Women's basketball team begins its Ivy League season

The women's basketball team has been on a hot streak as of late, winning seven games in a row. On Saturday in Philadelphia, the Tigers will kick off their Ivy League season against Penn.

Off to a 12-2 start, Princeton posted a series of impressive victories over the winter break. The winning streak will certainly give the team momentum heading into its first Ancient Eight contest.

Both offensively and defensively, the Tigers have been solid. This season, Princeton is averaging 71.9 points per game. The team is holding its opponents to 54.4 points per contest. Freshman forward Niveen Rasheed leads Princeton's offensive charge with 16.8 points per game. She is also averaging a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per matchup. She is also the five-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week.

Penn is currently 1-11 overall. The Quakers may have a difficult time stopping the Tigers. But Princeton knows that it can take nothing for granted.

"They won't care about their record; they won't care about our record," head coach Courtney Banghart told The Daily Princetonian. "We're 0-0 in league play, and that's what matters."

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Big Weekend for Sports

What a great weekend for Princeton sports. As I sit here in my hotel room in North Carolina, I regret the fact that I can't see the men's soccer team play tonight. But tomorrow, I have the great opportunity and privilege to see the field hockey team play in the Final Four.

Tonight at 7 p.m. at Roberts Stadium, the men's soccer team takes on Bucknell in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. This is Princeton's first appearance in the tourney since 2001. The Ivy League is well represented in this year's tournament: Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth are also competing. Recently, four of Princeton's five starting defenders earned All-Ivy honors. No doubt, solid defense will be crucial in tonight's matchup.

Tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Winston-Salem, NC, the No. 4 field hockey team will battle against No. 1 Maryland in the Final Four. Earlier this season, the Terrapins narrowly defeated the Tigers by a 3-2 margin in overtime. To be sure, Princeton has improved its overall game since that matchup on October 7.

This season, the Tigers have displayed consistency on both offense and defense. Recently, sophomore midfielder Katie Reinprecht and freshman midfielder Julia Reinprecht were named Ivy League Player of the Year and Ivy League Rookie of the Year, respectively. Princeton will look to the Reinprecht sisters to jumpstart the offense at Kentner Stadium tomorrow.

That's all for now. Good luck to both the men's soccer team and the field hockey team. Go Tigers!

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On Tap this Weekend: Men's Soccer vs. Yale; Field Hockey vs. Stanford

Tonight at Roberts Stadium, the men's soccer team takes on Yale in an important contest that has league-wide implications. Tomorrow, at Class of 1952 Stadium, the No. 4 field hockey team aims to keep its NCAA championship hopes alive against No. 14 Stanford.

The men's soccer team has been on a roll as of late, having not lost a contest in its last six attempts. The Tigers need to beat the Bulldogs tonight to keep their Ivy League title hopes alive. But the Orange and Black also needs help from other teams. Here's what also has to happen: Dartmouth and Brown need to tie and No. 11 Harvard must lose to Penn. The matchup between the Tigers and the Bulldogs will be shown on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Even if Princeton does not capture the Ivy League title, it can still earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers have played a particularly tough schedule this year, and a No. 14 RPI ranking should work to their advantage.

The field hockey team plays Stanford at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. It is a chance for Princeton to further prove that it can compete with, and win against, the best in the nation.

In addition to going 7-0 against Ancient Eight rivals, the Tigers have also defeated highly-ranked opponents like Syracuse, Ohio State and Connecticut during the regular season. Because of its high national ranking, Princeton earned the opportunity to host the first rounds of the NCAA tournament. The home-field advantage should serve the team well, since the Tigers are undefeated at home this season.

If Princeton advances past Stanford, it will play the winner of the matchup between No. 8 Syracuse and No. 9 Boston College. That opening-round game will be played at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

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Keeping the Streak Alive

It is a well-known fact that the field hockey team is a threat to win the Ivy League each season. No. 4 Princeton (11-2 overall, 4-0 Ivy League) has won 17 Ancient Eight titles overall, as well as three in a row. This season looks to be no different for the Tigers.

