The first game of the season is a chance for both teams to work out the kinks left over from preseason practice.
The men's water polo team has shown this weekend that it has all the pieces it needs for an outstanding season.Led by senior co-captains Robert Urquhart and Kevin Foster, the Tigers registered a 15-8 win over U.S.
If anyone thought a return trip to the Final Four would be a relatively easy task for the field hockey team, they were quickly shown otherwise in the opening weekend of competition.The Tigers opened this season with a bit of a sour taste in their mouths after dropping their first game of the season, 3-2, to Ohio on Friday.
In terms of Ivy League women's soccer, not much has changed since the end of last year's Princeton-Yale game.But even a small change can make a huge difference.Last season the women's soccer team was a dominant force in the Ivy League, losing only once in the conference on its way to a league championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.Yale was the only team to defeat Princeton during the regular season in 2001 ? the Tigers dropped a 1-0 decision to the Elis, marring an otherwise perfect campaign.This fall, armed with one of the best recruiting classes in the country, the Tigers entered their first Ivy contest of the season hoping to rewrite part of last year's story.Princeton (2-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) did just that, beating Yale (0-1, 0-1), 2-0, in New Haven.
Just as breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so is the first meet of the season an important opportunity to start things off on the right foot.The women's cross country team created the opportunity to utilize such an analogy by putting in a strong performance this past weekend in a home meet at the Princeton Battlefield.By competing well in the first meet, the Tigers gained vital confidence and practice necessary for a standout season.
For a team looking to define itself and prove that it can still do battle with the best in the nation, men's soccer had a frustrating weekend.
In anchoring the back line for the women's soccer team, Kelly Sosa has had to make a lot of tough decisions.As the last field player in front of the goalkeeper, any misstep or slight hesitation could cost her team a goal.
Similar to any other Princeton athlete, senior goalkeeper Jason White is hard working, intelligent and dedicated to his team.
The men's soccer team opens its 2002 season against Farleigh Dickinson, the school that ousted the Tigers in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament.
Women's soccer coach Julie Shackford has the sort of problem that most coaches would love to have.This year's team "is more talented than last year's," she said, "but because of our level of depth, our biggest challenge is finding the right people at the right times and getting the right chemistry on the field."With eight returning starters from last year's 14-3-2 Ivy champion team, and one of the nation's top recruiting classes, the Tigers are gunning for a third-straight Ivy title and a fourth-straight NCAA tournament bid ? which would be a program first.Their main objectives this year include winning the Ivy League outright, as opposed to sharing the title like they did last year with Penn and Dartmouth, and making at least the final sixteen ? the third round ? in the national tournament.
Coming off a 3-6 season, the football team is expected to improve, especially on offense. Tight end and place kicker will be sources of concern in the upcoming season, but nearly all other offensive positions have gained experience, while not losing major contributors. QuarterbackAt the beginning of every play this season, the ball should come into the hands of a reliable quarterback with the threat of a big play.
Harvard is the team to beat in Ivy football this year, but the team most often picked to come in right behind the Crimson is Princeton.Following a 3-6 2001 campaign, the Tigers return all skilled positions and will be in contention for the upcoming season title.
Last season was wildly successful for Princeton field hockey. The team finished third in the country and had a 2-1 second half lead over eventual champion Michigan in the national semi-final game.
Coming off an incredible season that ended in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament last year, senior goalkeeper Kelly Baril will look to lead the Tigers to a national championship this year.
Although the football team went 3-6 last season, several games were lost in the fourth quarter. Those losses can be attributed to several factors, but one of the key elements was the breakdown of defensive play.
Basketball saw two different dream teams taking on international competition this summer. One team did dreadfully poor.
"I'm not going to lose this race!" These words came from the lips of the women's lightweight crew coxswain Jennifer Carter with only a few hundred meters remaining in the season, and they rang true as the boat was able to pull out the national championship.This summer, while most of Princeton was taking a well-deserved break after spring finals, the rowers were still stroking towards their championship goals.
Once upon a time, the seventh-inning stretch meant something different. With two outs in the top of the inning, a strange energy would take over the crowd.Children began squirming in their seats, itching for the home team to retire that last batter and give way to one of baseball's most hallowed traditions.As the trademark lyrics of Take Me Out to the Ballgame blared over the stadium P.A.
While the world stopped and stared in horror at the events of Sept. 11, the student-athletes at Princeton were not given all the time to grieve and reflect that most found so important.They took President Shirley Tilghman's words to heart, returning to their normal daily practice schedule within days of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Sept. 11, 2001 began as any other day would during freshman week. I was in bed recovering from yet another . . . interesting . . . night.But it was when my girlfriend Jessica came in early from tennis practice yelling, "We're being bombed!
