No. 9 Louisville Holds Off No. 13 Princeton 2-1

Sunday, September 4

Chapel Hill, N.C.

11:00 AM

Princeton University

(0-2)

Louisville

(4-0)

Princeton

Louisville

Photo by: Brian McWalters

September 04, 2022 | Field Hockey

Box Score

If the Princeton field hockey goal was to be undefeated on Labor Day, then the early-season schedule would have been much different. If the goal for the Tigers is to be playing its best as the season moves along, then the scheduling was just perfect.

As always, No. 13 Princeton will be playing the best of the best in college field hockey, and that doesn't always lend itself to a great early-season record. The Tigers fell to 0-2 on the young season with a 2-1 loss to No. 9 Louisville Sunday in Chapel Hill, completing an opening weekend that began with a 4-3 loss to No. 2 North Carolina Friday.

Louisville scored first, with a little more than three minutes left in the first half, and Princeton goalie Robyn Thompson kept it a 1-0 game at the break with a big save just before the second quarter ended. For the second straight year, the difference was a goal by the Cardinals' Mattie Tabor, who put in the game-winner in overtime at Princeton last season. This time, she scored in the third quarter to make it a 2-0 Louisville lead, but for the second-straight game Princeton fought to the final seconds.

Ali McCarthy banged in a rebound off a save on a penalty corner with 6:09 to play making it 2-1. Princeton swarmed from there but, similarly to the game against UNC Friday, the Tigers were unable to get the tying goal.

The schedule doesn't get any easier, as the Tigers play their home opener against No. 10 Syracuse Friday at 4 on Bedford Field, with a short trip to Rutgers Sunday, Sept. 11. After that, there will be three more home games, against No. 17 Delaware, No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Maryland before the Ivy opener Sept. 23 against Penn.