Each week, Sports and Data writers analyze recent athletic competitions to provide analysis and insight on the happenings of Princeton athletics and individual players across the 38 intercollegiate teams at Princeton. Whether they are record-breaking or day-to-day, statistics deliver information in concise ways and help inform fans who might have missed the action. Read past By the Numbers coverage here.
Princeton Tigers: Aug. 24–Sept. 10
19 games and matches were played across eight sports and five U.S. states so far this season. The Tigers’ first game of the semester came on Aug. 24 when women’s soccer beat Miami at home 1–0.
Of the 16 games and matches with a clear winner, the Tigers won 63 percent of matches. Multiple-day meets and tournaments are counted individually for each day of the competition. Competitions with more than one event or individual results such as golf and cross country are not included in The Daily Princetonian’s win percentage analysis.
The Tigers performed better on the road than at home, winning 73 percent of matches outside of the Bubble and emerging victorious 40 percent of the time back at Old Nassau.
In the last By The Numbers analysis, the Tigers emerged victorious in 72 percent of games and matchups, suggesting that the Tigers will need to find their form and earn their stripes for the remainder of the fall season.
Golden Jubilee for Ivy Women’s Athletics
Beyond the Tigers hot start in non-conference play, the 2024–25 athletic season has greater significance for Princeton and the Ivy League. This season marks the 50th year of Ivy League Championships for women’s athletics, from which the Tigers have taken home over 200 titles, more than any other Ivy.
The Ivy League was the first athletic conference to begin championships in women’s sports and is thus the first athletic conference to hit this milestone. From rowing to basketball, women’s sports at Princeton have established a long history of excellence and are now entering the second half of their inaugural century.
Deep-water Domination
Men’s water polo started their season strong with three wins in Annapolis, Md, against Biola University, Occidental College, and George Washington University. Since 1996, the Tigers have won their first three water polo games 15 times. The Tigers scored 73 points across these three games and only let up 12 points.
When the Tigers start the season with three wins, they historically have higher win percentages, showing the importance of a strong beginning to long-term success. With a long, grueling, and physical season to come, a good first weekend is good omen for men’s water polo, as the data shows.
“We are a really veteran team,” men’s water polo Head Coach Dustin Litvak told the ‘Prince.’ “We have 10 seniors, so we have guys that are really familiar with our system, so we’re able to move a little faster in our preseason segment than in years past, where we had to really break things down and re-teach stuff.”
While the seniors had a successful start to their final season, first-year Tas Palcza also scored 11 goals in his first three games as a Tiger.
“When we’re recruiting someone, it’s the expectation that they contribute right away,” Litvak said. “Both Tas and Gavin Appeldorn have had an incredible preseason and are a huge part of what we are going to do this year.”
Appledorn, also a first-year, scored nine goals in his first three games.
Secretary of Defense
In women’s soccer, senior goalkeeper Tyler McCamey took home her second Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after two recent stalwart performances. The Atlanta native recorded a shutout in the team’s 2–0 victory over the William & Mary Tribe on Sunday and made nine saves against the No. 8 Nittany Lions of Penn State in a 1–0 loss on Thursday.
Born to Run
Men’s cross country received a preseason No. 1 ranking in the USTFCCCA Preseason Regional Rankings for the mid-Atlantic prior to their race victory at the Jersey Jam on Friday. In that race, the Tigers took four of the top five places, with sophomore Collin Boler pacing the field.
A Torrent of Tordin
Junior star forward Pietra Tordin scored a hat trick for the USA under-20 women’s national team in the under-20 Women’s World Cup on Saturday. She became only the fifth American woman to score a hat trick in the under-20 Women’s World Cup.
In a 7–0 group stage victory over Paraguay, Tordin opened the scoring with two goals in three minutes at the tenth and twelfth minute, before capping off the spectacular performance with a third goal in the 67th minute, nudging the ball with an outstretched right foot past the keeper.
Here’s the hat trick goal for Pietra to put 🇺🇸 up 6-0! https://t.co/oNE84JS7Qy
— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) September 8, 2024
All in all, it has been a fast start to the semester for Tiger athletics, especially for men’s and women’s cross country. As classes get underway, fall sports will continue non-conference play. Check back next week to stay updated on all things Princeton athletics — by the numbers.
Harrison Blank is an assistant Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Andrew Bosworth is head Data editor and staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send all corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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