This past week, women’s volleyball and men’s water polo got their fall campaigns underway on the road. Meanwhile, men’s and women’s cross country stayed in the Garden State, competing in the annual New Jersey Jam.
Field hockey headed south, competing against two teams ranked in the top eight, while men’s and women’s soccer also had matches.
The Daily Princetonian recapped every athletic event for the Orange and Black this past week.
Field Hockey
After a disappointing 2023 season, No. 15 Princeton field hockey (1–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) kicked off their season with a strong win versus No. 7 Louisville (2–2, 0–0 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Friday. Then, on Sunday afternoon, the Tigers fell to No. 2 University of North Carolina (4–0, 0–0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
In the win over Louisville, the Tigers rode a defensively stout performance to a surprise victory over a top-10 squad. Debuting six first-years in the match — midfielders Anna Faulstich and Clem Houlden, as well as the forward group of Lilly Wojcik, Pru Lindsay, and Izzy Morgan — the Tigers showcased their young talent from the Class of 2028. Still, it was senior midfielder Aimee Jungfer’s tally that served as the lone goal in the match.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, the tables turned as the Tigers were shut-out themselves, falling to the North Carolina Tar Heels 2–0. Despite the loss, the weekend was a solid result for a young Princeton squad. Facing the back-to-back defending champions and holding the Tar Heels scoreless until the third is no easy feat, and one that can certainly be built upon as the Tigers move deeper into the regular season.
Men’s Water Polo
Beginning their season on a strong note, No. 5 Princeton (3–0 overall, 0–0 CWPA) swept a weekend of matches in dominating fashion at the Navy Classic.
Starting out the weekend with a matchup with Biola University (1–3, 0–0 PacWest), Princeton dominated the pool with a 24–2 win. Following that performance up, the Tigers disposed of Occidental College (2–2, 0–0 SCIAC) by a score of 31–7, and dismantled George Washington (3–1, 0–0 Atlantic 10) with a final score of 18–3.
These early matches against weaker non-conference opponents may not tell the story of Princeton’s season, but they are necessary building blocks for the Tigers as they shoot for the national title.
“I don’t think that’s our true test yet, I think that’s yet to come. I still think we performed well,” senior Roko Pozaric said to the 'Prince.'
“We established that our goal is to compete and hopefully win the National Championship,” Pozaric continued. “With hard effort, as we have done so far, it could happen.”
Those national title efforts will really amp up in the coming weeks, with future October matchups against No. 1 University of California-Los Angeles, No. 4 University of Southern California, and No. 2 University of California-Berkeley on deck. Until then, the Tigers will continue to fine-tune their game with the Princeton Invitational this weekend and the MPSF Invitational tournament next weekend, which will feature the top teams in the nation.
Men’s Cross Country
At the annual New Jersey Jam, hosted for the first time at the new course at Meadows Campus in Princeton, the Princeton men’s cross country team showed why they are poised to build on last season’s 11th-place finish at the NCAA championship this fall. Coming in first among the competition this past weekend, Princeton’s lineup featured the top two runners, as well as nine of the top-11 finishes.
Racing in the main 5.6K event, sophomore Collin Boler took home first place with a time of 16:40.5, and Tigers junior Jackson Shorten was just behind him with a time of 16:40.8.
It was truly a dominant performance for the team in the first meet of the season, as the Tigers breezed past the field of five squads. Finishing with a score of 16, the Tigers beat the next closest competitor, Monmouth by a whopping 49-point difference. Rutgers (69 points), Penn (119 points), and Rider (122 points) rounded out the scoreboard for the event.
Women’s Cross Country
Also at the New Jersey Jam, the women’s cross-country team joined in on the winning fun, placing in first at the event. This was a solid start to the season for many individual Tiger runners and the team as a whole, who are looking to best last season’s second-place Ivy League finish.
Second Team All-Ivy senior Mena Scatchard finished in first place individually with a time of 14:01.6 in the 4K. Meanwhile, coming in eight seconds behind Scatchard with a time of 14:09.1, sophomore Anna McNatt earned second place honors this weekend. Four more Tiger runners — sophomore Olivia Martin and the first-year trio of Margaret Thompson, Emma De Jong, and Meg Madison — finished inside the top-11 for the meet.
Princeton’s cumulative team score of 28 led the pack for the day, with Penn placing in second at 55 points. Similar to the men’s Jersey Jam, Monmouth (78 points), Rutgers (83 points), and Rider (124 points) filled out the rest of the scoresheet.
Women’s Volleyball
Women’s volleyball (2–1, 0–0 Ivy League) kicked off its 2024 season at the Villanova tournament with three matches, going 2–1.
