The Tigers And The Zips

As facility photos go, it's hard to imagine there are too many better than the one on the Akron athletics website of its soccer facility, FirstEnergy Stadium.

The picture shows the field during a game, and that by itself shows a relatively full house. Had that been all there is to it, then it still would have been a great shot.

That isn't all there is to it, though. There is also the sky.

One half of the sky is blue, or at least the fading blue of twilight. The other half is overcast, with the orange of the sun as it blends into the darkness of the clouds. 

The contrast of the serenity of the sky and the tumultuous action on the field is what makes the picture great. 

There's no way to tell who the opponent was that evening the photo was taken. Tonight? The opponent on that same field will be Princeton.

It'll be the opening round of the NCAA men's soccer tournament tonight at 6 (ESPN+), as the Tigers take on the host Zips. For the winner there is a date Sunday at Indiana. 

Why is Akron the Zips, by the way? As you probably know, Akron is famously known as the Rubber Capital of the World, and it's been the home of companies like Firestone, Goodyear and B.F. Goodrich. 

It was B.F. Goodrich that, shortly after 1900, began manufacturing rubber shoes that became quite popular and were known as "Zippers." Around that time, the university began to look for a mascot and nickname, and a student named Margaret Hamlin came up with the winning entry: Zippers — winning her the $10 first prize.

Once zippers replaced buttons on the majority of pants, though, the nickname was shortened to "Zips."

And so it'll be the Tigers and the Zips. They've played three times before, though not in the last 19 years. The most notable note from those three games is probably the fact that in Princeton's 2-0 win over Akron in 1987, current head coach Jim Barlow had an assist on the first goal. 

Akron is, of course, a longtime soccer powerhouse, with one NCAA title (2010) and three NCAA runner-up finishes (most recently in 2018). The game tonight marks the 36th time the Zips have reached the NCAA tournament. 

Princeton, for its part, is making its 12th NCAA appearance. The Tigers reached the 1993 Final Four. 

Akron earned an at-large bid after winning the Big East Conference Midwest Division during the regular season with a 7-0-1 record. The Zips, by the way, are an affiliate member of the Big East for men's soccer but a full-time member of the Mid-American Conference for everything else.

Most recently, Akron fell to Georgetown in the Big East tournament semifinals 2-1 in OT. The Zips rank sixth in Division I in scoring offense (2.47 goals per game) and fifth in Division I in goal differential. 

The main man for Akron is Emil Jaaskelainen, from Bolton, England. Jaaskelainen, a grad transfer from LIU who was a two-time NEC Player of the Year, leads Division I in goals per game with 1.21 per game, which would rank 151st out of 203 Division I teams. 

If any team has a reason to be brimming with confidence, it's Princeton. The Tigers earned their spot in the NCAA tournament by winning the Ivy League's automatic bid this past weekend at the league tournament, taking down Cornell (3-2) and Penn (3-1). Both of those teams earned at-large bids as well in the three-bid Ivy.

Princeton played with skill and toughness in the Ivy tournament, but it was more than just that. Princeton also played like a team that believed in each other and itself, one that came from 2-0 down against Cornell to win in OT and did so without ever looking fazed in any ways. 

The final against Penn came eight days after Princeton lost to the Quakers at home and yet looked so comfortable and in control the entire time, building a 3-0 lead before a late Penn goal. Oh, and this Penn team is the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. 

Again, kickoff in Ohio will be at 6. It'll be chilly there (temps in the 30s) but that's a small price to pay to be able to play this deep into November. 

Princeton has earned this chance. Now it will look to make the most of it. 

The Agony Of Defeat

Hopefully you read yesterday's guest entry from Alex Henn about her experiences at the Ivy League men's soccer tournament. 

You did? Then you really loved it. You didn't? You can read it HERE.

When Alex asked TigerBlog for some guidelines, he told her that she should write about the emotions of the weekend. Clearly, she listened to him.

Her piece was all about emotion. She's far too young to know the significance of the words "the thrill of victory; the agony of defeat," and yet she's had the chance to experience its truest meaning this past weekend.

So did TigerBlog. 

By the way, this is where those words originated:

If you're in TB's age range, then you didn't need to watch that, though if you did, it probably gave you chills as well. 

