Players Mentioned
Field Hockey to Close Out Regular Season Against Penn
November 06, 2014 | Field Hockey
| Princeton vs. Penn Game Notes |
|
| Gametime | Saturday, Nov. 8 vs. Penn (12 p.m.) l Bedford Field |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats l Webstream |
| @PUTigers l @PUTigers_live l @PennAthletics | |
| All-Time Series |
Princeton leads Penn, 23-15-3 |
| Last Meeting | Nov. 9, 2013 - Princeton 5, Penn 1 (Box/Recap) |
| Records |
Princeton (6-10, 5-1 Ivy) l Penn (8-8, 3-3 Ivy) |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @TigerFH |
| Penn |
Roster l Schedule l Stats l @PennFieldHockey |
WEEK 11 GAME NOTES (PDF)
Last Time Out
Princeton improved to 5-1 in Ivy League play with a 3-2 victory over Cornell last Saturday. Trailing 1-0 late in the first half, Sydney Kirby successfully converted a penalty stroke to pull the Tigers even. Continuing to push forward, Teresa Benvenuti staked the Orange and Black to their first lead in the 32nd minute. Padding the Princeton cushion early in the second half, Allison Evans netted her fifth of the season at 36:33 to make it 3-1. With under five minutes to go in regulation, Cornell got one back to pull within one, but the Tiger defense did not surrender a shot-on-goal over the final 2:56 to preserve the victory. Princeton finished with a 15-7 shot advantage and a 4-1 edge in penalty corners.
Must Win
With a win over Penn on Saturday, Princeton would clinch at least a share of the Ivy League championship for the 10th-consecutive season (23rd overall). The Tigers are 78-5 against the Ivy opponents under Kristen Holmes-Winn, with its only losses coming to Dartmouth (2004, 2011), Cornell (2007), Penn (2004) and Columbia (2014). The Orange and Black have claimed a share of the league title in 19 of the last 20 years, but will need some help in order to keep its current string of six straight NCAA Tournament appearances alive. Because of a 3-2 loss to Columbia on Oct. 3, the Lions hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers. Princeton would need Harvard to pull off an upset win over Columbia on Saturday, otherwise the Lions would lay claim to the conference's automatic NCAA bid.
Within Reach
With a goal against Cornell last Saturday, Allison Evans stands just five points shy of becoming the ninth player in program history to reach the 100-point plateau. Upping her career point total to 95, she is currently ninth on the school's scoring list. In four seasons in Orange and Black, Evans has amassed 39 goals and 17 assists. Her combined 56 goals and assists currently rank 10th all-time.
Last Dance
Saturday's showdown against Penn could be the last for the Class of 2015. Since 2011, Princeton's seniors have helped the squad to a 51-24 overall record and a 25-2 mark against Ivy League opponents. Together, Cassidy Arner, Colleen Boyce, Julia Boyle, Allison Evans, Stephanie Goldberg and Sydney Kirby have helped guide the Tigers to three conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's first national championship in 2012.
Breaking Through
Last Saturday's 3-2 win over Cornell was the Tigers' first this season when the opponent scores first, having gone winless in their first seven tries. The latest in a series of close calls, nine of Princeton's 16 games have been decided by just one goal, with the Orange and Black posting a 3-6 mark. The Tigers have also played three overtime games, with a pair of contests needing a second extra session. Navigating a particularly grueling schedule in 2014, Princeton has faced seven opponents who were ranked in the NFHCA top-20 poll. Of those seven games, three have been decided by just one goal. Other than an 8-1 loss to Maryland, the Tigers have held a lead or been within a goal during the second half of every other match-up against a ranked team. Going 1-9 against a particularly difficult non-conference slate, Princeton's non-Ivy competitors boast an impressive 132-47 (0.737) combined mark.
You're Invited
Sydney Kirby has been selected to play in the 2014 Victory Sports Tours/NFHCA Division I Senior Game scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the University of Maryland. Converting a penalty stroke against Cornell, Kirby currently leads the team lead in points (16) with six goals and four helpers. One of four Ivy League student-athletes to be invited, she joins Penn's Emily Corcoran, Dartmouth's Ali Savage and Columbia's Lauren Skudalski. In 67 career appearances, Kirby has amassed 26 goals and 19 assists.
Series History
Princeton holds a 23-15-3 overall mark against Penn with a 12-5-2 home record. The Quakers took the inaugural meeting in 1973 by a score of 3-1 before the teams battled to a 1-1 draw the following season. The Tigers picked up their first series win in 1975 (5-0). Penn responded by going 4-1-1 from 1976-81 before Princeton earned a 3-2 decision in 1982.
Embarking on another dominant stretch, the Quakers went 9-1-1 from 1983-93. Turning things around, Princeton captured each of the next 10 meetings. Penn momentarily put the brakes on the skid in 2004 with a 2-1 victory, but the Orange and Black have since captured each of the last nine showdowns, outscoring their Ivy rival 44-4 during that span while surrendering just one goal to Penn since 2008.
When Last We Met
Princeton cruised to a 5-1 decision over Penn in last year's match-up in Philadelphia, Pa. Cat Caro opened the scoring just 2:08 after the opening whistle. After a Quaker equalizer at 13:08, Princeton netted a pair of goals just 1:54 apart to build a 3-1 cushion. Allison Evans added to the tally at the 57:34 mark of the second half before Penn closed out the scoring with a late goal in the 69th minute. Princeton finished with a decisive 28-6 shot advantage and a 13-4 edge in penalty corners. The Tigers' Anya Gersoff played all 70 minutes in net, making four saves.
Scouting Penn
Penn enters Saturday's meeting with an 8-8 overall record and 3-3 Ivy mark. Opening the year 4-3, the Quakers dropped four straight games to Dartmouth, Monmouth, Maryland and Columbia. Turning things around against Longwood, Penn would prevail in each of its next four outings before suffering a 3-0 loss to Rutgers last Sunday.
A four-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week selection, freshman Alexa Hoover is currently tied for the conference lead in goals (13), while ranking third in points (29). One of four Ivy players invited to play in the NFHCA Division I Senior Game, Emily Corcoran is seventh in the league in goals (9) and is tied for eighth in points (22) with teammate Elizabeth Hitti.
Making a career-high 15 saves against Brown last Saturday, senior goalkeeper Allison Weisenfels earned a spot on the Ivy League's weekly honor roll. Logging 1083:03 minutes in net this season, she has posted a 2.26 goals against average and a 0.711 save percentage and is currently fifth in the conference in saves with 89.