Field hockey takes on Penn State in first round of NCAA tournament

After annihilating Penn 9-0 last weekend and topping off another undefeated Ivy season, the field hockey team (13-3 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) officially became conference champs for the seventh straight season. The title gave the Tigers an automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA Division I field hockey tournament.

In an Internet broadcast Tuesday, tournament officials announced the 16-team bracket. Princeton will be heading to College Park, Md., on Thursday in preparation for its match tomorrow at 2 p.m. The Tigers will face Penn State (17-5, 5-1 Big Ten).

Tomorrow's game will be the Tigers' second meeting with the Lady Lions this year. Princeton easily defeated then-No. 5 Penn State, 3-1, at 1952 Stadium on Oct. 22. With an early lead established by sophomore attack Ilvy Friebe, the Tigers were able to dominate the second half and come away with an easy win.

"I definitely don't think it will be an easy win this time round," Friebe said. "It's always harder to beat a team you've already defeated."

Too close to call

Princeton will be facing a team very close in the rankings in the first round of the tournament. The Tigers are currently No. 6, while Penn State is No. 7.

Penn State boasts a strong defensive line that has allowed only 26 goals this year. When the Lady Lions faced Princeton, however, the Tigers outshot them, 21-9.

"We have definitely improved incredibly, both offensively and defensively," sophomore defender Emily Townsend said.

While Princeton has devoted itself to increasing its shots on goal total, it must now focus its attention on defense. Senior captain and forward Hilary Matson, who was recently named Ivy League Player of the Year, will have to use her quick stick skills and speed in order to pace the Tigers' transition game.

"We do have a difficult seed," head coach Beth Bozman said. "Teams that are so closely ranked don't usually see each other in the first round. This doesn't usually happen, yet we're not the only ones in the position."

Aside from lacking the home-field advantage when it last faced Princeton, Penn State was also missing key starters. Junior forward Kiley Kulina and freshman mid-fielder Neilye Stoner had both suffered injuries in the Lady Lions' game against Michigan two days before.

While Stoner will be out for the remainder of the season due to a shattered thumb, Kulina hopes to recover from a broken foot in order to play in the NCAA tournament. Senior defender Mandy Robinson, who fractured her hip earlier this season, is also hoping to see some time on the field this weekend.

On the prospect of having Kulina and Robinson back in the game Saturday, Friebe said: "Two people can't win a game. But playing them again is definitely not going to be easy."

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Saturday at 11 a.m, Maryland will host No. 20 New Hampshire. The winner of this game will advance to second round action Sunday where it will battle the winner of Princeton's game.

"We're psyched about this weekend. We're also upset [about the tough draw]," Friebe said. "But that's another reason to go out and play harder."

Princeton's bracket includes No. 3 Maryland, the defending NCAA champions. In an early-season contest, the Terrapins topped the Tigers, 2-0. Princeton's three losses have come at the hands of the tournament's top three seeds — Old Dominion, No. 2 North Carolina and Maryland.

"Maryland's a really tough team," Townsend said. "They're very strong, especially when they have home court advantage. But for us, I don't think playing on the road will make a difference."

Old Dominion received the No. 1 seed in the tournament, while North Carolina, Maryland and Wake Forest finished off the remaining top four spots. In addition to Princeton, Penn State, New Hampshire and those four teams, the tournament will also include Connecticut, Virginia, Harvard, Michigan, William and Mary, Kent, Massachusetts, Boston University and Stanford.