Tornetta's Buzzer Beater Sends Princeton To The Final Four!

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September 19, 5PM

vs Penn

Princeton, N.J.

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September 21, 12PM

vs UConn

Princeton, N.J.

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September 26, 5PM

vs Harvard

Princeton, N.J.

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September 28, 2PM

at Maryland

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October 3, 5PM

at Yale

New Haven, Conn.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Sophomore Sophia Tornetta laced a shot into the back of the cage as time expired to send the No. 14 Princeton Tigers to the Final Four with a 3-2 victory over the No. 7 Virginia Cavaliers.

The Tigers advanced to the program's seventh Final Four and will take on No. 8 Delaware next Friday (4:45 p.m.) at Old Dominion University. Princeton defeated Delaware, 4-2, on Sept. 11 at Bedford Field. The Blue Hens upset No. 1 Duke, 3-2 in overtime, to get to next Friday's game. No. 3 North Carolina and No. 6 Connecticut is the other national semifinal.

Tornetta scores with no time remaining! Unbelievable! The @TigerFH is going to the Final Four! #GoTigers #TigerUp #sctop10 @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/GSkqCmaj7i
— Princeton Tigers (@PUTIGERS) November 13, 2016

"Everyone was running into the circle, I think it hit a Virginia player," said Tornetta describing the chaotic final play. "The ball was right in front of me, I swept it and all of the sudden I looked up and saw everyone running towards me with smiles on their faces and tears of joy.

"It hasn't sunk in just yet," stated head coach Carla Tagliente. "It's quite incredible to begin with how the game went. We were really great at capitalizing on our opportunities.

Unlike the first time these two top-20 teams faced off, Princeton got on the scoreboard in the 14th minute. Sophomore Sophia Tornetta inserted the ball on a corner while sophomore Elise Wong stopped it for a blast from senior Cat Caro that Virginia's Lucas Carrerra couldn't stop.

Virginia quickly look to counter on the next possession down the field, but the Cavaliers' Tara Vittese's shot was wide. In the 21st minute, the No. 7 nationally ranked squad found the equalizer. Erin Shanahan took a Nikki Freeman pass and shot it over freshman Grace Baylis, tying the score at 1-all. The Cavaliers held a 6-1 shot advantage in the first 35 minutes of game action.

Vittese, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, snapped two shots on Baylis, just five minutes into the second stanza, but Baylis made both stops.

In the 52nd minute, senior Hailey Reeves ripped an attempt off a corner by Carrera to put Princeton back in front, 2-1. It didn't take very long for Virginia to answer as Vittese took a pass off a corner, dribbled by a defender and rifled one into the cage, tying the contest at 2-all with 15:50 to go.

Tornetta's four points led the Tigers while Caro added three points and sophomore Elise Wong had two helpers. Baylis made five saves in the win. The Tigers last made the national semifinals in 2012, the year they won the National Championship. Virginia is the second straight opponent that Princeton came back to defeat after losing to earlier in the season.

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