Princeton Ends Regular Season With 5-1 Win Over Columbia, Hopes For NCAA Bid

Saturday, November 6

Princeton, N.J.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

(9-7, 5-1Ivy)

Columbia

(8-8, 1-5Ivy)

Columbia

Princeton

Ophelie Bemelmans dribbles against Columbia's Kelsey Farkas in the Tigers' 5-1 win Saturday.

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Princeton Ends Regular Season With 5-1 Win Over Columbia, Hopes For NCAA Bid

November 06, 2021 | Field Hockey

Box Score

The Princeton field hockey team entered Saturday hoping to get a share of an Ivy League championship. It will enter Sunday hoping for an NCAA tournament bid.

Princeton used goals from five different players to end the regular season with a 5-1 win over visiting Columbia Saturday afternoon. The Tigers needed a Harvard loss to Brown to gain a share of the league championship, but the Crimson won that game 4-0. Next up is Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, where the Tigers will hope to hear their names called.

If that isn't to be the case, Princeton came within a microscopic margin of winning the league and going to the postseason, falling to Harvard in a penalty shootout two weeks ago in Cambridge. The Tigers, who have no seniors on their team, did finish the year with back-to-back wins over Brown and Columbia to improve to 10-7 overall and 6-1 in the league. Of Princeton's seven losses, five came to teams ranked in the top 11 in the NCAA RPI this week.

As for the Columbia game, Sammy Popper got the Tigers started with a reverse rocket into the cage early in the second quarter. It was 3-0 by halftime after Claire Donovan tipped in a feed from Ali McCarthy and then Sam Davidson converted a penalty stroke.

Hannah Davey scored the fourth goal in the first minute of the third quarter, finishing a play that was set up by a long run from Donovan, who even maintained possession after a spin move. After Columbia got one back, Grace Schulze became the fifth Tiger to score when she tipped in Popper's feed off a penalty corner.

Princeton, who outshot Columbia 24-6, now leads the series with the Lions 23-1. Princeton has won 26 Ivy League championships, one more than the rest of the league combined.