Meanwhile, back at TigerBlog's weekend, there was the NCAA field hockey first and second rounds. For Ivy League champion Princeton, there was a 1-0 opening round win over Boston College Friday and then a tough 1-0 loss to St. Joe's in the quarterfinal Sunday on St. Joe's home field. 

Also Friday, the women's soccer team lost a 2-1 decision at Virginia in the opening round of its NCAA tournament. Like the field hockey team, the women's soccer team also won the Ivy League title — and then added the Ivy tournament crown as well. 

TigerBlog wasn't around the women's soccer players after their loss. He was around the field hockey team, though, and he expects the reactions were similar.

The immediacy of what happens in the NCAA tournament is something that has to be seen up close to truly be appreciated. It's there ... and then it's gone. In a blink. A great season that led a team to this point, to the NCAA tournament, ends in such an unforgiving way.

It hurts. 

It's one thing when a team overachieves and is "just happy to be there." It's one thing when a team is playing a far superior team and has no expectation of winning.

It's another when it's a 50-50 game against a 50-50 opponent. That was the case for the two Princeton teams this past weekend.

When it ends, you're left to mull over what might have been different, what move could have been made, what bounce went the wrong way.  The final horn can be the cruelest sound.

As you're dealing with your emotions, you're also watching the other team celebrate. It's a very, very, very emotional moment for everyone involved.

In the case of the field hockey team, the one bounce came with five minutes to go, when St. Joe's tucked in the only goal of the day. When the clock reached all zeroes, the Hawks and their fans celebrated wildly. They were off to the Final Four this weekend in Michigan. 

Princeton gathered in front of its bench, huddled together. There was everything to say, and nothing to say. 

It's a moment like this where sports are really something very unique. The thrill of victory on one side; the agony of defeat on the other. It was a cavernous emotional range that followed a razor-thin margin on the field. 

It's hurts. And it's supposed to hurt. And yet at the same time, it's very much worth the hurt, to go through all the things teams go to as a season progresses from preseason to this moment. Each season is its own unique organism, regardless of how many seniors were lost or starters return. 

Teams put in so much time together in all sorts of ways, and the games themselves are the smallest amount of time of all of that. TigerBlog has been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this from the inside of so many teams across so many sports through the decades he's been at Princeton.

The good news is that the agony fades. In the immediacy, the team gathers and then heads to the postgame tailgate. In college sports, somebody wins and somebody loses, but everyone eats. 

It takes more than a great buffet to make everything better though. It takes a while. It's different for everyone. 

There are some losses that will sting forever. But the agony? That raw emotion of the moment? 

That dissolves — and it leaves you with the knowledge that you gave it your all, did your best and had a great year.  

And you did it together. Nothing will ever change that, or ruin it. 

TigerBlog was in the field hockey huddle after the game Sunday. He saw the sadness and the tears, but he also knew that one day, they'd remember how special 2024 was for all of them more than anything else.

Guest TigerBlog - The Joy, Excitement And Optimism Of Alex Henn

 

Alex Henn is new to Princeton's Office of Athletic Communications. She is a recent graduate of Georgetown, and this is her first post-college job.

Is it off to a good start? Well, she's the sport contact for three fall sports: men's and women's cross country and men's soccer. And how are those teams doing? Both cross country teams won Ivy League championships, and the men's soccer team just took down Cornell and Penn to win the Ivy tournament, earning a spot Thursday at Akron in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. 

Alex was in Philadelphia this weekend for the soccer tournament, and she'll be with the Tigers as they head to Ohio. To say that she was nervous before the tournament would be a bit of understatement. To say she was excited would be likewise, though it's the good kind of nervous and the good kind of excited — the kind that, as TigerBlog always says about himself, shows that she's in the right field. 

After Princeton's win the other day, TB asked Alex if she'd like to write a Guest TigerBlog about her experience at the Ivy tournament. He told her it needed to be 500-700 words; she sent him back nearly 1,400. After he read it, TB texted her to say that it made him smile. He's pretty sure you will smile too.

Well done, Alex:

Optimism. 

 

When I walked into my hotel room on Thursday night, beginning my trip with the Princeton men’s soccer team to Philadelphia for the Ivy League tournament, that’s what I first noticed: a fairly tacky, generic, yet encouraging piece of wall art that simply said, “optimism.”  

