Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
No. 2 Field Hockey Looks to Remain Undefeated at Home This Weekend
September 13, 2012 | Field Hockey
Game Info: Saturday, Sept. 15 at 12 noon
Location: Bedford Field, Princeton, N.J.
All-Time Series Record: Princeton leads 23-7-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 5, 2004; Delaware won 2-0
No. 2 Princeton (4-0) vs. Delaware (1-5)
Game Info: Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m.
Location: Bedford Field, Princeton, N.J.
All-Time Series Record: Delaware leads 11-10
Last Meeting: Sept. 11, 2011; Richmond won 3-2
Live Stats l Live Video (there is a charge for video streaming) l Game Notes l @PUTIGERS l @TigerFH
This Week for the Tigers: The No. 2 Princeton field hockey team remains at home this week hosting a pair of contests, beginning with its Ivy League opener versus Dartmouth (1-3) on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 12 noon. Delaware (1-5) heads to Bedford Field the following afternoon for a 1 p.m. clash.
Last Time Out: The Tigers (4-0) took both games last week to the wire, edging then-No. 8 Penn State on Sept. 6 and Richmond on Sept. 9. On the road at PSU, after scoring go-ahead goals in both halves, the Nittany Lions evened the game 2-2 to force overtime. Three minutes in, Kathleen Sharkey found an open Michelle Cesan to lift the Tigers to a 3-2 victory.
Three days later, Princeton outlasted Richmond 2-1 in its home opener. Katie Reinprecht had the go-ahead goal and dished the game-winning assist to Allison Evans with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
On Deck: Princeton will face Yale on the road in New Haven, Conn. on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 12 noon, before returning home to host tie-No. 2 Syracuse the following afternoon at 2 p.m.
Follow the Tigers: Live video and stats will be available for all Princeton home games at GoPrincetonTigers.com. Live stats will also be available from Penn State on Thursday.
Get Connected: Are you following Princeton on Facebook and Twitter? Follow the athletics department at Facebook.com/PrincetonAthletics and Twitter.com/PUTIGERS. Connect with the Tiger Field Hockey team at Facebook.com/TigerFH or Twitter.com/TigerFH.
Scouting Dartmouth: Dartmouth faces the Tigers following its 6-0 loss at then-No. 3 Maryland on Sept. 9. The Big Green (1-3) have lost three straight after opening the year with a 3-1 victory over UMass on Aug. 31.
Lisa Masini headlines the Dartmouth offense with two goals and an assist for five points. Both Liz Blanken and Brooke Van Valkenburg are the Big Green's only other goal scorers with a goal apiece.
In goal, both Ellen Meyer and Jenna Stearns have each played in 140 minutes spanning all four games. Meyer (0-1) has a 4.00 goals against average and has made 18 saves and allowed eight goals against. Stearns' (1-2) sports a 3.00 goals against average and has made 16 saves and allowed six goals against.
Tigers All-Time vs. Dartmouth: Princeton owns the all-time series versus the Big Green 23-7-2. Since head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn took over the program, the Tigers are 7-2.
Dartmouth defeated Princeton in its last meeting on Sept. 17, 2011, 2-1, in Hanover, N.H.
Scouting Delaware: Following a 1-1 weekend at home, Delaware travels to Princeton to square off with the Tigers. The Blue Hens (1-5) defeated St. Joseph's, 3-1, on Sept. 5, before being shutout, 6-0, by then-No. 1 North Carolina two days later.
Defensively, Sarah Scher (1-4) has started all five games in goal for Delaware. She has a 2.97 goals against average, while making 33 saves and allowing 17 goals against. Megane Simons (0-1) has played in two games, starting one.
Michaela Patzner has four goals over six starts to lead the offensive attack, while Kasey Prettyman has a pair of assists and goals for six points.
Tigers All-Time vs. Delaware: Delaware holds an 11-10 all-time record versus the Tigers entering this weekend's game.
The two squads have not met since 2004, when the Blue Hens ended their nine-year losing streak to the Tigers with a 2-0 victory on Sept. 5 in Princeton.
No. 2 in the Nation: The Tigers moved up in the national rankings this week, matching a program-best at No. 2 in the nation. Princeton boasts 767 points and again have the most first-place votes with 15. The Tigers are tied at No. 2 with Syracuse, who has eight first-place votes.
Princeton has defeated three ranked opponents already this season and have T-No. 2 Syracuse and No. 4 Maryland on deck still.
Katie Reinprecht Named Player of Week: Senior Katie Reinprecht earned Ivy League Co-Player of the Week honors this week. Reinprecht earns her third career conference honor and shares the accolade with Columbia's Gabby Kozlowski.
The midfielder scored the go-ahead goal for the Tigers in both games this past week at then-No. 8 Penn State on Sept. 6 and versus Richmond on Sept. 9. Both matches proved to be nailbitters, with Reinprecht helping set up the golden goal in overtime at PSU in Princeton's 3-2 victory. In the Tigers' home opener versus Richmond, she fed in the game-winning assist with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
In the Nation: Nationally among all Division I field hockey players Kathleen Sharkey is currently ranked No. 2 in goals per game, No. 3 in points per game and No. 46 in assists per game. Junior Julia Reinprecht leads the nation in assists per game, while sister senior Katie Reinprecht is No. 3 in the same category and No. 18 in points per game.
Defensively, goalie Christina Maida is No. 28 in goals against average.
Kirby Heads to Junior Pan Ams: Sophomore Sydney Kirby is one of 18 players on the U.S. Junior National Team competing at the Junior Pan American Games from Sept. 10-22. The U.S. is in Pool B with Chile, Jamaica, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
In Team USA's tournament-opening game, Kirby had a pair of goals as the U.S. shutout Venezuela 9-0 on Sept. 10. The squad then topped Paraguay, 8-0, the following evening.
The Captains: Seniors Katie Reinprecht and Kathleen Sharkey and junior Julia Reinprecht will serve as field hockey's tri-captains in 2012.
Sharkey Tops All-Time Scoring Record: Kathleen Sharkey is now first all-time in career goals scored with 77 and second all-time in career points with 177 in program history.
On the year, she has eight goals, including two game-winning goals, and two assists for 18 points.
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.
Penalty Corner Success: Four of Princeton's nine goals thus far have been on converted penalty corners. Kathleen Sharkey was the credited goal scorer on all four, but only with assists from Julia Reinprecht and Katie Reinprecht.
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 seasons 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.