Led by an energetic group of underclassmen on offense and a talented set of experienced members on defense, there seems to be no stopping Princeton. In its first four Ivy League matchups of the season, the team only surrendered a total of four goals, while netting 20 of its own.

Tomorrow at noon, the Tigers put their unbeaten Ancient Eight streak to the test against Harvard (5-7, 2-2) in Cambridge, Mass. In the game, there is also another streak on the line: Princeton has won the last 15 contests played between the two squads.

This weekend, there is a fair amount at stake with regard to the Ivy League standings. If the Tigers defeat the Crimson and second-place Yale loses to Penn, Princeton will claim at least a share of the Ivy League title. The Tigers already played Yale this season, defeating the Bulldogs 5-2 at Class of 1952 Stadium. Therefore, their toughest league test may have already happened.

But count on this group of focused players to take nothing for granted. Any observer of the field hockey team will notice that the Tigers seem to leave everything out on the field each and every time they play. Perhaps it is this intensity that has enabled them to have so much success year in and year out.

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Men's Water Polo and Field Hockey Seek Victories on the Road

While the football team does not play this weekend, several other Princeton teams have important weekend matchups, including the No. 14 men's water polo team.

The Tigers (7-5 overall, 4-1 CWPA) are traveling to California to face a few of the nation's top-ranked teams: No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 USC and No 7. Pepperdine or No. 9 UC Irvine.

On offense, Princeton is led by senior utility Mark Zalewski, who paces the team in both shots (61) and goals (30). For his recent efforts, Zalewski was also named the CWPA Southern Player of the Week.

While the men's water polo team is in California, battling against top-ranked teams, the field hockey team will has a crucial game a bit closer to home.

After falling 3-2 in overtime to No. 1 Maryland, the Tigers (9-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) will attempt to rebound against American in Washington DC on Sunday afternoon.

“I know that our team is only going to get better and that Maryland is going to get better, too,” head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said, after Wednesday evening's loss to the Terrapins. “It’s hard to predict, obviously, but one thing I can count on is that the Tigers will compete and do everything in [their] power to win. We saw where our strengths are and we definitely know what we have to get better at. That is really good information moving forward.”

If Princeton can knock off American, it should have some confidence heading into the last portion of its season, which includes matchups against Ivy League foes Brown, Harvard, Cornell and Penn.

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Tiger Watch: Ivy Time

Tomorrow, the football team kicks off its Ivy League slate of games when it plays Columbia at Princeton Stadium at 3 p.m. Princeton and Columbia both have 1-1 records coming into the matchup.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, they will be without senior running back Jordan Culbreath, who normally carries the bulk of the load in the ground game. Last Saturday against Lehigh, Culbreath suffered an ankle sprain. According to head coach Roger Hughes, doctors have also discovered that Culbreath is anemic. Princeton will look to different players, like defensive back turned running back Meko McCray, to generate yards on the ground.

The Tiger defense may have its hands full with a Columbia team that comes into the matchup averaging 26.5 points over its first two games. Princeton's star defenders, such as senior linebacker and co-captain Scott Britton, will look to halt the Lions' offensive assault.

The game against Columbia will be a good test to see if the Tigers are ready for their Ancient Eight season.

Also this weekend, the field hockey team will play two important home matchups at Class of 1952 Stadium. Tonight, the Tigers (7-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) take on Columbia (3-4, 1-1) at 6 p.m. On Sunday, Princeton faces a tough test in an unbeaten Connecticut (10-0) squad at 1 p.m.

Sophomore striker Kathleen Sharkey leads the Tigers' attack with nine goals and seven assists. If Princeton is going to have success against the talented Huskies on Sunday, Sharkey will need to step up again.

Connecticut boasts a high-powered offense that averages 4.50 goals per contest. The Tiger defense, however, has been playing very solidly as of late. Junior goalkeeper Jennifer King has played especially well, only allowing 1.2 goals per game.

