In Home-Opening Weekend, No. 20 Princeton to Host Saint Joseph's, No. 13 N.C. State

Friday, August 31

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

Saint Joseph's

Carolyne Davidson (12) scored in regulation and had the deciding kick in penalties as Princeton advanced past N.C. State in the second round of the 2017 NCAA tournament. (Photo by Chris Baird)

Photo by: Chris Baird

In Home-Opening Weekend, No. 20 Princeton to Host Saint Joseph's, No. 13 N.C. State

August 29, 2018 | Women's Soccer

#20 Princeton (2-0) vs. Saint Joseph's (3-0-1), Friday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN ) | ESPN FAQ | FREE ADMISSION
#20 Princeton vs. #13 N.C. State (3-0-1), Sunday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN ) | ESPN FAQ | FREE ADMISSION

Another week, another set of tests for the 20th-ranked Princeton women's soccer team.

Last week, it was on the road in a season-opener against a New Hampshire team already a week into games and 2-0 at that, followed by a Boston University team playing at home for the first time this season and eager to bust out of an 0-3 start. Princeton got a first-half PK goal from Mimi Asom and a second-half icer from Gabi Juarez to beat UNH while outshooting the Wildcats 21-2 overall, but against BU, the Terriers outshot Princeton 12-7 overall and 10-4 in the first half. An early second-half goal from Mimi Asom was the difference in a 1-0 win that allowed Princeton to sweep the weekend.

The nailbiter cost Princeton spots in the national rankings, as Princeton slipped from No. 14 to No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. It was the second-biggest drop in the top 25 last week after a Florida team that lost a pair of 1-0 game to a pair of OSUs - first to Ohio State and then to Oklahoma State, in double OT - tumbled from fifth to 22nd.

But, the Tigers have an opportunity this weekend against a pair of undefeated opponents in Princeton's home-opening weekend. First up is a Saint Joseph's team that comes in at 3-0-1 and returns to Central New Jersey eight days after going to Yurcak Field and tying a Rutgers team that was ranked 24th in the preseason and received votes in each of the last two United Soccer Coaches polls. No. 13 North Carolina State, also 3-0-1 entering the weekend, will visit Sunday as part of an all-Ivy League weekend that will start Friday at Penn. The Wolfpack jumped three spots from No. 16 after a 2-1 home win over then-No. 10 South Carolina last Sunday.

While Princeton and Saint Joseph's haven't met since 2013, there's very recent history with N.C. State. Last September, the Tigers used a win over the Wolfpack in Raleigh, followed by a win at Wake Forest two days later, and both by 2-0 scores, to jump into the United Soccer Coaches poll at No. 20 a week later (the Wake win came on a Monday and wasn't included for that week's voting). Then, Princeton and N.C. State met up again, this time in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Princeton got a Carolyne Davidson goal in the 62nd minute, and the Tigers were less than nine minutes from advancing outright when New Jersey's own Tziarra King scored to tie it with 8:44 to play in regulation. Princeton outshot the Wolfpack 4-1 overall in the OTs and 2-1 on goal to send it to penalties. N.C. State quickly went ahead when Taylor Porter made and Princeton's Mimi Asom missed in the first round, and after trading goals, N.C. State was one PK goal away from moving on when Kristina Schuster missed her try to keep Princeton alive. Tomi Kennedy capitalized for the Tigers, and in the seventh round of tries, N.C. State's Dakota Stephens missed before Davidson, who had Princeton's goal in regulation, converted to send Princeton on. It's the only time in program history that Princeton has gone to postgame penalty kicks.

N.C. State was ranked 20th when the Tigers won the regular-season matchup, and the Wolfpack were ranked 21st for the NCAA tie. Princeton went 3-2-1 against top-20 teams last season with the last win over a top-20 opponent coming over No. 2 North Carolina in the NCAA round of 16.

The prognostications: Princeton was the Ivy preseason pick, earning 15 of 16 first-place votes from athletic communications contacts and media members. It'd be Princeton's 10th Ivy title and first consecutive since three in a row from 2000-02. Saint Joseph's was picked sixth in the A-10 with defender Paige Bergman a preseason all-conference honoree, and N.C. State was picked fifth in the ACC with forward Tziarra King a preseason all-league pick.

Top-20 battle: It'll be the second straight year Roberts Stadium has hosted a matchup of top-20 teams. No. 6 West Virginia came to campus and left with a win over No. 20 Princeton on Sept. 15, 2017.

The coach: Sean Driscoll is in his fourth season with the Tigers and is a two-time Ivy League Coach of the Year winner, earning the honor in the Ivy League championship seasons of 2015 and 2017. He's 42-10-5 in his first three-plus seasons with Princeton and has the best winning percentage (.781) of any Tiger coach, ahead of first coach Bob Malekoff (1980-84, 52-18-5, .727). He is the third-winningest coach in program history and could pass Malekoff this year to stand behind only predecessor Julie Shackford (203-115-29 from 1995-2014).

More rankings: Princeton went from 13th in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll to 14th before its season opener a week ago to 20th after sweeping the first two games. N.C. State has done the reverse of that, going from 20th preseason to 16th and now 13th. Regionally, Princeton was second in the East in the first week and third this week, while Saint Joseph's went from 10th to seventh. N.C. State has stayed fourth in the Atlantic region in each of the two weeks.

