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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Old Dominion
No. 2 Princeton Opens Season Against No. 18 ODU At UNC
September 03, 2026 | Field Hockey
Tiger Field Hockey 2026
A to Z
A – About
Princeton begins the 2026 season after an 18-4 season that included an Ivy League tournament championship and a run to the NCAA Championship Game, where the Tigers lost 2-1 in two overtimes to Northwestern.
B – Back For More
Princeton returns 10 players who started all six postseason games (four NCAA, two Ivy tournament) and 12 players who started at least two. Princeton has five players who have started every game of their careers: Anna Faulstich, Clem Houlden, Saylor Milone, Ottilie Sykes, Caitlin Thompson.
C – Crossover
Princeton opens its season in the Crossover Challenge as it has every season since 2018. Princeton went a combined 2-2 the first two seasons, 0-8 in the next four seasons and 2-2 in the last two, including a win over Old Dominion and loss to UNC in Princeton a year ago.
D – Defense
Princeton’s entire starting defense returns, with goalie Olivia Caponiti and backs Gabriella Anderson, Clem Houlden and Ottilie Sykes. Caponiti, Houlden and Sykes were all first-team All-Region selections, while Anderson and Sykes were named to the NCAA Final Four All-tournament team.
E – Ella
Ella Cashman, in her second year as a captain, was a second-team All-American a year ago. She played in the Final Four after tearing her ACL two weeks earlier in the Ivy League tournament final and is back now after undergoing surgery after last season.
F – Fresh Faces
Princeton has brought in one of the top recruiting classes in Division I field hockey, with six players in all. Lilly Cimaroli, Lizzy Trant and Reese Milone all started at least one of the two scrimmages.
G – Goalie
Olivia Caponiti started the final 21 games a year ago, earning first-team All-Region and second-team All-Ivy honors. Caponiti, who finished fourth in Division I in goals-against average (0.86), made seven saves in the NCAA championship game.
H – Home And Away
Princeton opens its season with six of its first seven games on the road, including the Sept. 26 game at Harvard. Princeton finishes the season with seven of its final nine at home.
I – Izzy
Izzy Morgan scored four goals a year ago on just 10 shots for a team-best .400 shooting percentage.
J – Just The Facts
Princeton is ranked second in the NFHCA poll. The Tigers’ schedule includes nine of the other teams currently in the Top 20, including No. 1 Northwestern, No. 3 Harvard, No. 9 UConn and No. 10 UNC. ODU moved into the rankings this week at No. 18.
K – Kids
Princeton started four freshmen (Gabriella Anderson, Saylor Milone, Caitlin Thompson, Tabby Vaughan) and four sophomores (Clem Houlden, Anna Faulstich, Pru Lindsey, Izzy Morgan) in the NCAA championship game last season.
L – Leaders
Princeton has four captains for 2026 — Olivia Caponiti, Ella Cashman, Clem Houlden and Ottilie Sykes.
M – Molly
Molly Nye has played in all 42 games the last two years without starting any. Nye, who had five goals a year ago off the bench, had three goals in Princeton’s scrimmage against the University of British Columbia.
N – Nice To See You Again
Princeton and Old Dominion have played 17 times, with the Monarchs ahead 11-6 in the series. Of those games, one was last year’s 2-1 Princeton win on Bedford Field, while the other 16 were played in an 11-year stretch between 1996 and 2006, with four NCAA tournament matchups, including a 3-2 ODU win in the 1998 championship game.
O – Ott
Ottilie Sykes has started all 59 games Princeton has played in her first three seasons. She has played every minute of 48 games.
P – Pru
Pru Lindsey is Princeton’s leading returner in both points and assists. Lindsey jumped from one goal, four assists and six points as a freshman two years ago to seven goals, 11 assists and 25 points last year.
Q – Quite Interesting
Princeton and Harvard are ranked 2-3 in the NFHCA coaches’ poll. Harvard and Princeton are ranked 1-2 in the Ivy League preseason poll.
R – Roster
Princeton has 23 players on the roster. Of those 23, there are eight internationals (all from England), eight from New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania and seven from other states.
S – Streak
Princeton began last season 4-3 and then won 14 straight games to win the Ivy tournament and reach the NCAA final. The 14-game winning streak was the longest in a single season and second-longest overall in program history.
T – Thompson
Caitlin Thompson is Princeton’s leading returning goal scorer after having eight last year as a freshman. Thompson didn’t have a goal until Game 10 and then had eight in the final 12. She also started shooting 0 for 9 and then went 8 for 25 from there.
U – UNC
Princeton is 3-17 against North Carolina, including 12 straight losses. Princeton’s last win over the Tar Heels was in the 2012 NCAA championship game.
V – Vaughan
Tabby Vaughan played in the 18 games of the regular season and Ivy League tournament; she then started all four NCAA tournament games.
W – Watchlist
Princeton has eight players on the NFHCA preseason Watchlist: Gabriella Anderson, Olivia Caponiti, Ella Cashman, Clem Houlden, Pru Lindsey, Saylor Milone, Ottilie Sykes, Caitlin Thompson.
X – Xhibitions
The Ivy League is the only Division I that has yet to play. Princeton did play two exhibition games, defeating both Monmouth and the University of British Columbia. Between those two games, Ella Cashman, Molly Nye, Ottilie Sykes, Clem Houlden and Lilly Cimaroli all had at least one goal.
Y – Yeager
Among Princeton’s graduation losses was Beth Yeager, who became the eighth Division I player ever to be a four-time first-team All-American and sixth to do so without playing in five seasons. Yeager was Princeton’s 2026 von Kienbusch Award winner as the top senior female athlete.
Z – Zinger
Princeton has not failed to reach the NCAA tournament in consecutive years since 1992-93. That streak will continue through this year, as the Tigers reached the NCAA final a year ago.
