No. 10 field hockey defeats No. 1 Northwestern in a rematch of last year’s championship game

No. 10 field hockey (8–4 overall, 3–1 Ivy League) went undefeated for a second straight week, earning wins against Dartmouth (3–8, 1–3) and Northwestern (13–1, 4–0), avenging their loss from the national championship the year prior. 

After defeating them in the regular season in 2025, the Tigers fell to the Wildcats in the paramount match in sudden death overtime. This Sunday, after defeating an Ivy League foe two days earlier, Princeton would be the one to capitalize in extra time. 

Princeton downs Dartmouth at home 4–0 to open up the weekend.

From the get-go it was all Tigers. The Big Green did not record a single shot during the entire 60 minute contest. Princeton, on the other side of things, recorded 27 shot attempts at Bedford Field. Regardless, the first quarter ended 0–0.

“It took us a bit to get going,” head coach Carla Tagliente told The Daily Princetonian. “They’re not the easiest games to play when they pack the 25 in so we put a focus on drawing a lot of corners and getting opportunities.”

By the second quarter, that offensive pressure allowed Princeton to find the back of the cage. The Tiger first-years came up big against the Big Green. It was first-year midfielder Lilly Cimaroli who started the scoring party, tipping the ball from junior forward Pru Lindsey right past Dartmouth’s goaltender to make it 1–0. It was Cimaroli’s first-ever goal. 

Princeton wasn’t done after that. Lindsey added to her game statistics by scoring one of her own in the second to put the Tigers up 2–0 going into halftime. The goal came off a Princeton corner at 2:23 left in the first half. 

Princeton didn’t let up once the halftime huddles were done. 

Junior forward Molly Nye was the third quarter hero for the Tigers. She scored off a cross from sophomore forward Caitlin Thompson. That made the game 3–0. 

Getting one first year their first-ever goal was fun for the Tigers; you could see the excitement exude off Cimaroli as she became airborne once her redirect clanged against the cage. But what about getting two first-years their first-ever career goals? That would be double the fun. 

The other first year to score their first career goal was midfielder Reese Milone, the only first-year to start in every game this season. 

Milone dribbled into the circle and made her goal look effortless by dishing it into the opposite side of the cage. 

“It’s great to get my first one in,” Milone said after the game. “I got the ball on the sideline and I took the baseline. I saw an opening on the opposite side and pushed it in.”

“About time!” Tagliente added about Milone’s first goal. “She’s been so close in so many of these games.”

Milone’s goal would end the Tiger scoring and the game.

“We all have Northwestern on the back of our minds,” Milone said after the game. “We wanted to play today like we want to on Sunday. We want to play every game like it’s Northwestern.”

No. 10 field hockey defeats No. 1 Northwestern in a rematch of last year’s championship game.

In a rematch from last year’s NCAA Championship Game, No. 10 Princeton handed undefeated No. 1 Northwestern its first loss of the season in a 2–1 overtime victory in the rain at Bedford Field. 

Northwestern scored first, but not until 11 minutes into the third quarter, converting on their fifth straight penalty corner of that sequence to take the 1–0 lead. 

It was a back and forth game for the rest of the third quarter, well into the fourth until a foul during a Princeton corner resulted in a penalty stroke for the Tigers. 

With the Tigers down by one, and just under two minutes left on the clock, Linsdey stepped up to the penalty spot. Lindsey took a beat before burying the ball in the right side of the goal, equalizing the playing field and breathing new life into the Tigers as regulation ended. 

“Honestly, our team's so talented,” Lindsey said to the 'Prince.' “We have many (penalty) strokers. So it's very much listen to what coach says and put it in the net. And job has to be done at the end of the day. So we got it done.”

The Tigers rode the late-goal momentum into the first overtime period when nine minutes in, Princeton converted on their second corner in a row. Lindsey inserted the ball from the baseline, the initial strike from junior midfield Clem Houlden was deflected by a Wildcat defender, and the ball bobbled around near the goal until it was cashed in by senior midfield Ella Cashman, completing the late comeback. 

And Cash with the winner!!! Down goes No. 1!!! https://t.co/vvBxOY9Hjp

— Princeton FH (@TigerFH) October 11, 2026

In reference to the come-from-behind victory, Lindsey credited the team atmosphere.

“We had a great halftime locker room,” Linsey said. “Like the energy's so high, we're really good this season at coming back. So the energy was just it was there, and the team, we fought through, and we knew we could put one in the net.”

This result brought Princeton to 8–4 on the season and dropped Northwestern to 13–1, giving the Wildcats their first tally in the loss column since last year’s regular season loss to the Tigers. 

Princeton will return to Ivy League action this Friday in an evening game against Cornell (5–6, 3–1 Ivy League) in Ithaca. 

Emilia Reay is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’

Kaden Hammond is a Sports reporter-in-training for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.