Tigers Go Up Against No. 8 Delaware In NCAA Final Four Matchup

NCAA Final Four Game Notes: No. 8 Delaware
Gametimes	Friday, Nov. 18 - 4:45 p.m. l L.R. Hill Sports Complex
Game Coverage	Live Stats / NCAA Video
Twitter	@PUTigers l @UDBlueHens
All-Time Series	Series is tied at 13-13-2
Last Meeting	Sept. 11, 2016 - No. 16 Princeton 4, No. 10 Delaware 2 (Recap)
No. 14 Princeton	Roster l Schedule l 2016 Stats l @TigerFH
No. 8 Delaware	Roster l Schedule l Stats l@DelawareFH
Related Links	Game Notes

Want To Go?
Tickets for this weekend's games can be purchased here, as all tournament books are $35 for adults and $15 for youth 17 and under, while individual game tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for youth 17 and under. Groups of 10 or more are $10 as well.

79 Teams To Four!
The No. 14 Princeton Tigers will take on the No. 8 Delaware Blue Hens in the second national semifinal on Friday at 4:45 p.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex on the campus of Old Dominion University. The Blue Hens upset No. 1 Duke, 3-2 in overtime, to get to Friday's game. No. 3 North Carolina and No. 6 Connecticut is the other national semifinal at 2 p.m. The two winners on Friday will play for the National Championship on Sunday (Nov. 20) at 1 p.m.

How Did We Get Here?
The Tigers got here in thrilling fashion. In the NCAA quarterfinals, sophomore Sophia Tornetta laced a shot into the back of the cage as time expired to lift the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the No. 7 Virginia Cavaliers.

The day before, Princeton used a three-point outing from senior Cat Caro and six-save performance from freshman Grace Baylis to drop No. 5 Penn State, 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Princeton is 12-7 overall and went 5-2 in the Ivy League. The Tigers boasted two top-20 wins in the regular season, taking down then-No. 12 Albany (Sept. 9) and then-No. 10 Delaware (Sept. 11). The No. 14 nationally ranked Tigers had a RPI of 13 and received the program's first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 6.

Postseason History
This is the seventh time in program history that the Tigers have advanced to the NCAA Final Four (1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2009, 2012).

The Tigers have reached the National Championship game three times (1996, 1998, 2012). In 2012, Princeton went 21-1, winning the program's first national championship with a 2-1 decision over No. 1 North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Tigers in the 1996 title game while Old Dominion dropped Princeton in the 1998 championship matchup.

Ivy League Honors
The No. 14 Princeton Tigers had five players named to the All-Ivy teams on Nov. 8 including senior Cat Caro as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. Caro along with freshman Maddie Bacskai and junior Ryan McCarthy were picked to the first team All-Ivy, sophomore Sophia Tornetta received second team All-Ivy honors while sophomore Elise Wong was honorable mention All-Ivy League.

Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year
The fourth Tiger to be named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year in the last five years, Caro was one of four players to be unanimously picked for the first team. The senior had a stellar season with a career-high 17 goals and 41 points. Caro has registered a point in 15 of the team's 19 games and sits 10th nationally in goals per game (0.94) and 13th in points per game (2.27). Caro has been an All-Ivy player each of the past three seasons with two second-team distinctions in 2014 and 2015.

Breakout Performance
After scoring 12 goals in her first two seasons at Princeton, Ryan McCarthy broke through in 2016 with 13 goals and a career-high 31 points. McCarthy leads the team with five game-winning tallies, putting the Tigers on top vs. then-No. 10 Delaware, American, Columbia, Towson and No. 5 Penn State. This is the third straight season that she has been picked for the All-Ivy team with an honorable mention in 2014 and second team selection in 2015.