 

At the risk of sounding dorky, I consider NCAA soccer postseason to be the best time of the year. For soccer fans, November and December are always sure to bring lots of emotions and memories, all with the backdrop of a graying Autumn and the start of the holiday season. 

 

This year, however, is extra special. It is my first year at Princeton, and the first round of postseason play for my Fall sports. And after both the men’s and women’s cross country teams won their Ivy Championships at home, I was lucky enough to travel with men’s soccer to its appearance in the Ivy League tournament this weekend.

If you’ve been following the team’s season at all (you should already be following @princetonmsoc), you’d know that this season has been an exciting one for the Tigers — full of grit, exceeding expectations, lots of wins and lots of joy. 

 

Beginning our trip to the tournament was no different. The week prior, we lost to No. 12 Penn at home 1-0, closing out our regular season. The team really felt the loss, and with it, Princeton became the No. 3 seed in the tournament while Penn won the Ivy championship and the ability to host the Ivy tournament.

Despite that lingering fresh in their minds, and mine, I couldn’t help but pick up on a different energy heading to Philadelphia. That was confirmed when I walked into room 1120 and saw the sign that read: optimism. 

 

If you’re someone like me, hope can sometimes feel presumptuous, especially when it comes to sports.

 

If you ever see me knocking on a table three times or worrying about what color my nails are painted or what I was wearing at the last win, or any of the things I get superstitious about when it comes to my teams, it’s because I’m just afraid to jinx it. And hope is something I usually consider to be a jinx. 

 

This time, however, I didn’t feel that way. From talking to the players at breakfast or joking with the coaches, everyone was happy to be there, together, playing the sport they love with people they love. The Tigers have trust in themselves, and it inspires belief and trust in them from others. I have been privileged enough to get a front row seat to that this season. 

 

Going into Friday’s semifinal against No. 16 Cornell (the No. 2 seed in the tournament), I had a cautiously good feeling. Shockingly, that didn’t go away when Cornell was the first to score in the game, despite how it probably looked as I was pacing in the press box.

 

I still wasn’t rattled when they added another, putting the Tigers down 2-0. A 3-2 Princeton win is what it’ll have to be, I thought. And that’s exactly what happened.

Not once did it feel like we were out of that game, and time seemed to slow down. The team adapted, and made two goals happen in regulation time, with Nico Nee scoring an incredible equalizer with just seven minutes left in the match (if you haven’t seen the clip, it was a perfectly timed volley, and you should definitely check it out). 

 

Going into overtime, I felt more confident than I had the whole game — so much so that I moved from my usual spot in the press box down to the bench so that when we scored, I could run out with the team and document the celebration. 

 

I was filled with adrenaline, eyebrows contorted together in concern and hands clasped together in worry as my eyes were locked on the field. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were going to get it done. The Tigers were inches away from a huge win and a spot in the championship game, and there was no way anyone was going to take that from them — you could just tell. 

 

Minutes later, I watched the game-winner from Daniel Ittycheria roll into the net, and before I could register what happened, the team and I were off. 

 

I was beaming from ear to ear, but that was nothing compared to the joy the athletes were feeling —  screaming and hugging each other; I think the phrase “let’s go” must have been yelled in record-breaking numbers (with my contributing at least a few). 

 

I was overwhelmed with the excitement and pride I had for the guys after seeing how hard they worked, in that insane 3-2 comeback win and throughout the whole season.

I was recording everything on my phone, but I was mentally documenting everything too. It was a moment I know I will cherish for a long, long time.

 

Saturday was a mix of feeling the joy from winning the night before and shifting focus to the task ahead: a rematch with Penn, this time on the Quakers’ home field, and for an Ivy tournament championship and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

 

We ate, like, a lot of food. We went to the field for a kickaround. The team rested; I caught up on work. Before we knew it, Championship Sunday was here.

And despite the daunting task ahead, combined with the fact that they had been through a tough, physical game less than 48 hours before, the energy in the team room was overwhelmingly positive. We were excited. Aware of the pressure, yes, but confident. 

 

As got to the field, the team knew its mission for the day. They all were ready to do it their way: with joy, and together. Princeton would go on to win the tournament, doing so with a dominant 3-1 victory.

 

This happened just one week after losing to the same team in Princeton (not to mention that Penn hadn’t lost at home since November 6, 2021, which was incidentally a 1-0 loss to Princeton during the Tigers’ undefeated Ivy campaign that year).

