Rutgers, Army Ahead for Women's Soccer Team Following Strong Opening Weekend

Thursday, August 31

Princeton, N.J.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

Rutgers

Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC

Rutgers, Army Ahead for Women's Soccer Team Following Strong Opening Weekend

August 28, 2023 | Women's Soccer

Off to a 2-0 start for the third straight season and the seventh time in eight competitive seasons under head coach Sean Driscoll, the Princeton women's soccer team will look to build on that this weekend, hosting Rutgers on Thursday and Army West Point on Saturday.

Admission is free to all regular-season home Princeton soccer games.

vs. Rutgers, Thu., 7 p.m. | ESPN+ & NBC Sports Philadelphia | Live Stats | Game Program | Fan Information
vs. Army West Point, Sat., 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Program | Fan Information

Strong Start: Princeton is 2-0 for the third straight season and seventh time in eight competitive seasons under head coach Sean Driscoll. Princeton has been 3-0 five times under Driscoll (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) and 4-0 twice (2016, 2017). Princeton is home for the first four games of the season, the first time that has happened since 2012, a season that also saw Princeton play its first four at home before heading out on the road.

The Goal Scorers: Five players contributed to Princeton's eight goals from the first weekend with seven goals coming from non-seniors and five of the eight from rookies or second-year players. Sophomore Pietra Tordin, the Ivy Offensive Player of the Week and reiging Ivy Rookie of the Year, scored three goals, while rookie Kayla Wong had two. Juniors Lily Bryant and Kate Toomey had one apiece and senior Lexi Hiltunen had one. Wong is the first Tiger freshman since Tyler Lussi '17 in 2013 to score goals in each of her first two games with the program, and if she scores again on Thursday, it'd make her the first Tiger freshman since Kristina Fontanez '05 in 2001 to score in each of her first three games with the program.

Between the Posts: Junior Tyler McCamey played 150 of the 180 minutes in goal over the first weekend, facing one shot on goal against Monmouth and none in 60 minutes against La Salle before rookie Cecilia Cerone took over. It's the first time since 2018 that Princeton has started the season with two shutouts. That year, the Tigers' season-starting shutout streak went 293:05 before giving up a goal in the fourth game of the year against N.C. State.

The Staff: Head coach Sean Driscoll started at Princeton in 2015 and begins his eighth competitive season (excluding 2020) leading the team. In that time, Driscoll has been named Ivy League Coach of the Year three times (2015, 2017, 2018), has led the team to its last three Ivy League titles (2015, 2017, 2018), and has led the team to its last four NCAA tournament bids (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021). His 85 wins are second-most in program history and behind only predecessor Julie Shackford's 203 over 20 seasons (1995-2014). Associate Head Coach Mike Poller has been with Driscoll the entire time, and assistant coach Chris Duggan, who trains the goalkeepers, is in his second year with the program.

The Series vs. Rutgers: Rutgers leads the all-time series with Princeton 18-11-4. The Scarlet Knights won 3-0 last year in Piscataway after the Tigers won the year before, also at Rutgers, 4-3 with Rutgers ranked No. 9 in the nation in both of those games. Current seniors Sam Kroeger (two) and Allison Lowrey (one) scored the three goals against Princeton in 2022. All of the goal scorers from the 2021 game are back as well, with Riley Tiernan scoring two and Allison Lynch one for Rutgers, and Heather MacNab two and Madison Curry and Lily Bryant one each for Princeton. Tyler McCamey is the only current goalkeeper to have played in the series, going the distance in the 2022 game for Princeton.

On Rutgers: Rutgers enters the game with Princeton at 2-1-1. Monday's 7-0 win over FDU broke a two-game winless run for the Scarlet Knights, who opened with a 2-0 win over Holy Cross before a 1-0 loss to Hofstra and a 1-1 tie against N.C. State. Five Scarlet Knights have scored goals this season with senior Allison Lowrey having scored five of the team's 10 goals on the season. Olivia Bodmer has played most of the minutes in goal, allowing both goals Rutgers has conceded and accruing an 0.55 GAA.

The Series vs. Army West Point: Princeton leads the all-time series with the Black Knights 5-4, but the teams haven't played since 2015, which came in Princeton. The teams first met in 1983, with Princeton winning, then met annually from 1993-97, with Army winning four of five, and then again annually from 2013-15, with Princeton sweeping the three games.

On Army West Point: The Black Knights enter the week looking for their first win, heading into Thursday's visit to UConn at 0-3-1. The team started with three straight on the road, a 2-0 loss to UNC Greensboro, a 1-1 tie at Wake Forest, and a 1-0 loss at Wagner before coming home for a 3-2 loss to Auburn. Three players - Brigid Duffy, Jordan Follenweider and Jasmine Talley, have split the team's three goals, and Sage Strohman has played all 360 minutes in goal, holding a 1.75 GAA.