Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Field Hockey Travels to Maryland for NCAA First Round Action
November 14, 2014 | Field Hockey
| NCAA Tournament First & Second Round Game Notes |
|
| Gametimes | Saturday, Nov. 15 vs. Maryland (11:30 a.m.) l Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex |
| Sunday, Nov. 16 - NCAA Second Round (2 p.m.) l Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex | |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats/Webcast |
| @PUTigers l @PUTigers_live l @UMTerps l @UAlbanySports l @DemonDeacons | |
| All-Time Series |
Maryland leads Princeton, 19-7-1 l Princeton leads Albany, 3-1 l Princeton leads Wake Forest, 2-1 |
| Last Meeting | Oct. 15, 2014 - Maryland 8, Princeton 1 (Box/Recap) |
| Sept. 28, 2014 - Albany 2, Princeton 0 (Box/Recap) | |
| Sept. 2, 2012 - Princeton 2, Wake Forest 0 (Box/Recap) | |
| Records |
Princeton (8-10, 6-1 Ivy) l Maryland (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten) l Albany (18-2, 5-0 America East) l Wake Forest (14-6, 3-3 ACC) |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @TigerFH |
| Maryland |
Roster l Schedule l Stats l @TerpFieldHockey |
| Albany | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @UAlbanyFH |
| Wake Forest | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @WakeHockey |
| Related Links | NCAA Digital Program l NCAA Play-in vs. Monmouth highlights l Game Notes (PDF) |
PRINCETON NCAA GAME NOTES
NCAA PLAY-IN GAME VS. MONMOUTH HIGHLIGHTS
Tickets to the NCAA First and Second Rounds are $5 for adults and $3 for students, children and seniors. For Saturday's two NCAA First Round games, all fans will be directed to park in the Terrapin Trail Garage in advance of Saturday's 8 p.m. home football game and will be charged $17. Fans planning to attend are encouraged to purchase their parking passes in advance at dots.umd.edu. Click here for a campus parking map. Parking will be free and open for Sunday's NCAA Second Round game.
Last Time Out
Princeton improved to 5-1 all-time in NCAA Play-In games with a 4-3 victory over Monmouth on Wednesday. Applying much of the pressure in the early going, the Tigers broke through on an Allison Evans' goal at 9:54. The Hawks answered with back-to-back Meg Donahue and Julie Laszlo tallies in the 21st and 29th minutes, respectively, before Teresa Benvenuti pulled Princeton even with just seven seconds remaining in the half. Building on the momentum early in the second period, Benvenuti notched her second of the afternoon at 40:43. Adding an insurance tally at 64:29, Evans became just the ninth player in program history to surpass the 100-point plateau.
Survive and Advance
Upping its all-time NCAA Tournament record to 27-17, Princeton will look to punch another ticket to the Final Four with a pair of wins this weekend. Standing in the Tigers way on Saturday is second-ranked Maryland. The Terrapins are 7-0 all-time against the Orange and Black at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex, with a slim 3-2 edge in NCAA Tournament play. Last season, Maryland upended Princeton in the quarterfinals, 3-2. The Tigers prevailed in the 2012 national championship game against the Terrapins, while Maryland won a 2009 showdown in the national semifinals, 7-5. Should Princeton get past its long time rival on Saturday, the Tigers would face the winner of Wake Forest and Albany in the national quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 16. Princeton is 2-1 all-time against the Demon Deacons with a 3-1 record against the Great Danes.
Rare Company
With two goals against Monmouth, Allison Evans became the ninth player in program history to reach the 100-point plateau. Upping her career point total to 101, she is currently ninth on the school's scoring list. Her combined 59 goals and assists currently rank ninth all-time, while her 42 goals sit tied for sixth.
Defensive Player of the Year
Senior Sydney Kirby was recently named the Ivy League's Defensive Player of the Year. Princeton has now claimed the league's last three Defensive Player of the Year awards with Kirby joining Katie Reinprecht (2012) and Julia Reinprecht (2013) as the Orange and Black's latest winner. A four-time All-Ivy honoree, Kirby was a unanimous selection to the all-conference first team. With the help of Kirby, the Tiger defense has posted three shutouts this season, while holding opponents one goal or less on seven occasions. Also leading the team in points (18), Kirby has collected six goals and six assists in 2014.