It was a moment well-deserved, but not at all taken for granted. The joy was palpable. And I finally exhaled — that cautious optimism I had was realized; the Princeton Tigers were the winners of the 2024 Ivy League tournament. 

 

The moment the team had been working towards all season finally came. And I was, and still am, as I write this, just absolutely thrilled for them. 

 

The work isn’t done now though. We now look to the NCAAs where Princeton will travel to Ohio to face the Akron Zips on Thursday. 

But with an exciting tournament under their belt, and an SID who will still get extremely nervous before the game, the Princeton Tigers will be ready for the next challenge. And it’s because they have the fight, the determination and the belief necessary. 

It also helps that they’re really good at soccer while being really cool people too. I’m not just saying this as someone who works with them; you really just can’t help but root for these Tigers. 

 

In such big moments, I always try to remember that it’s the joy we feel, and the nerves and stress and love of the sport regardless of any outcome, that makes this time of year so special. 

 

The hope creates the standout memories, the ones that keep us coming back to the teams after every game, win or lose.

But boy is it fun when we win.

So later this week when I’m a ball of nerves all over again for our NCAA first round game (looking at you, my OAC colleagues), just know I’m loving every second of it. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for my team.

And just to add one more to the books: LET’S GO TIGERS!!!!!!

 

What An Autumn

TigerBlog spent the weekend in Philadelphia, though it felt more like he was, hmm, in Ohio or Maine or North Carolina or something like that. 

It certainly had the feel of being somewhere much further from home that in it was. Also, how many nights do you have to stay in a hotel before you innately know which way to go to the elevator after you walk out of your room?

The occasion was the NCAA field hockey first and second rounds. By the time the weekend ended, Princeton had beaten Boston College 1-0 and lost to St. Joe's 1-0. The finality of losing a game like that, with a spot in the Final Four on the line, can be really hard to handle in the moment. 

It's only over time that you realize that you actually had a great season, one that included an Ivy League championship and return to the NCAA tournament after a year away from each. There is also the fact that the field hockey team was part of what has been just an incredible fall for Princeton Athletics. 

Consider all of this:

* field hockey Ivy title, host of Ivy tournament, NCAA quarterfinals
* women's soccer Ivy title, host of Ivy tournament, Ivy tournament champ, NCAA tournament
* men's cross country Ivy League Heps champion, NCAA regional runner-up, NCAA team qualifier
* women's cross country Ivy League Heps champion

Would that have been enough? Sure. Ah, but wait, there's more.

There's the men's water polo team, which is ranked sixth in the country and will host the conference tournament at DeNunzio Pool this coming weekend.

And then there are the two teams who had the biggest weekends.

TB starts with the women's volleyball team. It was Saturday night, after dinner in Manayunk, that TB got back to Room 415 and put on ESPN+ to see, of all things, Yale-Cornell women's volleyball. 

Why? Because Princeton had won its match earlier at Harvard, running its Ivy record to 12-2. Yale went into the match against Cornell at 12-1, so obviously the Tigers needed a Big Red win to get a share of the championship. 

It wasn't looking good when Yale won the first two sets. In fact, TB turned it off — and then had his former colleague Craig Sachson text him to let him know that Cornell had come all the way back to win. 

And so women's volleyball became Princeton's fifth Ivy League champion this fall. And, by virtue of the tiebreakers, the Ivy League tournament will be coming to Dillon Gym this weekend. 

Princeton will be the No. 1 seed and will play No. 4 Brown at 4 Friday, followed by a Yale (second seed) and Cornell (third seed) rematch at 7. The winners will meet Saturday at 6, with the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the big prize.

Meanwhile, there was the other ESPN+ game TB was watching Saturday night. That was the men's soccer team's Ivy tournament semifinal game against Cornell — which turned out to be one of the best games you'll see a Princeton team play.

Princeton went 5-2 in the league this year to finish tied with the Big Red for second in the league. The two losses were to Cornell and Penn, and after Penn (the host) took down Brown in overtime in the first semifinal, Princeton's task to win the tournament was to avenge both of those losses.

So how did it start? 

Well, Cornell scored 15 minutes into the game. And then again three minutes later. Suddenly it was 2-0 Big Red, and the Tigers' season was slipping away. Or was it? 

