Crossing Over

Yes, it's November, which means Halloween was so last month. 

Still, TigerBlog would like to share this little exchange he had with a friend who is the mother of an angelic little cherub of a three year old. 

The mom: Trick or treating was a disaster. She hated it. Someone’s decoration shared the bajeezers out of her and then that was it.
TB: What were the decorations? 
The mom: It was a howling skeleton dog. And it howled at her when she reached for the bowl. Motion detecting. Believe me, I couldn't help but laugh a little, but it was so bad. 

TigerBlog did apologize for laughing as well. Can you picture that? The poor little thing. 

And with that, Halloween is in the rearview mirror and Thanksgiving is only three weeks away. You know what that means? 

It's peak crossover season for Princeton Athletics.  

Consider the weekend plans of TigerBlog's colleague Warren Croxton, the football/women's basketball contact in the Office of Athletic Communications. He'll be heading up to Hanover Friday for Saturday's Princeton-Dartmouth football game and then coming back after. Then it'll be up before dawn Sundaty to catch a flight to Atlanta for the Princeton-Georgia Tech women's basketball game and then flying back immediately after that game. 

Warren mentioned at Monday's OAC meeting that he might have to Zoom into next week's meeting. 

Between tomorrow and Sunday, Princeton will have 16 different varsity teams combine to have at least 31 competitions, with the potential for others depending on how it goes. That's a lot of athletes in a lot of places for a lot of events.  

You can also multiply Warren out by everyone else in communications, facilities, equipment, event management, athletic training and everything else that goes into putting teams on fields. It's taxing and challenging but also rewarding and a huge source of pride. 

The Ivy League women's soccer tournament will begin tomorrow on Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium. Princeton, the outright Ivy champion, brings its five-game winning streak into the event, whose winner will earn the Ivy League's automatic NCAA tournament bid. 

Your schedule is:

Tomorrow
Semifinal #1: No. 2 Dartmouth vs. No. 3 Columbia – 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Semifinal #2: No. 1 Princeton vs. No. 4 Brown – 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday 
Championship Game: Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - 1 p.m. (ESPN+) 

Unlike years past, this time the tournament is spread over an additional day, so keep that in mind if you're attending or watching. Tickets are available HERE.

The league field hockey tournament starts Friday at Harvard, where Princeton will play 

Friday
Semifinal #1: 1: No. 1 Harvard vs. No. 4 Brown – 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
Semifinal #2: No. 2 Princeton vs. No. 3 Yale  – 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday
Championship Game: Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

You can get tickets for that event HERE.

Unlike in women's soccer, the Princeton field hockey team is certain to be playing in next weekend's NCAA tournament, regardless of the outcome of the Ivy tournament. That is not to say that there is nothing to play for if you're the Tigers. 

Princeton does have a very real chance of playing at home next week, with a current RPI of No. 3. Also, Princeton has won nine straight heading into the tournament, which, by the way, is on the home field of the only unbeaten team in Division I, a team with a No. 2 RPI. 

If you want to see men's soccer, you can head to Penn Saturday to see Princeton, the team ranked No. 1 in Division I RPI, try to close out a perfect Ivy season. In fact, it could end up being the most perfect Ivy season ever. Kickoff is at 5.

No team has ever gone through an entire Ivy schedule without allowing a goal. Princeton is 6-0-0, having already clinched the Ivy League outright title and host role for next weekend's tournament. Princeton also has six Ivy shutouts; the record for fewest league goals allowed in a season is one, by Yale in 1986. 

Doing so won't be easy. Penn, who is locked into the No. 3 spot in the Ivy tournament and will play No. 2 Cornell in the semifinals, is the second-highest scoring team in the league. Princeton will play the No. 4 seed, which is still to be determined. 

What else is on the dance card? 

Men's basketball at Akron. Men's and women's tennis. Men's and women's hockey. Fencing. Swimming and diving. Women's volleyball.  

The seasons are crossing over. 

It's a busy time — and a fun one.