Defense, Defense, Defense
Maddie Bacskai and Elise Wong have been a crucial members of the team's defensive unit. The Tigers rank inside the top-20 nationally in goals-against-average (16th, 1.54) and have posted four shutouts this season. In Princeton's 8-0 victory over Towson, the backline did not allow a shot, marking the second time in back-to-back years that the team accomplished that feat. Princeton's defense was fabulous in Ivy League play, allowing just 3.9 shots per game and eight goals total. Bacskai added two goals and two assists while Wong had seven helpers this season. The sophomore was All-Ivy first team in 2015.

No Sophomore Slump
Sophia Tornetta, despite missing seven games because of injuries, posted an outstanding campaign with 26 points in 12 games. Her 2.2 points per game would place her 18th in the nation if she qualified. Tornetta scored a goal in seven outings and secured a point in every game except for one. The sophomore tied her career high with two goals and set a new benchmark with five points vs. then-No. 12 Albany (Sept. 9). She also had a new personal record with three helpers vs. Penn (Nov. 5). Last season, Tornetta was first team All-Ivy League and the conference's Rookie of the Year.

Stars and Stripes
Cat Caro, Sophia Tornetta and Maddie Bacskai were on the United States U-21 women's national field hockey team that scored a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Tournament on Apr. 9. The trio, most recently, was selected to U-21 national team's roster for the Women's Hockey Junior World Cup this November. Katie Reinprecht '13, Julia Reinprecht '14 and Kathleen Sharkey '13 were named to the United States field hockey team that placed fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was the team's highest finish since 1996.

Delaware Blue Hens
The CAA Champions went 21-2 this season, their last loss was on Sept. 11 to Princeton (a 4-2 decision). The Blue Hens are currently on a 17-game winning streak. Delaware dropped two top-ten teams in the NCAA Tournament, No. 8 Louisville (1-0) and No. 1 Duke in overtime in the quarterfinals.

Series History
The Princeton and Delaware series is tied at 13-13-3. In the two teams' last matchup on Sept. 11, junior Ryan McCarthy scored the game-tying and game-winning goals for the Tigers while freshman Grace Baylis made five saves in the win. Princeton went winless in the first 12 meetings vs. Delaware (0-10-2). The Tigers' first victory over the Blue Hens was a 2-1 decision in the 1992 season. Princeton won nine straight over the Blue Hens from 1994-2002.

The Tigers are 3-7 all time vs. North Carolina. The two teams have met four times in postseason including in the 2012 NCAA title game, the last time Princeton defeated North Carolina. The Tigers are 8-15 in program history against Connecticut, last picking up a win against the Huskies during the 2012 season. Princeton and Connecticut have seen each other three times in the postseason with the Huskies going 2-1.

Scouting Delaware
Only Connecticut has fewer losses than Delaware. With one of the best offenses in the country, the Blue Hens sit third in Division-I in goals (4.09), points per game (11.3), scoring margin (2.51) and fourth in assists per game (3.13). Greta Knack is No. 1 in the country in goals (1.35) and points per game (3.09). In Princeton's win over Delaware, the Tigers held Nauck to one assist. Goalie Emmeline Oltmans is in the top 20 nationally in GAA (1.36) and save percentage (.731).

Scouting Connecticut/North Carolina
The Final Four will feature the best offense in the country (5.0 goals per game) in the 22-1 Connecticut Huskies. After having their 42-game regular season winning streak come to an end vs. Maryland in Oct., the Huskies have rattled off six straight wins. The Huskies have three players featured in the NCAA's top 15 in scoring in Charlotte Veitner (1st, 3.09 pts/game), Amanda Collins (9th, 2.43) and Casey Umstead (14th, 2.22).

The North Carolina Tarheels are 19-5 overall and also have a top-10 offense in the country, sitting fifth in scoring margin (2.14) and seventh in goals per game (3.42). Lauren Moyer leads the Tar Heels with 22 goals and 47 points. The Tigers held her without a point in the Tar Heels' 2-1 win in September.

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Players Mentioned

Maddie Bacskai

Grace Baylis

Cat Caro

Ryan McCarthy

Sophia Tornetta

Elise Wong