Princeton scored four minutes later, on a goal from Daniel Ittycheria. Cornell 2, Princeton 1 at the half. And Cornell 2, Princeton 1 deep into the second half. 

Ah, but the Tigers hadn't run out of fight. First Nico Nee volleyed in a Jack Jasinski feed perfectly into the goal, tying it with eight minutes to go. 

NICO NEE STRIKES AND WE ARE TIED HERE AT RHODES WITH 7 TO GO!!!

COME ON TIGERS!!#PrincetonSoccer #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/FAITNroj0x

— Princeton Men’s Soccer (@PrincetonMSoc) November 16, 2024

Now it was on to overtime. Princeton still needed a win to keep its season going. And a win the Tigers would get, this time Ittycheria again. As TB said before, it was one of the best games you could hope to see if you're a fan of Princeton sports. 

Would Princeton be in the NCAA tournament without a win over Penn yesterday in the final? Well, nobody will ever know. Nee started the scoring in the first half, and the Tigers added two more before Penn put one in making the final 3-1. 

You can add another Ivy tournament championship to the great fall. 

Now the men's soccer team will find out today at 1 its NCAA destination and opponent.

The Same Goal

TigerBlog was sitting with Joe Greenwich inside a building adjacent to Ellen Ryan Field at Saint Joseph's University yesterday afternoon.

Who is Joe Greenwich? He's the Saint Joe's athletic communications contact for, among other sports, field hockey. He was busy putting together credentials in advance of today's opening round of the NCAA tournament, which his team is hosting.

At one point, a young man who appeared to be a student walked in and asked Greenwich what time the game started. When Greenwich said that the student was a day early, the response was something of an "oh, I didn't realize; thank you."

Greenwich then said something pretty funny: "As the PR guy, I'm not sure I like that."

Funny, right?

And, since this has been College Sports Communicators Appreciation Week, TB would like to say that he appreciated Greenwich's joke — and all the work he's done to prepare for the games today.

For the record, those would be Lafayette vs. Saint Joe's at 11 and Princeton vs. Boston College at 1:30. The winners will meet Sunday at noon for a spot in next weekend's Final Four at Michigan. Saint Joe's is the host, though the Hawks (fifth) sit one spot behind Boston College (fourth) in the current RPI ratings.

The Princeton field hockey NCAA game will be the first of three postseason games involving Princeton teams today. The other two are soccer games, with the women at Virginia at 7 in the NCAA tournament opening round and the men at Penn against Cornell at 6:30 in the second game of the Ivy League tournament (Penn plays Brown in the first game). 

If you're coming to the field hockey game, you can go get a few cheesesteaks and then head over to the men's soccer tournament with plenty of time to spare before the Tigers kick it off. Between the field hockey and women's soccer teams, the games today will bring the total number of NCAA appearances for them to a combined 42.

All three Princeton teams enter their games this weekend with the same goal. All three want to be practicing next week.

The field hockey team is back in the NCAA tournament after missing out last year. When was the last time that Princeton went back-to-back seasons without reaching the NCAAs? 

How about 1992 and 1993?

Boston College and Princeton have played only once before, in the opening round of the 1997 tournament, a game the Tigers won 3-2. BC and Princeton are both at-large teams after both fell in the championship game of their league tournament. 

The women's soccer team has an interesting matchup against a Cavaliers team that missed the tournament last year, marking the first time that UVa missed the NCAAs since 1993 (which seems to be the answer to all questions here today). 

Virginia finished in ninth place in the ACC this year and missed out on the league tournament, which only took the top six. Because of that, the Cavs have not yet played a game in the month of November.

Princeton, by the way, is 5-2-1 against ACC teams under head coach Sean Driscoll, including a 1-0 win over Miami in its opener this year. 

As for the men's team, the Ivy tournament is the first step in a postseason that hopefully will take the Tigers all the way to their second NCAA Final Four. When was the first? Duh, it was in 1993. 

This is Year 2 of the Ivy tournament and Princeton's debut in the event. The Tigers lost 1-0 to Cornell in the regular season, a result that makes the Big Red the No. 2 seed, not that it really matters other than what color uniforms the teams will wear.

Cornell is ranked 16th nationally. Penn, who defeated Princeton 1-0 a week ago in the game that determined the Ivy title and where the tournament would be, is ranked 12th.

