Princeton heads to Virginia for NCAA opener
When the All-Ivy League honors were announced, there were plenty of Princeton names mentioned, but now the Tigers are ready for the next prize, a run at a national championship.
The Tigers surprised the hockey world a year ago by getting into the tourney with an atlarge bid and riding the wave all the way to the Final Four before falling to eventual national champion Delaware.
“The things we took away from last year are to enjoy the moment and focus on the game at hand,” said second-year coach Carla Tagliente. “A lot of energy is wasted on things that you cannot control. Preparation helps instill confidence and I know our players feel that.”
No. 11 Princeton (11-6), which undoubtedly played the toughest schedule in Division I hockey, opens the tourney with a familiar foe, No. 5 Virginia (15-4).
The game is set for Saturday in Charlottesville at 2 p.m. The other game at the site has St. Joseph’s (18-3) facing North Carolina (16-4). UNC picked up a 4-0 win over UVA in the ACC semifinals.
Princeton and Virginia met last year in the first round with the Tigers coming away with a 3-2 win.
Princeton has won 10 of its last 12 and is playing well up and down the field as evidenced by the All-Ivy selections:
• Ryan McCarthy was named the Offensive Player of the Year
• Maddie Bacskai was named the Defensive Player of the Year
• Julianna Tornetta was the Co-Rookie of the Year
• Mary Kate Neff, Sophia Tornetta and Elise Wong were named second team
• Grace Baylis and Nicole Catalino received Honorable Mention
• Tagliente was named Coach of the Year.
The eight Tigers receiving honors are most since the national championship year of 2012 when 10 got Ivy honors.
“I think we are playing the best we have played all season,” said Tagliente. “Our execution on set pieces (attack and defensive penalty corners) is excellent at the moment. That is something you want to see at this time of the year. We are a very good team at the moment and I’m excited to see how we do this weekend.”
Princeton is led by McCarthy, who has been All-Ivy for four straight years, with 15 goals, including four game winners. Clara Roth has six goals and 23 points, Julianna Tornetta has 13 assists and Mary Kate Neff has seven goals.
The defense has been dominant with Grace Baylis possessing a 1.82 goals against.
The Cavaliers lead the series against the Tigers, 7-6, and will be looking for a little revenge from last year.
“They have a lot of individual talent and the ability to eliminate through multiple lines,” said Tagliente. “We will need to establish early pressure on the ball and tackling back so we can get extra numbers around the ball.”
LOCAL NOTES » Freshman Lauren Hausheer, who played at West Windsor-Plainsboro North, is the back-up goalie for Virginia. Hausheer has played 174.40 minutes and allowed one goal for a 0.40 goals against average. …Former Princeton High star Julia DiTosto played for Stanford, which lost in a playin game on Wednesday to Miami (OH). …Ali McCarthy, Ryan’s sister, and her Oak Knoll teammate Gabby Andretta have committed to the application process at Princeton. McCarthy has 125 career goals and Andretta has 102 career goals and 105 career assists.