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Field Hockey
Tagliente, Carla
Carla Tagliente
- Title:
- Head Field Hockey Coach
- Email:
- ctag@princeton.edu
- Phone:
- 609-258-4976
Carla Tagliente is in her ninth season as head coach for the field hockey team. Her tenure has seen her take the Tigers to one NCAA championship game, three NCAA Final Fours and five NCAA tournaments.
Tagliente has coached 79 All-Ivy League selections and 17 All-Americans in her first eight seasons. She has consistently had her team ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
Her 2022 team went 7-0 in the Ivy League and gave the program its most recent trip to the NCAA tournament while she was named the Ivy Coach of the Year. The 2023 season saw a Princeton team that was depleted by gap years and injuries reach the championship game of the first Ivy League tournament, falling on a goal in the final minute.
During the 2019 season that saw Princeton go 16-5 overall, the Tigers registered a 13-game winning streak which was the program's second longest streak ever. Princeton went on to win the Ivy League title and reach the National Championship Game for the fourth time ever. The Tigers had three All-Americans, five All-Regional players and seven All-Ivy selections. Tagliente was also honored as Ivy League Coach of the Year while her staff was also named Spiideo/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Tigers finished 15-5 in 2018 and reached the NCAA Final Four for the second time in three years. Princeton hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009, defeating No. 13 Virginia and No. 6 Harvard before falling to No. 2 Maryland in the National Semifinal. More than half of their victories (eight) came against ranked opponents, leading them to be named the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers had three All-Americans, five All-Region players and eight All-Ivy selections. Clara Roth was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Year while Elise Wong was selected as Ivy Defensive Player of the Year.
Princeton won 12 games for the second straight season, winning the Ivy League title in 2017. The Tigers reached the NCAA quarterfinals after a thrilling double-overtime victory over No. 5 Virginia on the road in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. During the year, Princeton defeated five ranked teams and had six players named to All-Region status. Maddie Bacskai and Ryan McCarthy were selected as All-Americans, each player’s first All-America honor.
Her first season with Princeton (12-8) was a magical one as the team received its first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history en route to a Final Four berth. The Tigers took down two top-10 teams in the NCAA Tournament on their way to to their seventh Final Four appearance and Tagliente's first as a coach. Princeton finished with five players on the all-region teams highlighted by Cat Caro's sparkling All-American campaign.
Tagliente, formerly of UMass for five seasons, was named the head coach of Princeton field hockey, Mollie Marcoux ’91, the Ford Family Director of Athletics, announced in June of 2016.
Between 2012-15, Tagliente helped UMass to 57 victories, the sixth-most among all NCAA Division I field hockey programs during that period. That stretch included three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, three Atlantic 10 championship titles and 10 victories over nationally ranked foes. During that time, she was awarded A-10 Coach of the Year and National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association (NFHCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors twice each.
The most successful season for UMass came in 2013, when Tagliente led her team to the NCAA quarterfinals and the most wins it had in a single season since 2000. UMass was 19-5 that season, with an A-10 title and a win over Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
During her five-year tenure at UMass, Tagliente compiled a 64-44 record overall and 30-6 conference mark. She had 53 players named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad, 17 NFHCA All-Region players and five All-Americas.
Prior to her time at UMass, Tagliente spent eight years in the Big Ten Conference, where she was associate head coach at Northwestern in 2009-10, an assistant coach at Michigan from 2006-08 and an assistant at Iowa in 2003-05. Before that, the new Princeton head coach was a volunteer at her alma mater, Maryland, in 2001-02.
As a player at Maryland, Tagliente was a three-time first-team NFHCA All-American (1998-2000) and earned a third-team distinction as a freshman in 1997. A two-time finalist for the Honda Broderick Award, Tagliente was a member of Maryland’s 1999 NCAA championship team, and she held the school records for career goals (87) and points (187) until 2010.
While at Maryland, Tagliente spent time with the U.S. national team, eventually playing in 78 international games at the highest level while scoring five goals. She helped lead Team USA to silver medals at the 1999 Pan American Games and the 2001 Americas Cup, while also competing in the 2002 World Cup. In her first season with the U.S. National Team in 1997, Tagliente was named USFHA Female Athlete of the Year.