Though Princeton is looking forward to its matchup against Connecticut, the team first has to focus on its in-league game against the Lions tonight. But if the Tigers compete at the high level they have been playing at recently, they should have success against Columbia.

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Shot at share of title for men's lacrosse

On Saturday at 1 p.m. at Class of 1952 Stadium, the men's lacrosse team hosts Brown. The winner of the matchup will be crowned co-Ivy League champion with Cornell.

Last season, the Tigers and Bears also fought it out for a share of the Ancient Eight title with the Big Red. Brown won that game by a narrow 6-5 margin in Providence, R.I., sending Princeton home empty-handed. This season, the Tigers will certainly be looking for revenge against the Bears.

Focus will be on the goaltenders for both teams, and the battle should be interesting. Freshman goalie Tyler Fiorito is having an excellent season for the Tigers, and he is going to need to play solidly between the posts to halt a potent Brown attack. The Bears' offense is spearheaded by attack Andrew Feinberg, who has 54 total points on the season. Brown boasts a capable goaltender of its own in defending Ivy League Player of the Year Jordan Burke.

The Tigers will look to their big offensive stars to put the ball on net and generate scoring opportunities in the game. The seniors, especially, are hoping to close the regular season out with a bang. Three Princeton seniors have more than 30 points on the season: attack Tommy Davis and midfielders Mark Kovler and Rich Sgalardi.

Princeton will most likely earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after the season is over. A revenge win against the Bears would give the Tigers great momentum heading into the tourney.

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Baseball's Crucial Series

This weekend, the baseball team will go head-to-head with Cornell in a key four-game series. The winner of this series will most likely be crowed champion of the Ivy League's Gehrig Division.

The first two games of the series will take place in front of a home crowd at Clarke Field. The games are at noon and 2:30 p.m. today. After these two matchups, the teams will head to Ithaca, N.Y., to play the final two games of the series, both of which will take place on Sunday.

At stake this weekend is a spot in the Ivy League Championship Series.

Last weekend, Princeton took three of four games from Penn in Philadelphia, Pa. In one of the wins, a 5-0 victory on Sunday afternoon, sophomore pitcher David Palms recorded a shutout.

The Tigers have been somewhat streaky at the plate this season, and they will need to rely on their predictable hitters in order to have success this weekend. This means that senior infielder Dan DeGeorge will need to perform well. DeGeorge leads the team with a .368 batting average and a .519 slugging percentage.

So, if you are looking for something to do while the Prefrosh are around today, head down to Clarke Field to cheer on Princeton in its key matchups against the Big Red. For the Tigers, the time is now.

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Clash of Lacrosse Titans

On Saturday, the men's lacrosse team, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, will clash No. 5 Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., in a contest that will determine who is boss in the Ivy League.

The key for Princeton in this matchup will be to reclaim some of its swagger that it displayed in earlier impressive victories this season, like its 12-8 win over then-ranked No. 2 Syracuse on April 7. In their last two games, the Tigers narrowly defeated Ivy rivals Penn and Harvard, both by 10-9 margins.

Freshman goalkeeper Tyler Fiorito, who has been playing solidly thus far this season, will have his hands full against the Big Red. Cornell boasts the best offense in Division I lacrosse this year.

But Princeton should be confident in its own goal-scoring abilities heading into the key matchup, as it has seen production from a variety of players all season long. Six different Tigers have scored 10-plus goals on the year. The offense is led by sophomore attack Jack McBride, who has a team-leading 27 goals on the season.

The clash of lacrosse giants in Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday afternoon will be an exciting matchup between two high-caliber squads. The game could go down as one for the ages.

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Double Header at Class of 1952 Stadium

Tomorrow, the No. 7 women's lacrosse team faces off against Harvard at Class of 1952 Stadium at 12 p.m. in a quest to stay unbeaten in the Ivy League. And, then at 3 p.m., the No. 2 men's lacrosse team will take on No. 15 Harvard in its own attempt to remain perfect in the Ancient Eight.

