Princeton University Athletics
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No. 4 Field Hockey Heads to No. 8 Penn State, Hosts Richmond
September 05, 2012 | Field Hockey
No. 4 Princeton (2-0) at No. 8 Penn State (3-1)
Game Info: Thursday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m.
Location: University Park, Pa.
All-Time Series Record: Penn State leads 23-7
Last Meeting: Sept. 8, 2011; Princeton won 4-3
Live Stats
No. 4 Princeton (2-0) vs. Richmond (3-1)
Game Info: Sunday, Sept. 9 at 12 noon
Location: Bedford Field, Princeton, N.J.
All-Time Series Record: Princeton leads 7-3
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: After opening 2012 going a perfect 2-0 on the road, No. 4 Princeton (2-0) will wrap up its three-game road swing at No. 8 Penn State (3-1) on Thursday, Sept. 6 in University Park, Pa. at 6 p.m. The Tigers then open up a three-game homestand of their own, beginning with a Sunday, Sept. 9 meeting with Richmond (3-1) at 12 noon. The game marks Princeton's first game at the newly constructed Bedford Field.
Last Time Out: Behind seven combined goals from senior Kathleen Sharkey, Princeton topped a pair of ranked opponents to kick off the year. The Tigers opened the season with a 5-2 win at then-No. 5 Duke on Aug. 31 and followed it up with a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over then-No. 13 Wake Forest on Sept. 2.
On Deck: Princeton will remain at home, hosting its Ivy opener versus Dartmouth on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 12 noon. The following day, Delaware will travel to Bedford Field for a 1 p.m. meeting.
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 No. 8 Penn State: No. 8 Penn State enters Thursday's game riding a 3-1 record. After opening the year defeating then-No. 8 Virginia, 3-2, and then-No. 3 Old Dominion, 5-2, the Nittany Lions dropped a 2-1 decision at then-No. 6 UConn on Aug. 31. PSU rebounded on Sept. 2 with a 3-2 victory over Lafayette at home.
Ayla Halus has been Penn State's lone goaltender, tallying a 2.00 goals against average, 18 saves and a .692 saves percentage.
Offensively, three Lions have scored two or more goals. Kelsey Amy leads the squad with four goals, including a game-winner, while Laura Gebhart has dished a team-best three assists.
Tigers All-Time vs. Penn State: Penn State owns the all-time series versus Princeton with a 23-7 overall record.
In the Tigers last meeting with the Lions, Princeton defeated Penn State, 4-3, on Sept. 8, 2011 at home.
Scouting Richmond: The first unranked opponent of 2012 for the Tigers, Richmond (3-1) heads to Princeton following its 8-1 victory over Georgetown on Sept. 2. The Spiders do have a win over a ranked opponent on the year, having defeated then-No. 25 American 4-1 on Aug. 24.
Rebecca Barry leads the offense with four goals and two assists, while Chelsea Davies is the team's assist leader with four. The Spiders have seen six players score two or more goals on the year.
In goal, Anna Zarkoski (3-1) has played a majority of Richmond's minutes. In four games, she has a 2.85 goals against average, .333 saves percentage and has made five saves on the year. She's also given up 10 goals against. Kelly Wentling came in off the bench and played 35 minutes, allowing one goal against.
Tigers All-Time vs. Richmond: Princeton owns the all-time series versus Richmond with a 7-3 record. The squads have met every year for the last seven seasons, including 2012.
The Spiders bested the Tigers, 3-2, in their last meeting on Sept. 11, 2011 in Princeton.
No. 4 in the Nation: Despite receiving 10 first-place votes, the most for a single team, the Tigers remain ranked No. 4 in the nation in the Sept. 4 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.
Princeton has defeated a pair of top-15 teams already and is scheduled to play five additional top-25 squads, including No. 2 Syracuse and No. 3 Maryland.
Sharkey Tops All-Time Scoring Record: Senior Kathleen Sharkey was named the first field hockey Ivy League Player of the Week of 2012, following her seven-goal performance during the Tigers' opening weekend.
At then-No. 5 Duke on Aug. 31, Sharkey earned her ninth career hat trick and added an assist, but her hot scoring hand was not done yet. She then scored four goals in Princeton's comeback 4-2 victory over then-No. 13 Wake Forest on Sept. 2.
Sharkey is now first all-time in career goals scored with 76 and second all-time in career points with 175 in program history.
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.
Rookie Debuts: This past weekend saw the collegiate debuts of Teresa Benvenuti, Maddie Copeland, Kate Ferrara and Debi-Michelle Jantzen. Benvenuti started both games and tallied eight shots, while her three classmates saw minutes off the bench.
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.
Kirby Named to U.S. U21 National Team: In July sophomore All-Ivy Sydney Kirby was been named to the 30-player 2012-13 U.S. U21 Junior National Field Hockey Squad.
Kirby, who previously played for the past five years with the U16 through U19 teams, trained with the U21's in preparation for the Junior Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico from Sept. 10-23.
On Aug. 30, Kirby was named to the official 18-player Junior Pan Am travel roster. Kirby and the U.S. are in Pool B and will face Chile, Jamaica, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
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.