Crashing the Party
Along with Kirby, five other Tigers garnered recognition on the All-Ivy squad. Also earning a spot on the first team was senior Allison Evans. Cat Caro, Annabeth Donovan and Kate Ferrara picked up second-team All-Ivy accolades, while freshman striker Ryan McCarthy received honorable mention recognition.
Coming on Strong
Since returning from injury on Oct. 25, Teresa Benvenuti has been on a tear, racking up 12 points on five goals and two helpers. Netting her first goal in over a month against UConn on Oct. 26, she also found the back of the opposing cage against Cornell on Nov. 1. Against Penn in the Tigers' regular season finale, she notched a goal and an assist. Turning in a five-point effort against Monmouth last Wednesday, Benvenuti had two goals and an assist to up her season point total to 16.
Familiar Foes
Maryland holds a 19-7-1 all-time record against Princeton. Going 4-2-1 in the first seven meetings from 1981-98, the Tigers dropped 13-straight games to the Terrapins from 1999-2009. Snapping its losing skid in the 2010 meeting, the Orange and Black secured a 4-2 decision. After dropping the 2011 affair (6-2), Princeton won both showdowns during its national championship run in 2012. In 2013, Maryland defeated Princeton during the regular season (3-1) before ousting the Tigers in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals, 3-2. Earlier this year, the Terrapins extended their win streak over Princeton to three games with an 8-1 victory on Bedford Field.
Princeton carries a combined 5-2 record against Wake Forest and Albany into this weekend's action. Capturing the first three meetings against the Great Danes in 2005, 2008 and 2013 by scores of 3-0, 6-3 and 5-3, respectively, the Tigers dropped this year's edition of the rivalry by a score of 2-0. Winning the inaugural meeting against Wake Forest in 2010, 3-1, the Tigers dropped an overtime affair in 2011, 3-2. In 2012, Princeton regained the upper hand with a 4-2 triumph in Winston-Salem.
Scouting Maryland
Leading the Big 10 in most offensive categories, the explosive Terrapin offense currently leads the nation in scoring margin (+2.96) and scoring average (4.10). Twelve different Terps have combined to score 86 goals, with four Maryland players tallying at least 10 goals. Maxine Fluharty and Sarah Sprink have 15 goals apiece, while Anna Dessoye and Moira Putsch have 12 and 11, respectively. Katie Gerzabek tops the Big Ten in assists (21), while Dessoye has amassed a team-high 41 points.
Against Princeton on Oct. 15, six different players factored into the scoring led by Fluharty's three goals. Welma Luus had a pair of tallies, while Lein Holsboer, Gerzabek and Alyssa Parker accounted for Maryland's other three scores. Since the mid-October meeting, the Terrapins extended their win streak to 13 games before falling to Northwestern in the Big 10 title tilt, 3-1.
Scouting Albany/Wake Forest
Albany captured its fourth America East title to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Tournament Most Outstanding Performer Paula Heuser set a tourney record with nine points. The sophomore currently leads the nation in points (3.40) and goals (1.45) per game, breaking the program's single season record on Oct. 26 against Yale. Laura Page has also helped re-write the recordbook, becoming the first Great Dane to dish out at least 20 assists in a season. Goalkeeper Maxi Primus currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in goals against average (0.98) and save percentage (0.795). Carrying a 12-game win streak into the weekend, Albany boasts a school record 18-2 overall mark.
Led by ACC Players of the Year Anna Kozniuk and Georgia Holland, Wake Forest (14-6) captured its first league title since 2006 (fourth overall) with a 2-0 triumph over Syracuse. Kozniuk currently ranks third in the ACC in goals (15) and points (36). Holland helped lead a defensive unit that allowed just two goals in three games to win the ACC crown. Seeing the majority of time in net, Valerie Dahmen has posted a 1.59 GAA and 0.663 save percentage in 20 games.