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Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, September 23
Princeton, N.J.
4:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
Yale
Sophomore Abby Givens scored in last year's tie at Yale.
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
No. 16 Princeton Set to Open Ivy Play Versus Yale Saturday
September 20, 2017 | Women's Soccer
Taking its first loss of the season last Friday to No. 6 West Virginia didn't hurt the Princeton women's soccer team's ranking when the United Soccer Coaches poll came out Tuesday, in fact, it helped.
Jumping four spots, the Tigers will enter Saturday's Ivy League-opening visit from Yale ranked No. 16 in that poll while also standing 16th in the Soccer America poll and 17th by Top Drawer Soccer. Princeton was also No. 8 in the first NCAA RPI announcement of the season, which came Monday.
Yale at Princeton, Saturday, Sept. 23, 4 p.m. | Video (Ivy League Network) | Live Stats | Free Admission
Rankings
Princeton's ranking is the highest since the end of the 2004 season, when Princeton was ranked No. 4 in the nation by the NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches) following its run to the NCAA College Cup semifinals.
The Series
Princeton leads Yale 24-12-3 all-time and none of the current Tigers have lost to Yale, going 2-0-1. Senior Natalie Larkin, who had the first goal in a 3-0 win in 2015, and sophomore Abby Givens, who had the Tiger goal in last year's 1-1 tie in New Haven, are the only current Tigers to have scored against Yale, while sophomore Aerial Chavarin had the equalizer for the Bulldogs in the 74th minute last year. Sophomore Natalie Grossi had four saves for Princeton in the draw and classmate Alyssa Fagel had three for Yale.Â
Leaders
Sophomore Abby Givens added two goals against Delaware Sunday and is second in the Ivy at six goals on the season. Brown's Mikaela Waldman, who scored her Ivy-best seventh goal Wednesday against Sacred Heart, was the first non-Princeton player to win Ivy League Player of the Week this season, doing so after scoring a goal against Massachusetts and netting two assists against Central Connecticut State last week. Sophomore Natalie Grossi has played all but one game in goal for Princeton this season and has an 0.29 GAA.
Junior Michelle Alozie has five of Yale's 15 goals this season, and sophomores Alyssa Fagel (3-1-1, 1.63 GAA) and Jane Buckley (3-1-0, 1.11 GAA) have split the time in goal for the Bulldogs.
The Start
Princeton is 7-1 (or better) for the eighth time in program history and for the second year in a row. If the Tigers can get to 8-1, it'd be the sixth time in program history, and first since 2004 (8-1), that Princeton was 8-1 or better through nine games.
Coaches
Yale's Rudy Meredith is the Ivy's longest-tenured active coach, having taken over the program in 1995, and Princeton's Sean Driscoll is his program's most successful coach by winning percentage, taking a .750 clip (31-9-4) into the weekend. Driscoll could become the program's third-winningest coach later this season, standing behind Tom Griffith (36 wins, 1985-89), Bob Malekoff (52 wins, 1980-84) and predecessor Julie Shackford (203 wins, 1995-2014).Â
Stat Rankings
Through Monday's games, Princeton had the nation's seventh-best goals-against average (0.25), eighth-best shutout percentage (.750, six in eight games) and ninth-best save percentage (.900). Tennessee and Texas entered the week as the nation's only two unbeaten teams, with Tennessee next against Auburn Thursday and Texas against Iowa State Friday, but Princeton's .875 winning percentage was still the ninth-best in the nation. Individually, Natalie Grossi's 0.286 GAA was the 10th-best in the nation, and her save percentage of .895 and her five shutouts were each the 11th-best numbers in the nation. Offensively, Abby Givens ranked 21st at 1.86 points per game and senior Vanessa Gregoire was 25th at 0.57 assists per game.
Yale's top statistical rankings are its 35th-best 18 assists and 38th-best two assists per game. Individually, Michelle Alozie's 4.11 shots per game is 28th-best in the nation.