Spearheaded by a balanced offense with seven different Tigers who have 10-plus goals on the season, the women's lacrosse team is certainly on an impressive run. Princeton has won seven straight games and is looking to notch its 10th win overall. In the Tigers' most recent victory, a convincing 15-6 win over Yale, sophomore attack Lizzy Drumm netted five goals.

But the Crimson certainly has the ability to put the ball in the net as well. The tandem of midfielder Jess Halpern and attack Kaitlin Martin has been especially effective this season, netting 36 and 34 goals, respectively. This means that Princeton goaltender Erin Tochihara and the rest of the Tiger defense will have to be on top of their game on Saturday afternoon.

After the women battle it out against the Crimson, the men's team takes the field in an attempt to prove that it belongs at the top of the national polls. Coming off a tough 10-9 overtime win over Penn on Tuesday evening, the Tigers will certainly be looking to assert themselves, especially on the offensive end. Though Princeton defeated the Quakers, Penn outshot the Tigers 33-23. Senior attack Tommy Davis led the Tiger offense with four goals, including the game winner.

Senior midfielder Rich Sgalardi has been playing especially well as of late and the Tigers will certainly look to him for more offensive production on Saturday. Sgalardi has a team-leading 17 assists thus far this season and he has also notched 14 goals.

In net for the Tigers, freshman goalie Tyler Fiorito has been effective thus far this season. He has a .584 save percentage in 10 games. But Harvard has a talented force in goal as well, as Joe Pike is currently second in the country with a 6.51 goals against average. Sgalardi, Davis and the rest of Princeton's scoring offense, which currently ranks seventh in the nation, will need to play well against this tough Harvard 'D' in order to record the 'W' at home.

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A battle of lax giants at Giants Stadium

On Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., the No. 5 men's lacrosse team faces off against No. 2 Syracuse in a prime time venue for a prime time matchup.

To be sure, the battle against Syracuse at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will be Princeton's most difficult game of the season as of yet. The Tigers vs. the Orange is one of three matchups taking place at this Saturday's first-ever Inside Lacrosse Big City Classic, which will showcase some of the best lacrosse teams in the nation. Before Princeton plays Syracuse, No. 1 Virginia takes the field against No. 10 North Carolina and No. 7 Hofstra competes against Delaware.

Syracuse, the defending national champion, is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation for several reasons. For one, the Orange possess an outstanding and athletic midfield, which could be its greatest weapon heading into this game. According to Vikram Rao, a senior sports writer for The Daily Princetonian, Syracuse midfielder Matt Abbott is a capable player who does a little bit of everything, helping out in all aspects of the game. Princeton head coach Bill Tierney labelled Abbott as "one of the fastest guys in Division I lacrosse," in Rao's Princeton-Syracuse preview article.

But the Tiger midfield should not be overlooked. Senior midfielder Rich Sgalardi has been playing excellently as of late, recording two goals and three assists in Princeton's 11-7 victory over Yale last Saturday in New Haven, Conn.

The battle between the pipes should also be an interesting one, as both teams possess the ability to score. Tiger freshman goalie Tyler Fiorito has played well thus far this season and he will need to continue to make key saves this Saturday against the Orange. For Syracuse, John Galloway will anchor the defense and try to stop Princeton's offense, which ranks sixth in scoring this season.

Be sure to look for live updates from the Sideline Dispatches blog, which will be updated from Giants Stadium by our very own Prince sports writers.

And, if you are looking for something new and different to do on campus this weekend, head down to DeNunzio Pool to watch the women's water polo team close out its regular season against a talented Maryland squad on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The Tigers are coming off a Thursday evening 7-4 victory over Wagner, and they have another tough game against Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., tonight.

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On the ice and in the water

This weekend, the men's hockey team battles Minnesota Duluth in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn. Also in sports, six of Princeton's best swimmers will represent the Tigers at the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas.

The No. 10 men's hockey team faces off against the No. 8 Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth at 9 p.m. this evening. This is the third time in history that Princeton has appeared in the NCAA tournament. In 1998, the Tigers lost 2-1 to Michigan and, last season in 2008, Princeton fell to a talented North Dakota squad by a score of 5-1.

