No. 8 Princeton Falls To No. 1 Northwestern In OT

Sunday, September 18

Princeton, N.J.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

(3-3)

Northwestern

(8-0)

Northwestern

Princeton

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

September 18, 2022 | Field Hockey

Box Score

As September games go, you can't ask for one to be played on any higher a level than the one No. 8 Princeton and No. 1 Northwestern put on Sunday afternoon on Bedford Field. This had much more of the feel of an NCAA tournament game, maybe on the second weekend of the NCAA tournament at that.

In the end, it was Princeton who left with a bitter taste, as the Wildcats' Alia Marshall put home the game-winner in overtime to give the defending NCAA champs a 2-1 win. Make that a very hard fought 2-1 win.

It was a day where both goalies (Princeton's Robyn Thompson, Northwestern's Annabel Skubisz) were awesome and where nothing for either team came easily. In the end the razor-thin difference came when Bente Baekers fed a cutting Marshall, whose shot hit a Princeton stick and popped over Thompson.

Thompson had already kept the game going with three saves in the overtime period, two of which came when the Wildcats had three straight corners and then the third on a breakaway chance for Peyton Halsey.

The game was intense from the start, as Thompson was tested early by the relentless Wildcats. It was scoreless at halftime, but Princeton jumped on top 1-0 off a corner chance early in the third, when Beth Yeager, who was everywhere the entire game, cashed it in, with assists to Ali McCarthy and Ophelie Bemelmans.

Northwestern upped the pressure after that, outshooting Princeton 11-2 between the fourth quarter and overtime, after the Tigers had led 12-8 after three. Halsey redirected a ball from Baekers into the cage with 4:58 to go in the fourth to tie it and force the overtime.

Princeton is now 3-3, with its losses to the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 teams in this week's poll. Who's next on the schedule? No. 3 Maryland, who comes to Bedford Tuesday at 4.