No. 3 field hockey routs Brown, looks ahead to No. 11 Harvard

On Alumni Day, No. 3 Princeton field hockey (11–3 overall, 4–0 Ivy League) bested the Brown Bears (4–8, 0–4) in a dominating 8–0 win.

After moving up to No. 3 in the nation with an impressive defeat of the UConn Huskies, the Tigers showed they have no plans to let go of their spot. The Tigers got on the scoreboard just 1:50 into the game as senior fullback Annabeth Donovan picked up a loose ball in front of the goal and sent it home. She was one of five different Princeton players to score during the match.

It was a career day for sophomore midfielder Julianna Tornetta, who scored three goals to have her first hat trick in a Princeton jersey. Her first tally was blast off a corner, assisted by sophomore striker Clara Roth and senior fullback Elise Wong. Tornetta added another in the first half as junior midfielder MaryKate Neff found her open in the circle. Her final score was a successful penalty shot with only four minutes left to play. First-years Hannah Davey, a midfielder, and Ali McCarthy, a striker, also added goals to make the it a 5–0 game at the half.

Roth continued her stellar play up front, putting through her 10th goal of the season to get Princeton started in the second half. McCarthy also continued a hot streak, making Saturday her second consecutive multi-goal game after collecting her own rebound and getting it past the Brown goalie with 20 minutes left to play. McCarthy credited her successes to “the effort and support of [her] teammates.”

“The intensity is much greater than it was in high school so it was been really fun,” she said, regarding the season so far.

Princeton’s eight goals were the most the team has scored in a game since last year’s meeting with the Bears, an 11–1 win. They also held the opponent without a shot for the first time in two years, making it a very slow afternoon for junior goalkeeper Grace Baylis. The Tigers finished the game leading 29–0 in shots on goal.

The Tigers are now on a six-game winning streak that they hope to extend this Saturday against No. 11 Harvard (12–1, 4–0). The Crimson have won nine in a row and are coming off their own eight-goal performance in a win over Cornell.

Junior fullback Carlotta von Gierke said the Harvard game is a regular-season matchup the team always works toward.

“We are going to play them on home turf this year and we are very excited to face them, especially given how strong our team has been so far,” she noted. She said that the meeting of the two remaining undefeated teams in the Ivy League will no doubt be decisive.

McCarthy detailed Princeton’s plans prior to the meeting with Harvard.

“We know we can’t take any game lightly, and that they always give us a good game,” she said.

Game time is set for 12 p.m. on Oct. 20. Come out to support your Tigers in their quest to remain undefeated and capture a regular-season Ivy League title.