Off the field, Tagliente was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America (1999-2001), including a first-team pick in her final two seasons, and was selected to the NFHCA National Academic Squad all four years. She was also picked for the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference's prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship in addition to graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Tagliente has earned her Level III coaching accreditation, and in 2010, was named head coach of the USA Field Hockey U-19 Team. Following a long international playing career, she stayed involved with the USA Field Hockey program as coach of the illustrious A-Camp and the High Performance Center Midwest Regional Team.
The Cortland, N.Y. native graduated from Maryland in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing and delivered the commencement address for Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Tagliente continued her graduate education at the University of Michigan and earned an MBA with high distinction from the Ross School of Business.
* - Time at Massachusetts
Tagliente has coached 79 All-Ivy League selections and 17 All-Americans in her first eight seasons. She has consistently had her team ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
Her 2022 team went 7-0 in the Ivy League and gave the program its most recent trip to the NCAA tournament while she was named the Ivy Coach of the Year. The 2023 season saw a Princeton team that was depleted by gap years and injuries reach the championship game of the first Ivy League tournament, falling on a goal in the final minute.
During the 2019 season that saw Princeton go 16-5 overall, the Tigers registered a 13-game winning streak which was the program's second longest streak ever. Princeton went on to win the Ivy League title and reach the National Championship Game for the fourth time ever. The Tigers had three All-Americans, five All-Regional players and seven All-Ivy selections. Tagliente was also honored as Ivy League Coach of the Year while her staff was also named Spiideo/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Tigers finished 15-5 in 2018 and reached the NCAA Final Four for the second time in three years. Princeton hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009, defeating No. 13 Virginia and No. 6 Harvard before falling to No. 2 Maryland in the National Semifinal. More than half of their victories (eight) came against ranked opponents, leading them to be named the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers had three All-Americans, five All-Region players and eight All-Ivy selections. Clara Roth was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Year while Elise Wong was selected as Ivy Defensive Player of the Year.
Princeton won 12 games for the second straight season, winning the Ivy League title in 2017. The Tigers reached the NCAA quarterfinals after a thrilling double-overtime victory over No. 5 Virginia on the road in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. During the year, Princeton defeated five ranked teams and had six players named to All-Region status. Maddie Bacskai and Ryan McCarthy were selected as All-Americans, each player’s first All-America honor.
Her first season with Princeton (12-8) was a magical one as the team received its first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history en route to a Final Four berth. The Tigers took down two top-10 teams in the NCAA Tournament on their way to to their seventh Final Four appearance and Tagliente's first as a coach. Princeton finished with five players on the all-region teams highlighted by Cat Caro's sparkling All-American campaign.
Tagliente, formerly of UMass for five seasons, was named the head coach of Princeton field hockey, Mollie Marcoux ’91, the Ford Family Director of Athletics, announced in June of 2016.
Between 2012-15, Tagliente helped UMass to 57 victories, the sixth-most among all NCAA Division I field hockey programs during that period. That stretch included three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, three Atlantic 10 championship titles and 10 victories over nationally ranked foes. During that time, she was awarded A-10 Coach of the Year and National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association (NFHCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors twice each.
The most successful season for UMass came in 2013, when Tagliente led her team to the NCAA quarterfinals and the most wins it had in a single season since 2000. UMass was 19-5 that season, with an A-10 title and a win over Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
During her five-year tenure at UMass, Tagliente compiled a 64-44 record overall and 30-6 conference mark. She had 53 players named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad, 17 NFHCA All-Region players and five All-Americas.
Prior to her time at UMass, Tagliente spent eight years in the Big Ten Conference, where she was associate head coach at Northwestern in 2009-10, an assistant coach at Michigan from 2006-08 and an assistant at Iowa in 2003-05. Before that, the new Princeton head coach was a volunteer at her alma mater, Maryland, in 2001-02.
