Princeton University
Columbia
Top-Seed Princeton Hosts Columbia In Ivy Tournament Semifinal
November 07, 2024 | Field Hockey
PRINCETON (12-4, 7-0 Ivy League)
vs.
COLUMBIA (6-9 , 3-4 Ivy League)
Ivy League Tournament Semifinal No. 1
Friday, Nov. 8 • 11:30
Bedford Field • Princeton, N.J.
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A - About
The 2024 Princeton field hockey team has 24 players — 15 returnees from last year’s team, seven freshmen, one returnee from the 2022 team (who happened to play in the Summer Olympics this year) and one returnee from the 2022 team who was hurt one minute into Game 2 a year ago (and who happened to be the leading returning goal scorer heading into last season). There are 12 American players and 12 international players (10 from England; one each from Australia and Germany).
B – Bedford Field
Princeton’s Bedford Field will host the 2024 Ivy League field hockey tournament, by virtue of Princeton’s league championship. The semifinals match No. 1 seed Princeton against No. 4 seed Columbia Friday at 11:30 am and then No. 2 seed Harvard and No. 3 seed Brown at 2:30. The final is Sunday at noon.
C – Clem
Freshman Clem Houlden has played more minutes this season than any other field player and has played every minute of every game 12 times. Princeton was led in minutes played by a freshman last year as well, when Ottilie Sykes played every minute of every game.
D – Defense
Princeton’s defense, which has allowed an Ivy-low 19 goals this year, has allowed an average of 9.3 shots per game. A year ago Princeton’s opponents averaged 14 shots per game. Princeton also ranks 10th in Division I in goals-against (1.16).
E – Ella
Midfielder Ella Cashman was a first-team All-Ivy League selection after being a second-team selection a year ago as a freshman.
F – Freshmen
Princeton has started at least three freshmen in every game.
G – Goals For, Goals Against
Harvard and Brown rank 1-2 in the league in scoring offense. Princeton ranks fourth, followed by Columbia at seventh. Princeton (one), Harvard (two) Columbia (four) and Brown (five) are all in the top five in the league in scoring defense.
H – Honors
Princeton had eight players honored in the All-Ivy League voting of the league’s head coaches, as well as the coaching staff. The honorees: Beth Yeager, Clem Houlden and Ella Cashman were all first-team selections; Talia Schenck and Robyn Thompson were second-team selections; Grace Schulze, Anna Faulstich and Ottilie Sykes were honorable mention selections. In addition, Yeager was the unanimous Ivy Offensive Player of the Year (for the third time), Schulze was the team’s Academic All-Ivy League selection and the staff of Carla Tagliente, Dina Rizzo, Pattie Gillern and Pat Harris were the Coaching Staff of the Year.
I – Ivy League Champion
The winner of the league tournament will get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Regardless of what happens in the tournament, Princeton will be the official Ivy League champion.
J – Just Three
Princeton has started the same three on defense all season — Clem Houlden, Gracie McGowan and Ottilie Sykes. The last time Princeton had three defenders start every game in a full season was 2016.
K – Korners
Okay, penalty corners are technically spelled with a “C,” but in the statcrew program, the code is a “K.” Princeton is 15 for 103 for the season and is 12 for 66 after starting 3 for 32. Princeton’s opponents are 9 for 78. A year ago, Princeton’s opponents had a 110-86 edge in corners.
L – Lions
Princeton defeated Columbia 1-0 Beth Yeager’s goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Princeton outshot Columbia 13-2 and had a 4-2 edge in penalty corners. Columbia goalie Katie Wimmer made six saves in the game.
M – McGowan
Defender Gracie McGowan was one of three Princeton players who made the all-tournament team at last year’s Ivy tournament, along with Ottilie Sykes and Ella Cashman.
N – National Rankings
Princeton ranks 10th in the RPI at the end of the regular season (and 13th in the NFHCA coaches’ poll). Harvard is eighth in the RPI and 11th by the coaches
O – Ottilie
Ottilie Sykes is a two-time All-Ivy League selection and All-Region selection and All-Ivy tournament selection from last year.
P – Previously
The first Ivy League tournament, held a year ago at Harvard, saw the team that won the regular season matchup also win the tournament, with Princeton over Cornell and Harvard over Penn in the semifinals and Harvard over Princeton in the final. This season, Harvard has defeated Brown 4-0, Princeton has defeated Columbia 1-0, Princeton has defeated Harvard 2-1 in OT and Brown has defeated Columbia 2-1 in a shootout.
Q – Quarterly
Between Princeton and its opponents there have been 52 total goals scored this season. Of those 52 goals, there have only been six scored in the second quarter (11.5 percent).
R – Robyn
Goalie Robyn Thompson is fifth all-time at Princeton in career wins with 37 and sixth all-time at Princeton is career shutouts with 13.
S – Strength Of Schedule
Using RPI ratings, Princeton has wins over No. 6 Maryland, No. 8 Harvard and No. 17 Rutgers. Princeton’s four losses are to No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 11 Syracuse and No. 18 Penn State.
T – Titles
Princeton field hockey has won 28 Ivy League championships, which is more than the other seven league teams combined. That is also the most by any women’s team in Ivy history, one better than Harvard women’s squash.
U – University
Princeton has been ranked as the No. 1 academic university in the United States by US News and World Report for the past 14 consecutive years, including in the new rankings that came out for this year.
V – Veterans
Princeton’s senior class features six players: Clare Brennan (F), Aimee Jungfer (M), Gracie McGowan (D), Grace Schulze (F), Robyn Thompson (G), Lily Webb (F). Those six have combined for 346 games played, with 151 starts between them.
W - Wimmer
The Princeton-Columbia game will match the Ivy League's Offensive Player of the Year (the Tigers' Beth Yeager) against the Ivy League's Defensive Player of the Year (Columbia goalie Katie Wimmer). The senior from Windham, N.H., has made 122 saves this season, which is exactly twice as many as the next highest total by a league goalie (Harvard's Tessa Shahbo made 61). Plus, Wimmer's save percentage of .824 also was the best in the league. Wimmer is fourth in Division I in saves per game.
X - X factor
Beth Yeager has four overtime goals and an overtime assist in her career.
Y – Yeager
Beth Yeager notes:
* Beth Yeager leads the Ivy League in goals (15) and points (39) and is second in assists (nine). Her 39 points are at least twice as many as any other player in the league except for Brown’s Katie McCallum, and Yeager has 17 more than she does.
* Beth Yeager has 43 goals and 23 assists for her career; her 109 points ranks eighth all-time at Princeton.
* Beth Yeager has 15 goals and nine assists for the season. Only two other Princeton players have reached those numbers in the same season in the last 20 years: (Clara Roth, Katie Reinprect twice).
Z – Zinging
Princeton has won six straight games after starting the season 6-4.
