sister Julia Reinprecht is No. 18 in assists per game (0.64), while goalie Christina Maida is No. 9 in goals against average (1.30) and No. 50 in saves percentage (0.71).
In the nation, Princeton is ranked No. 2 in: scoring average, goals per game, scoring margin, assists per game and points per game. The Tigers are No. 5 in winning percentage, No. 6 in goals against average and penalty corners per game, and No. 7 in shutouts per game.
Kirby, U.S. U21 National Team Win Bronze: Sophomore Sydney Kirby and the U.S. Field Hockey Junior National Team have qualified for the Junior World Cup following the squad's third place finish at the Pan American Junior Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico. Team USA defeated Chile, 2-1, en route to the bronze medal.
Kirby had two goals during the preliminary round, as the U.S. finished second in its pool play.
The Captains: Seniors Katie Reinprecht and Kathleen Sharkey and junior Julia Reinprecht will serve as field hockey's tri-captains in 2012.
Welcome Back: This year Princeton returns 17 letterwinners, including the return four veterans who spent the last year playing with the U.S. Senior National Team in Michelle Cesan, Julia Reinprecht, Katie Reinprecht and Kathleen Sharkey. The Tigers also welcome six freshmen to the lineup this fall.
Beautiful Bedford: In 2012 the Tiger field hockey program will call the newly constructed Bedford Field home, a state-of-the-art turf facility. Bedford features an optimal playing surface in artificial turf and a built-in watering system. There are currently 1,200 seats, with room for additional temporary seating.
Return of National Team Quartet: After spending the past year-and-a-half training and playing with the U.S. Senior National Team, juniors Michelle Cesan and Julia Reinprecht, and seniors Katie Reinprecht and Kathleen Sharkey return to the pitch. During their time with Team USA, the squad won gold at the Pan Am Games.
Both Reinprecht sisters were then named to the 16-player London Summer Olympics roster, with the duo contributing significantly in their Olympic debut. Cesan was also named one of two alternates to the Games.
A Decade Under Holmes-Winn: Head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn is entering her 10th season at the helm of the Tiger field hockey program. During that span Princeton boasts a 110-56-0 overall record and .663 winning percentage. The Tigers have won eight Ivy League titles under Holmes-Winn's tutelage, including the last seven consecutive championships.
Joining Holmes-Winn on the sidelines for her 10th season is assistant coach Melisa Meccage, and both Nate Franks '07 and Mike Pallister are entering their second season working under Holmes-Winn.
Experienced Rookies: The six-player incoming freshman class boasts a talented group. Each member of the Class of 2016 has youth national team experience, including Teresa Benvenuti who was named to the U.S. Women's Development Squad this past spring.