351 days ago, Princeton failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament after losing to long-time rival Harvard in the Ivy League tournament final.
On Saturday, the No.15 Tigers (9–4 overall, 5–0 Ivy League) avenged the loss by walking into Cambridge and upsetting the No.10 ranked Crimson (10–3, 4–1) 2–1 in overtime. Both goals came courtesy of sophomore midfielder/defender Ella Cashman.
Princeton and Harvard have dominated the Ivy League in field hockey for the last few decades. 1993 was the last time neither team won a share of the league title. Since 2017, the two teams are 77–1 against the rest of the Ivy League.
“It was a great atmosphere for a big game,” head coach Carla Tagliente wrote to the Daily Princetonian. “The weather was perfect. There was a big crowd. Both teams played really hard.”
She continued, “I think in situations like that, it’s really important to keep your mental focus sharp for the entire game. You know going in that it’s going to be a close game, and because of that any one play can be game-changing.”
Heading into the matchup, both teams had already clinched a spot in the Ivy League tournament that will take place on November 8 and 10. However, the Saturday contest was crucial as both undefeated teams were fighting for the top spot in the Ivy League standings. The regular season winner reserves the right to host the Ivy League tournament, for which the top four seeds qualify.
Princeton started the game on the offensive, with two corners in the opening 75 seconds, forcing the Crimson to defend their goal. Crimson goalie Tessa Shahbo made three saves in the opening quarter.
With just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Harvard converted its first shot on goal. It was Harvard midfielder Martha le Huray who entered the shooting circle and made the pass to forward Lucy Leel who put the ball in the net to bring the score to 1–0 for the hosts.
HARVARD IN THE LEAD
— Harvard Field Hockey (@HarvardFH) October 19, 2024
The Crimson strike first as Martha le Huray finds Lucy Leel in the circle!
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“After we gave up an early goal, I think we really were dialed in on not allowing another,” Tagliente said. “We were still confident, and I think that was a big key for us.”
Despite the Tigers controlling the majority of the first quarter, Harvard ended it holding the lead. In the second period, both teams had their fair share of possession but were unable to get close to shoot on the opposing goal.
Both teams went on the offensive in the second half. Thompson was crucial in keeping the Crimson at bay as she recorded three saves in the third quarter after Harvard had four penalty corners during the third quarter.
It looked like Princeton had found the equalizer with 2:26 remaining in the period when sophomore defender Ottilie Sykes put the ball in the goal off a pass from junior midfielder Beth Yeager, but the officials ruled the goal out as the ball had made contact with a Tiger player.
“We felt like we were getting good opportunities and that we’d break through eventually,” Tagliente wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Harvard is a very tough defensive team, and the goalie made some really big saves early on to keep us from getting ahead.”
Heading into the final 15 minutes, the Tigers were eager to match the Crimson. Just a few minutes into the fourth quarter, Yeager redirected a pass from a penalty corner to Cashman who put the ball in the goal to tie the game for the Tigers.
And we're even!!!!! Ella Cashman from Beth Yeager. 1-1 Tigers in the fourth.
— Princeton FH (@TigerFH) October 19, 2024
👀 ESPN+ https://t.co/WAPWfYaAjA pic.twitter.com/cThUYIhaBq
“I said that we just needed to keep pressuring them,” Tagliente said. “Then when we tied it, I was worried about possibly having a letdown, so I wanted to make sure that we doubled our focus and intensity.”
It was Cashman’s third goal of the season and sixth of her career. For Yeager, it was her 99th career point (goals and assists) for Princeton. The midfielder made her Olympic debut in Paris this past summer for the U.S. national team.
Notably, Yeager leads the Ivy League in five of the seven major categories: shots, shots on goal, goals, assists, and points. She has recorded a point for the Tigers in 11 straight games.
“Field hockey is the ultimate team sport,” Yeager wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “We focus on moving without the ball and finding open space, and we’re always working to receive passes in the right position to give us good scoring opportunities.”
“It doesn’t matter who scores the goals or who gets the assists. It’s about playing as a team and trusting each other on the field,” she continued.
Cashman’s goal proved to be the last before the game headed into overtime. Both teams had experience with overtime, with this being Princeton’s second and Harvard’s third overtime match this season.
Heading into overtime, the shot statistics were fairly even, with Princeton registering both an extra shot (8) and a shot on goal (5). The Tigers had dominated the penalty corners category, doubling up Harvard’s four corners eight of their own.
Overtime allowed the game to open up much more, with four fewer players on the field. It took just a few minutes for Yeager to register a shot on goal, forcing a big save from Shahbo.
However, the Tigers kept pushing. Less than two minutes later, they drew another penalty corner. This time around, Yeager redirected the pass to Cashman who scored her second goal of the game to give Princeton the upset victory over Harvard.
Ella from Beth again!!!!! Tigers take it 2-1 in OT!!!!! pic.twitter.com/t7wbM8t5FS
— Princeton FH (@TigerFH) October 19, 2024
“They beat us last year in the regular season and got to host the first Ivy tournament,” Tagliente added. “We knew that if we wanted to win an Ivy championship and play at home in the tournament that we’d have to go there and win the game.”
Yeager’s 100th point makes her the 12th Tiger to cross the century mark in career points. Last season, the Tigers finished the season with a disappointing 8–9 record as Yeager took the year off to prepare for the Olympics. With Yeager back in the mix, the Tigers now sit at 9–4 and seem destined to get back to the NCAA tournament.
“I was so happy to see Ella score the goals Saturday,” Yeager noted. “That was such a big game and such a great atmosphere, and we were so happy to get the win.”
Princeton will return to the 609 for two games this weekend. On Friday, the Tigers will take on No.8 Maryland (10–4, 5–2 Big Ten) in their final non-conference matchup before playing the Big Green (3–10, 0–5) on Sunday.
The game against Maryland will provide the Tigers with a great opportunity to play a tough out-of-conference opponent as they prepare for the Ivy League tournament and a potential NCAA tournament run. With a win on Sunday against Dartmouth, Tagliente’s squad would officially clinch a share of the regular season Ivy title and hosting rights for the tournament.
Tagliente ended by saying, “We have to continue to take care of our business. Nothing is set yet other than that we’ll be in the tournament. We still have all of our big goals in front of us, and winning the game Saturday was a big step in that direction.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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