Thompson's Career-High Nine Saves Help Princeton Past Penn 2-1 In Ivy Opener

Friday, September 23

Princeton, N.J.

4:00 PM

Princeton University

(5-3. 1-0)

Penn

(0-7. 0-1)

Penn

Princeton

Robyn Thompson gets a pad on the ball to make one of her nine saves in a 2-1 win over Penn Friday afternoon.

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Thompson's Career-High Nine Saves Help Princeton Past Penn 2-1 In Ivy Opener

September 23, 2022 | Field Hockey

Box Score

There are two paths into the NCAA field hockey tournament. One is the at-large path, and Princeton took a huge step in that direction with its win over Maryland Tuesday.

The other way is to get the Ivy League's automatic NCAA tournament bid. And while Princeton couldn't win that prize in its league opener against Penn Friday afternoon, it could dig itself a huge hole with a loss.

And though Penn pushed the No. 7 Tigers on Bedford Field, in the end it was goals from Beth Yeager and Sammy Popper and a career-best nine saves that made the difference in a 2-1 Princeton win.

The game was a matchup of the top two teams in Division I in strength of schedule, with Princeton No. 1 and Penn No. 2. If Princeton had to be about as good a 4-3 team as you'll see, Penn has to be the best winless team ever.

The eye-opening numbers from Penn were 5-2 (the Quakers' Ivy record last year), 4-3 (the score that Penn lost to No. 1 Northwestern by a week earlier) and 7-1 (Penn's edge in fourth quarter penalty corners). Despite that, and a 10-3 Quaker edge in fourth quarter shots, Thompson and the defense in front of her — especially Hannah Davey, Gabby Andretta, Autumn Brown and Yeager, who plays both sides of the field extraordinarily well — were up to the task.

Robyn Thompson keeps it a 2-1 Tiger lead. pic.twitter.com/XnpXQriY9T
— Princeton FH (@TigerFH) September 23, 2022

Princeton scored first, with 5:33 left in the first quarter, when Yeager scored her team-best seventh of the year, after Davey found her open in the circle off a penalty corner. After Penn tied it midway through the second quarter on a penalty stroke, Popper scored what proved to the game-winner on a great display of dribbling and finishing with 48 seconds left at the half.

Prior to this season, Thompson had never made more than seven saves in a game. Her nine saves came after she'd had eight in four of the previous five games, including the 2-1 overtime win over previously unbeaten Maryland Tuesday.

The Tigers were playing their fourth game in eight days (they'll host Lafayette Sunday at 1 to make it five in 10). Penn slipped to 0-7 with the loss, and the Quakers' last five goals have all been by a single goal.