Late Sunday night, the NCAA selection committee awarded the Princeton field hockey team (10-7 overall, 5-2 Ivy) an At-Large bid to the post-season tournament. Following two unusual losses to Cornell and No. 20 Harvard late in the season, a clutch Senior-Day victory over rival Penn (11-6, 4-3) this past Saturday saved the Tigers from missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years.
Pressure mounted on the Tigers heading into the last match of the regular season. After losing to both Harvard and Cornell by a score of 3-2 in the prior two weeks, the Tigers knew that Saturday was a must-win situation — the Tigers had not lost two consecutive Ivy matches in over a decade. Tied for second place in Ivy League rankings, Penn and Princeton both understood that the winner would emerge as a likely NCAA At-Large candidate.
To handle the high stakes, senior captain Cat Caro said, “We just focused on our basics and playing simple hockey. We wanted to just stay composed and really focus for the entire 70 minutes. I think helping us stay composed was we all were staying positive and backing each other.”
Speaking of positive support, many of the team’s parents and friends attended Saturday’s match as part of a Senior Day occasion. At the end of this season, the Tigers will graduate a small senior class consisting of striker Cat Caro, midfielder Ellen Dobrijevic, and back Hailey Reeves.
In perfect timing, it was the team’s seniors that led the Tigers to victory over Penn. Scoring the first goal of the game, Dobrijevic gave the Orange and Black an early lead of an assist from sophomore striker Sophia Tornetta five minutes into the match.
Penn would score its lone goal of the match a few minutes later but, thereafter, the Tigers unleashed an offensive onslaught. Junior Rachel Park, freshman Maddie Bacskai, junior Ryan McCarthy, Dobrijevic, and Caro all scored after the lone Penn goal to overwhelm the Quakers. In addition, Princeton displayed brilliant defense by limiting Penn to just five shots compared to the Tiger’s 18. The combined effort of the team successfully nudged Princeton into NCAA contention, per Sunday’s announcement.
Looking ahead, Princeton will face a mighty foe in No. 4 Penn State (17-2 overall) for the first round of the tournament. Penn State will host Princeton on Nov. 12 at 11:30 a.m. The winner of the match will then compete against the University of Virginia or Michigan.
Heading into the tournament, the Tigers are fully aware of the challenges to come in the NCAA tournament. Having played a difficult out of conference schedule earlier this year that featured the likes of No. 5 North Carolina, No. 3 Maryland, and No. 1 Duke, Princeton is no stranger to the country’s most elite programs. Caro explained that, “We [the Tigers] have played so many tough opponents this season so when facing them for a second time or similar caliber opponents, we know what to expect.”
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