As a player at Maryland, Tagliente was a three-time first-team NFHCA All-American (1998-2000) and earned a third-team distinction as a freshman in 1997. A two-time finalist for the Honda Broderick Award, Tagliente was a member of Maryland’s 1999 NCAA championship team, and she held the school records for career goals (87) and points (187) until 2010.
While at Maryland, Tagliente spent time with the U.S. national team, eventually playing in 78 international games at the highest level while scoring five goals. She helped lead Team USA to silver medals at the 1999 Pan American Games and the 2001 Americas Cup, while also competing in the 2002 World Cup. In her first season with the U.S. National Team in 1997, Tagliente was named USFHA Female Athlete of the Year.
Off the field, Tagliente was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America (1999-2001), including a first-team pick in her final two seasons, and was selected to the NFHCA National Academic Squad all four years. She was also picked for the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference's prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship in addition to graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Tagliente has earned her Level III coaching accreditation, and in 2010, was named head coach of the USA Field Hockey U-19 Team. Following a long international playing career, she stayed involved with the USA Field Hockey program as coach of the illustrious A-Camp and the High Performance Center Midwest Regional Team.
The Cortland, N.Y. native graduated from Maryland in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing and delivered the commencement address for Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Tagliente continued her graduate education at the University of Michigan and earned an MBA with high distinction from the Ross School of Business.
| Year |
Overall Record |
Conf. Record |
Conf. Finish |
All. Conf |
All-Reg. |
All-Amer. |
Post Season Note |
| 2024 | 13-5 | 7-0 | 1st | 8 | NCAA Tournament | ||
| 2023 | 8-9 | 4-2 | T-2nd | 7 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 13-5 | 7-0 | 1st | 10 | 3 | 2 | NCAA Tournament |
| 2021 | 10-7 | 6-1 | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 16-5 | 7-0 | 1st | 7 | 5 | 3 | National Runner-up |
| 2018 | 15-5 | 6-1 | 2nd | 8 | 5 | 3 | NCAA Final Four |
| 2017 | 12-7 | 7-0 | 1st | 9 | 6 | 2 | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2016 | 12-8 | 5-2 | 2nd | 5 | 5 | 1 | NCAA Final Four |
| 2015* | 12-9 | 5-3 | T-2nd | 3 | 3 | 1 | A-10 Tournament Champion |
| 2014* | 11-10 | 7-1 | 1st | 6 | 2 | 1 | A-10 Championship Game |
| 2013* | 19-5 | 7-0 | 1st | 5 | 6 | 2 | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2012* | 15-9 | 6-1 | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 1 | A-10 Tournament Champion |
| 2011* | 7-11 | 5-1 | T-1st | 6 | 2 | 0 | A-10 Tournament Semifinals |
| Totals | 165-95 | 77-12 | 87 | 46 | 17 | 3 NCAA Final Fours 8 NCAA Tournaments |
| Carla Tagliente's Coaching Honors and Highlights |
| • Led Princeton to the 2019 National Championship game. |
| • Reached the NCAA Tournament eight times (2012-13, 2015-19, 2022) including three Final Fours (2016, 2018-19) |
| • Two-time NFHCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year (2012, 2013) |
| * 2022 Ivy League Coach of the Year |
| • 2019 Spiideo/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year |
| • 2017 and 2019 Ivy League Coach of the Year |
| • Two-time Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year (2012, 2013) |
| • Three Atlantic 10 Tournament Titles (2012, 2013, 2014) |
| • 14 NFHCA All-Americans including nine during her time at Princeton. |
| • 10 Conference Player of the Year winners, seven with UMass and three at Princeton. |
| • 32 victories over NFHCA Top-20 teams |
| • Has coached 62 All-Conference players, 41 All-Region players and 15 All-Americans. |
| • 87 NFHCA National Academic Squad honorees |
| • Coached Ellen Dobrijevic '17, the first Princeton player to win the NCAA Elite 90 Award. |
Princeton Athletics 2023-24 Highlights
Tuesday, June 04
Reflections from the Princeton Athletics Class of 2023
Friday, June 02
Field Hockey Senior Day 2022
Wednesday, November 02
Highlights from 2022 Gary Walters ’67 PVC Awards Banquet
Wednesday, June 22