Program Records
Senior Vanessa Gregoire, who added two assists off corner kicks against Delaware, is approaching the program's career assist record held by fellow Canadian Diana Matheson '08 as well as Lauren Lazo '15. Gregoire has 23 assists heading into the Yale game and Matheson and Lazo wrapped their careers with 26.Â
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Jumping four spots, the Tigers will enter Saturday's Ivy League-opening visit from Yale ranked No. 16 in that poll while also standing 16th in the Soccer America poll and 17th by Top Drawer Soccer. Princeton was also No. 8 in the first NCAA RPI announcement of the season, which came Monday.
Yale at Princeton, Saturday, Sept. 23, 4 p.m. | Video (Ivy League Network) | Live Stats | Free Admission
Rankings
Princeton's ranking is the highest since the end of the 2004 season, when Princeton was ranked No. 4 in the nation by the NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches) following its run to the NCAA College Cup semifinals.
The Series
Princeton leads Yale 24-12-3 all-time and none of the current Tigers have lost to Yale, going 2-0-1. Senior Natalie Larkin, who had the first goal in a 3-0 win in 2015, and sophomore Abby Givens, who had the Tiger goal in last year's 1-1 tie in New Haven, are the only current Tigers to have scored against Yale, while sophomore Aerial Chavarin had the equalizer for the Bulldogs in the 74th minute last year. Sophomore Natalie Grossi had four saves for Princeton in the draw and classmate Alyssa Fagel had three for Yale.Â
Leaders
Sophomore Abby Givens added two goals against Delaware Sunday and is second in the Ivy at six goals on the season. Brown's Mikaela Waldman, who scored her Ivy-best seventh goal Wednesday against Sacred Heart, was the first non-Princeton player to win Ivy League Player of the Week this season, doing so after scoring a goal against Massachusetts and netting two assists against Central Connecticut State last week. Sophomore Natalie Grossi has played all but one game in goal for Princeton this season and has an 0.29 GAA.
Junior Michelle Alozie has five of Yale's 15 goals this season, and sophomores Alyssa Fagel (3-1-1, 1.63 GAA) and Jane Buckley (3-1-0, 1.11 GAA) have split the time in goal for the Bulldogs.
The Start
Princeton is 7-1 (or better) for the eighth time in program history and for the second year in a row. If the Tigers can get to 8-1, it'd be the sixth time in program history, and first since 2004 (8-1), that Princeton was 8-1 or better through nine games.
Coaches
Yale's Rudy Meredith is the Ivy's longest-tenured active coach, having taken over the program in 1995, and Princeton's Sean Driscoll is his program's most successful coach by winning percentage, taking a .750 clip (31-9-4) into the weekend. Driscoll could become the program's third-winningest coach later this season, standing behind Tom Griffith (36 wins, 1985-89), Bob Malekoff (52 wins, 1980-84) and predecessor Julie Shackford (203 wins, 1995-2014).Â
Stat Rankings
Through Monday's games, Princeton had the nation's seventh-best goals-against average (0.25), eighth-best shutout percentage (.750, six in eight games) and ninth-best save percentage (.900). Tennessee and Texas entered the week as the nation's only two unbeaten teams, with Tennessee next against Auburn Thursday and Texas against Iowa State Friday, but Princeton's .875 winning percentage was still the ninth-best in the nation. Individually, Natalie Grossi's 0.286 GAA was the 10th-best in the nation, and her save percentage of .895 and her five shutouts were each the 11th-best numbers in the nation. Offensively, Abby Givens ranked 21st at 1.86 points per game and senior Vanessa Gregoire was 25th at 0.57 assists per game.
Yale's top statistical rankings are its 35th-best 18 assists and 38th-best two assists per game. Individually, Michelle Alozie's 4.11 shots per game is 28th-best in the nation.
Program Records
Senior Vanessa Gregoire, who added two assists off corner kicks against Delaware, is approaching the program's career assist record held by fellow Canadian Diana Matheson '08 as well as Lauren Lazo '15. Gregoire has 23 assists heading into the Yale game and Matheson and Lazo wrapped their careers with 26.Â
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
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