Stat rankings: Entering Tuesday, Princeton was one of 15 teams in Division I that hadn't allowed a goal. With the Ivy just starting last weekend, the league had three teams on the list, including Penn and Dartmouth. Princeton was also one of 36 teams in the country that stood perfect with a 1.000 winning percentage. Individually, junior Natalie Grossi was one of 21 goalkeepers who played at least 90 minutes and hadn't yet allowed a goal. Senior Mimi Asom was one of 45 players with at least two game-winning goals. But, only Asom and Florida Gulf Coast's Marjorie Boilesen had game-winning goals in all of her team's games.

SJU counts Paige Bergman tied for 17th with three total assists. N.C. State's top ranking was second with fewest fouls per game, at 3.0. The team's next-best ranking was 21st with nine total assists. Tziarra King ranked 11th at 5.5 shots per game, 23rd with eight total points and 27th with three total goals.

The series with SJU: Princeton is 3-0 all-time against Saint Joseph's and hasn't given up a goal, winning 2-0 in 2007 at Princeton Stadium while Lourie-Love Field was turning into Roberts Stadium, 3-0 in 2012 at Roberts, and 1-0 in 2013 at SJU.

The series with N.C. State: Princeton is officially 2-0-1 against N.C. State, with last year's NCAA game counting as a tie despite Princeton advancing on the PKs. Princeton won 5-3 at Roberts in 2014, 2-0 at N.C. State on Sept. 2, 2017, and tied 1-1 in the NCAA second-round game on Nov. 17, 2017 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The NCAA game was played at Koka Booth Stadium in Cary, N.C.'s WakeMed Soccer Park, a field adjacent to Sahlen's Stadium where the NWSL's North Carolina Courage plays and where the NCAA College Cup will be this year. North Carolina, which Princeton went on to beat in the round of 16, was making Koka Booth Stadium its home last season while its on-campus stadium, Fetzer Field, is undergoing renovations.

In the regular-season game, Mimi Asom and the now-graduated Mikaela Symanovich scored in the 21st and 55th minutes, chasing keeper Sydney Wootten from the game while Natalie Grossi and the Tiger D picked up the shutout. Both goal scorers from the NCAA tournament game, Carolyne Davidson and Tziarra King, are back this year as well.

Climbing the charts: Senior Mimi Asom has 33 career goals and 74 career points. She's eighth in points, with Diana Matheson '08 seventh at 78, and sixth in goals, with Jen Hoy '13 fifth at 36. Junior Natalie Grossi has 17 career shutouts as she looks to become the third player in Tiger history to hit the 20-shutout mark. Kelly O'Dell '84 holds the career record with 23.

On Saint Joseph's: Five players have scored the team's seven goals with Morgan Bower and Mackenzie Ehresman scoring two apiece. Grace Bendon has played all 380 minutes in goal with an 0.71 GAA. It'll be the Hawks' fourth road game in five contests this season.

On N.C. State: Tziarra King has scored three of the Wolfpack's six goals with Sydney Wootten playing all 392-plus minutes in goal with an 0.69 GAA. It'll only be N.C. State's second road game of the year, along with a season-opening 2-1 win at Navy on Aug. 16.

Jersey everywhere: Princeton has a national roster but counts four New Jerseyans in Tomi Kennedy, Amy Paternoster, Samantha McDonough and Sophia Gulati. Sitting only a few miles from the state line, Saint Joseph's has nine Garden Staters, including a Mercer County native in East Windsor's Dakota Mills. N.C. State has a couple of New Jersey players in Tziarra King and Maxine Blackwood, and coach Tim Santoro is a South Jersey native and an alum of Cumberland High School.

NCAAs: Last year's NCAA run was the 12th NCAA tournament appearance in program history for Princeton, which has been to the NCAAs in two of the last three seasons and three of the last six (2012, 2015, 2017). The quarterfinal run was the third time Princeton has made it that far and second time in the 64-team era. Princeton won a game in 1982 to make the quarters of a 12-team tournament, won four times in 2004 to make the semifinals, and advanced through three rounds to make the quarters last year. The second-round game against N.C. State was the first time that a Princeton NCAA tournament game has gone to penalty kicks.

Who's back: Princeton returns the scorers of 37 of 44 goals from last year, led by 12 from current junior Abby Givens, 10 from senior Mimi Asom and nine from junior Courtney O'Brien. Princeton earned a program-record nine All-Ivy League honors last year and five of those are back, including first-teamers Givens, Asom and O'Brien and honorable mentions sophomore Lucy Rickerson on defense and junior Natalie Grossi in goal.

Who's not back: Vanessa Gregoire '18, a midfielder, was the 11th Ivy League Player of the Year in program history, earning Co-Offensive Player of the Year recognition. The Tigers also graduated three 2017 second-team All-Ivy defenders in Mikaela Symanovich '18, Natalie Larkin '18 and Katie Pratt-Thompson '18. The Tigers started Eve Hewins, Lucy Rickerson, Olivia Kane and Tatum Gee on the back line against New Hampshire and Emily Hilliard-Arce, Rickerson, Aza Keohan and Gee against Boston University.

Who's new: Princeton has a six-member freshman class, a group that includes reigning New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year forward/mid Amy Paternoster and Mexico U-20 team member forward Gabi Juarez, as well as midfielder Caroline Noonan, midfielder/defender Emma Davis, defender Aza Keohan and keeper Grace Barbara. Juarez, Noonan, Keohan and Davis have all made starts.