Weekend Review: September 29

Football @ Bucknell: W 56–23

Princeton football travelled to Bucknell for its first road game of the season and came away with a 33-point lead and two new entries in the school record book. Senior quarterback Kevin Davidson broke the Princeton record for touchdown passes in a game with seven, and senior receiver Andrew Griffin tied the Princeton record for touchdown receptions in a game with four. Davidson completed 29 of 37 passes for 381 yards to go along with his touchdowns, and Griffin hauled in nine catches for 200 yards. On defense, junior defensive back Sultaan Shabazz and first-year defensive lineman James Stagg recorded their first career interceptions, and senior defensive back T.J. Floyd and junior linebacker James Johnson led Princeton with nine tackles each.

Women’s soccer vs. Yale: L 1–0

In their first Ivy League game of the season, women’s soccer was defeated at home by Yale. The Tigers were unable to retaliate after Yale scored in the 17th minute. Despite outshooting Yale 14–13, Princeton just couldn’t get one past the Bulldogs’ keeper. Women’s soccer has been the Ivy League champion for the past two years, and each of those victories included one loss during Ivy League play. Two years ago it was against Columbia, last year it was against Brown, and this year it could be just against Yale. If the team loses another, however, they will be all but eliminated from a chance of a three-peat. The team takes on Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. this Saturday.

Women’s volleyball vs. Penn: W 3–0

Princeton women’s volleyball started off Ivy League play with a big 3–0 sweep against Penn on Friday night. The first set was a battle between both teams, with neither gaining more than a two-point lead for the entire first half. A service ace by senior outside and right side hitter Devon Peterkin put the Tigers up three points against the Quakers. The Tigers eventually advanced their lead to five points, eventually taking a 25–20 win. Penn took a heavy lead against Princeton in the second with a 11–6 score. The Tigers battled back, scoring 9 of the 13 next points to put the teams at an even 15-all. The score was tied six more times before Princeton took the second set. The Tigers held a big lead against the Quakers for most of the third set, rallying off the final five points to finish out the sweep.

Field hockey @ Dartmouth: W 4–0

In the Tigers’ first Ivy League matchup of the season, no. 10 field hockey put an end to its three-game losing streak with a commanding 4–0 victory against Dartmouth. Just six minutes in, junior striker Clara Roth turned a loose ball rebound into the game’s first goal. She didn’t look back, recording two assists and three more shots on goal before the clock wound down. First-year midfielder Sammy Popper also mounted an impressive performance with two goals and seven shots. Sophomore striker Ali McCarthy also scored for the Tigers and junior midfielder Julianna Tornetta recorded two assists. Princeton’s defense proved equally strong; during the entirety of the game, they only allowed four shots from the Big Green, compared to the Tigers’ whopping 24. Field hockey will venture south this Tuesday to take on No. 12 Delaware.

Men’s water polo @ MPSF Invitational: L 14–6, L 15–13, W 12–10, L 8–5

No. 14 Princeton men’s water polo travelled to Los Angeles this weekend for four games at the MPSF Invitational. Their tournament started off with a lopsided loss against No. 5 USC on Friday, and on Saturday the team lost its second game of the tournament 15–13 to another ranked opponent, No. 13 Loyola Marymount. The Tigers earned their only win of the tournament against Air Force on Saturday afternoon. Princeton held off a late slew of shots from Air Force to secure a 12–10 win. Princeton dropped its final game on the West Coast 8–5 to Pomona-Pitzer. The Tigers start Northeast Water Polo Conference play next weekend with home games against Harvard, Brown, and MIT.

Players of the Weekend

Kevin Davidson, football, (2020): In his third career start, Davidson broke the school record for touchdown passes in a game with seven. He completed 29 of 37 passes for 381 yards.