Though the Tigers sneaked into the tournament with an at-large bid after their 2-2 consolation game tie vs. St. Lawrence last weekend, this team should not be overlooked. Princeton possesses both a capable offense and a solid defense, anchored by junior goaltender Zane Kalemba, who was recently named the ECAC Player of the Year. Kalemba is also one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the most prestigious award in collegiate hockey.

In the offensive zone, Princeton has a few talented players who are a threat to score each time they take the ice. Junior forward Dan Bartlett has been especially effective as of late, and he found the back of the net both times in the crucial tie against St. Lawrence.

If you want to follow the Tigers' matchup against Minnesota Duluth, click on the link at the top of the Prince homepage and read the Sideline Dispatches blog, which will be updated regularly from the actual game site in Minneapolis.

Making a splash in the water this weekend will be six of Princeton's finest swimmers: seniors tri-captain Doug Lennox, Mike Carter, Dan Eckel and Will Schaffer, junior Jon Hartmann and freshman Colin Cordes. These swimmers qualified for the NCAA Championships after posting A-cut times at the Ivy League Championships, which were held Thursday, March 5 through Saturday, March 7 in the friendly confines of DeNunzio Pool.

These six swimmers hope to put an exclamation point on a season that has been one for the record books. Lennox in particular has had a great collegiate career, racking up numerous accolades over his four years at Princeton. He will compete in the 200 fly, an event he won at the Ivy Championships, along with teammate Eckel, who placed second in the same event.

In the relays, Princeton will be represented in the 2o0 free by the talented team of Hartmann, Schaffer, Cordes and Lennox. The group won the event at the Ivy League Championships with a time of 1:17.93. 

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ECAC Semifinal Showdown in Albany

Tonight, the men's hockey team will take on rival Cornell in the ECAC Hockey semifinals in Albany, N.Y. Look for live blogging of the matchup on the Prince website, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Princeton celebrated a quarterfinal series victory over Union this past weekend, defeating the Dutchmen in three games. In the decisive third game, the Tigers won by a score of 3-1. Junior goaltender Zane Kalemba has been playing particularly well, and he recently collected two awards: ECAC Player of the Year and ECAC Goaltender of the Year. In 31 games this season, Kalemba has a .936 save percentage and a 1.69 goals against average. Junior defenseman Jody Pederson also nabbed third-team ECAC honors for his efforts this season.

Princeton won the ECAC championship last season, and the team will be determined to defend its title against the Big Red. During the regular season, the Tigers lost to Cornell by a score of 1-0 on Nov. 7, but then bounced back with a 2-1 victory over the Big Red on Feb. 7.

Leading the offensive charge for Princeton will be senior forward Brett Wilson, who paces the team with 10 goals and 15 assists. Junior forward Dan Bartlett and senior forward Lee Jubinville also have contributed to the Tigers' offensive attack this year, notching 23 and 21 points, respectively.

Players to watch for Cornell are forwards Riley Nash and Tyler Mugford. Nash recently received first-team all-ECAC honors and Mugford collected the accolade for top defensive forward in the league. Nash leads all Big Red players with 12 goals and 21 assists on the year. The Tigers will certainly have their eyes on these two players tonight.

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Making a splash at Denunzio and keeping title hopes alive

This weekend, I suggest you head down to DuNunzio Pool to watch the men's swimming and diving team compete against its Ivy League foes in the Ivy League Championships. And if you want to follow away games, look to see if the men's basketball team can keep its Ivy title hopes alive against Columbia and league-leader Cornell.

After Day 1, the unbeaten Tigers currently hold a 179-point lead over Ancient Eight rival Harvard. Today marks Day 2 of the meet, with a prelims session at 11 a.m. and a finals session at 6 p.m. Tomorrow, the meet will wrap up, with the prelims again at 11 a.m. and the finals again at 6 p.m.