The first game of the season was a five-set thriller against Old Dominion (5–2, 0–0 Sun Belt Conference). After four sets, the Tigers found themselves tied at two sets a piece with the Monarchs, heading to a decisive fifth set.
Tied at eight in the fifth set, the Tigers went on a clutch 4–0 run to take a 12–8 lead and eventually win the set 15–12. Junior middle blocker Lucia Scalamandre was a catalyst during the run with back-to-back kills. Scalamandre, a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection, had a team-high 15 kills.
The second game of the tournament was on Saturday morning against Loyola University (1–5, 0–0 Patriot League). Much like their previous encounter, the match against the Greyhounds went to a decisive fifth set. This time, the Tigers found themselves trailing 9–6. Sophomore outside hitter Erin McNair, who led the team with 15 kills against the Greyhounds, helped the Tigers go on an impressive 7–0 run and ultimately win the set 15–12 once again.
“It’s really hard to win a 5th set after losing a 4th set, and that’s the position we found ourselves in twice this weekend,” junior outside hitter Valerie Nutakor wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Additionally, our team chemistry this year seems to be something special, as we are constantly building each other up while pushing each other to be the best teammates and players we can be.”
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they likely ran out of gas in their final game of the tournament when they played the host Villanova Wildcats. Despite battling in every set, the Tigers lost to the Wildcats in straight sets (25–21, 25–23, 25–20). McNair and fellow sophomore libero Sydney Bold were named to the all-tournament team on Sunday evening.
The Tigers return to action this weekend when they travel to Penn State for another tournament. Tournament play for the Orange and Black will get underway on Friday morning against the Duke Blue Devils (3–3, 0–0 Atlantic Coast Conference), as the team looks to keep improving as the season ramps up.
“If I had to pick one area we need to improve on, I would say blocking, which is something that can be practiced in live scrimmages in practice, as well as controlled drills,” Nutakor continued. “Overall, it’s still very early in the season, but by the time Ivy League season starts we will be ready for whatever it throws at us.”
Men’s Soccer
Men’s soccer (0–2, 0–0 Ivy League) returned to the pitch on Friday evening for their home opener against the New Hampshire Wildcats (2–1–1, 0–0 America East Conference). A high-scoring affair ultimately went in favor of the Wildcats, who won the match 3–2.
At the half, the match was tied 1–1 after each team had been whistled for a penalty and the opponent made them pay with a penalty kick goal. Shortly after halftime, the Wildcats were careless in the box once again and gave Princeton its second penalty of the night. Sophomore forward Daniel Ittycheria wasted no time converting from the spot to give the Tigers a 2–1 lead.
The Wildcats tied the match shortly after and with under five minutes remaining, it looked like a draw was playing out inside Roberts Stadium. However, a dangerous free kick conceded by Princeton allowed New Hampshire to play the ball into the box and head the ball into the back of the net, giving the Wildcats a 3–2 win.
The Tigers will take a short ride up to New York tomorrow where they will play St. Johns (2–1–2, 0–0 Big East) at 7 p.m. Last season, the Tigers defeated the Red Storm 3–2 in a game that saw Ittycheria score two goals.
Women’s Soccer
On Thursday evening, women’s soccer (3–1, 0–0 Ivy League) hosted the No. 8 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (5–1–1, 0–0 Big Ten) at Roberts Stadium. Despite a career game for Tiger senior goalkeeper Tyler McCamey, the Nittany Lions scored a 78th-minute winner courtesy of senior defender Mieke Schiemann and won the match 1–0.
Remarkably, Schiemann also scored two goals against the Tigers last season in a 3–0 win. McCamey tied her career high with nine saves against the Nittany Lions. Her performance earned her the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week award, the second time she has received the weekly honor this season.
On Sunday, Princeton went on the road for the first time this season, traveling to Virginia to face William & Mary (4–3, 0–0 Coastal Athletic Conference). The match was significant for the Orange and Black, as the Tribe are coached by Julie Shackford. Shackford coached the Tigers for 20 seasons from 1995 to 2014 and is the program’s most successful coach with 203 career wins.
The Tigers were able to leave the Commonwealth of Virginia with a 2–0 win. The win was highlighted by a second half goal from junior defender Pia Beaulieu, who scored her first career goal to seal the win for Princeton on the road.
“Our team mantra this year is get it done and during preseason and now entering the season, we have been focusing one day at a time to do exactly that,” Beaulieu told the ‘Prince.’ “Our performance as a team is so special because of the culture and community our team has. These past games we have shown the fight and grit to get the job done and compete with the best of the best.”
The Tigers will return home and host Drexel (1–3–1, 0–0 CAA) this Thursday at Roberts Stadium.
Cole Keller is a head editor for the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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