Back-to-Back Ivy Champs Line Up Challenging Slate for 2019

2019 Schedule

Four teams that, like Princeton, played in the 2018 NCAA tournament are on the docket for 2019.

"This program has always prided itself on playing a nationally competitive non-conference schedule," Princeton coach Sean Driscoll said. "When Mike Poller and I teamed up five years ago, we wanted to continue that tradition, and I feel we have done so by identifying top programs to play. Mike has worked diligently to study and understand the value of the RPI. In doing so, he has found a way to consistently upgrade our schedule. This year, we feel that we have put together our most challenging schedule yet. Our student-athletes will be tested every game this season between the tremendous programs in the non-conference schedule and the daunting Ivy League slate. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing our team compete starting August 30."

Princeton, which finished 27th in RPI last year, will have six of its nine non-conference opponents in the RPI top 100 from the end of last year, plus two more such teams in Ivy League play. All of Princeton's non-league opponents finished in the top 200 in RPI, as did seven of the eight Ivy League teams.

Here's a look at the slate, which can be found in full here:

• Princeton will have nine home games and seven away. Four of the seven Ivy games will be on the road, at Dartmouth, Brown, Harvard and Penn.

• The 2018 NCAA qualifiers on Princeton's schedule are Boston College, Boston University, Rutgers and Georgetown. BC, BU and Rutgers made the first round, while Georgetown, which Princeton took to overtime at '52 Stadium in 2018, made the national semifinals.

• Every team but one on Princeton's schedule has been a Princeton opponent at some point since 2014. Maryland is the lone exception, as the Tigers and Terps last met in 1995.

• By the time William & Mary comes to Princeton on Sept. 22, the game could be a matchup of the program's two winningest head coaches. Julie Shackford, who won 203 games at Princeton from 1995-2014, now coaches William & Mary, and Driscoll is one win back of Bob Malekoff for second place on Princeton's coaching wins list, 52-51.

If the Tigers can claim the Ivy title once again this fall, it'll mark the second time in program history, and first since 2000-02, that Princeton has won three Ivy titles in a row. In pursuit of that, Princeton is able to return rising senior keeper Natalie Grossi, who holds the Princeton record for career shutouts at 25 and is four back of the Ivy record, as well as six of the seven players to score a goal last season, led by Gabi Juarez (four).

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