In case you missed last night's events, here's a rundown to fill you in. Princeton grabbed a key victory in the 200 free relay, with seniors Doug Lennox and Mike Carter, freshman Michael Monovoukas and junior Jonathan Hartmann claiming first in that event.  Freshman Travis McNamara won the 500 free in 4:18.04,  breaking a DeNunzio record in the process.  On the diving board, junior Dan Dickerson nabbed a title in the 1-meter event with a score of 317.85 points. 

On the basketball court, the Tigers tip off against Columbia at 7 p.m. on Friday night in New York. If Princeton can defeat the Lions, it still has a chance to snatch the Ivy title from Cornell. This showdown takes place on Saturday evening in Ithaca, N.Y., also at 7 p.m. The Tigers remain 1.5 games behind the Big Red in the title hunt, so they need to grab both games in order to have a shot at the championship. 

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Tiger Watch: What Vikram Rao Thinks about Men's Lax, and a Little Bit of Hockey

This weekend, the team to watch on TV is most certainly the men's lacrosse team.

Princeton will face national runner-up Johns Hopkins in the Konica-Minolta Faceoff Classic. The game will be televised starting at 12 p.m. on ESPNU. The Tigers were soundly defeated by the Blue Jays last year. While the final score was a seemingly respectable 14-9, the halftime score was 10-1 and Princeton never mounted much of a comeback.

Hopkins will be a great test for the Tigers' new-look attack and front-loaded offensive midfield, as the Blue Jays have arguably the best defense in the nation.

Whether Princeton wins or loses, a strong performance against Hopkins could provide the team with an emotional boost that it never quite got early on last season. With critics beginning to question whether the six national titles Princeton earned between 1992 and 2001 are truly a thing of the past, the Tigers will begin its campaign to prove the doubters wrong.

If you are looking for something to do on campus, walk down to Baker Rink to watch the women's hockey team battle RPI in a best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal playoff series. The No. 9 Tigers take on the Engineers Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m., and, if necessary, Sunday at 4 p.m. If Princeton can claim two victories against RPI, it will move on to the semifinal round, which will be played next weekend.

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The Economic Downturn

It looks like Princeton isn't the only prominent university that has been affected by the recent economic downturn.

On February 25, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Stanford University is going to take measures to reduce the size of its athletic program in order to respond to the current economic situation. The article notes that, while Stanford will keep intact its 35 athletic teams and personnel, 21 people from the Athletic Department itself will see their jobs being erased.

Stanford's Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby noted that the University could potentially save approximately $2.5 million from such measures as cutting the 21 department posts.

The news coming from Stanford is huge because this particular university represents the top tier of athletic programs in the country. In fact, last year, Stanford was awarded the Division I U.S. Sports Academy Director's Cup, given annually to the best athletic department in the country. It was the 14th straight time that Stanford had won the accolade.

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Tiger Watch

This weekend, the two teams to watch are the men's hockey team and the men's squash team, hands down. On the ice, Princeton (19-7-0 overall, 13-6-0 ECAC Hockey) faced off against Brown on Friday evening, defeating the Bears by a score of 4-1. On Saturday evening, No. 7 Yale comes to town in a pivotal matchup. The game starts at 7 p.m. at Baker Rink. The reason the game is so important is because, if Princeton beats the Bulldogs and completes the weekend sweep, it can secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. Also up for grabs is a potential seeding in the NCAA tournament. If the TIgers beat Yale, they will be in better position for one of the 16 coveted bids.

The other major matchup to watch out for this weekend is the historic Princeton-Trinity squash battle that might take place on the Jadwin Squash Courts on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. If the Tigers make it to the final round of the CSA Championships and if things hold true to form, they will play against Trinity. The Bantams currently hold a 199-game winning streak.

Princeton lost to Trinity last weekend by a narrow 5-4 margin, so the possible finals match would be exciting, especially given the fact that this is the last team tournament for the three senior tri-captains: Mauricio Sanchez, Hesham el Halaby and Kimlee Wong.

So, gear up for a big hockey and squash weekend in the Orange Bubble and visit Baker Rink and the Jadwin Squash Courts to cheer on both Tiger teams.

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