There is, of course, much more on the Princeton Athletics calendar this weekend, including home men's basketball tonight at 7 against Loyola (the one in Illinois) and football at Yale tomorrow at noon. Princeton and Loyola have met once before; Princeton and Yale goes way back to the 19th century. The answer to neither of those dates is 1993.

For the complete schedule, click HERE.

Villanova Drive

TigerBlog walked into Jadwin Gym the other day and found the entire women's basketball coaching staff in the lobby.

"Welcome to Jadwin Gym," head coach Carla Berube said, joking. "First time here?"

That got TB to think about when he first walked into the building. He thinks it was back in 1983 or so. 

He knows that in the spring of 1984, while he was a relative newbie in the newspaper business, he covered the state high school tennis tournament on the indoor courts on Jadwin E level. Princeton High School was playing, and rain forced the Little Tigers to move to Jadwin.

TB thinks about that every now and then, especially since his current office is located a very short walk from those same courts. Would he ever have imagined that 40 years ago? Nope.

He's also tried to imagine if there is any building anywhere that he's spent more time in than the venerable home of the Tigers. Even the house he grew up in can't possibly match up to the sheer number of hours he's spent in Jadwin Gym. 

TigerBlog grew up on a street called Villanova Drive. All of the streets in his neighborhood were named for colleges, or at least had college identities to them. 

For instance, the main road through the middle of the development was called Old Queens Boulevard, named for, obviously, Rutgers. The street behind his was called Annapolis Drive, a nod to the Naval Academy.

Berube's team took on the school TB's childhood street was named for in Jadwin last night. Would any player in the game who took the ball to the hoop go on a Villanova Drive?  

It was Game 3 on the season for the Tigers and No. 2 for the Wildcats. It would be Princeton who came away with a win, 70-61.

At times, it certainly looked like mid-November. At others, it looked like this Princeton team is going to do what so many before it has done: Shake off the major graduation losses and keep moving forward.

It's a formula that has allowed Princeton to list so many Ivy League championship teams on the back of the t-shirts that were given away last night.

Princeton used 13 players in the first half alone, partly because of foul trouble and partly because of the fact that there are so many players who are looking to step into bigger roles this season. It's going to take a few weeks for the lineup and rotation to be a little clearer.

In the meantime, it was fun to see all the new faces and new names out there. And it was fun to see the more seasoned returnees now have to step into bigger leadership roles. 

The game was 28-28 at the half and then 31-28 Villanova after a made three-pointer to start the third quarter. By the start of the fourth quarter, Princeton had built a 10-point lead at 53-43. If you've been paying attention at all since Berube arrived, you know she loves her teams to defend.  

Villanova was able to get within one in the fourth quarter but Princeton did everything it needed to close out the win. Ashley Chea took over the game down the stretch, nailing big shots, especially from deep, while finishing with 17 points. Madison St. Rose was in double figures again with 13. 

Yes, there is a lot to work on, including avoiding fouls. Still, there is a lot to like about this current Princeton women's team, which is only going to get better as the season moves along.

The men, who also have a lot to like, will be home tomorrow night (7), when they host Loyola, the team from Chicago, not the one from Maryland. After that game, Princeton will head to Massachusetts to take on Merrimack Sunday at 1.

There is almost no history between Princeton and either of the two opponents this weekend. Princeton and Loyola have met only once, back in Game 1 of the 2006-07 season, in a game Loyola won 68-57. Any guesses as to who led Princeton in scoring that night with 17 points? 

Princeton and Merrimack have never met. 

Loyola and Princeton are both 3-0 as they head into the game. Princeton has used late comebacks in all three games to pull out the wins.

Most recently Princeton defeated Northeastern 79-76 as Dalen Davis had a career high of 25 points. Davis and Xaivian Lee are tied for the team lead at 17.3 points per game, and Caden Pierce is next with 15 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per.

Oh, and the answer to who was the leading scorer in that only other game against Loyola? That would be Michael Strittmatter.

Appreciation Week

Welcome to College Sports Communicators Member Appreciation Week.

Yesterday TigerBlog wrote about all of the people who made all of last weekend's events at Princeton run smoothly, and as you saw, it took an army of them. 

Those in the Office of Athletic Communications? They also were swamped over the weekend. 

In fact, in all between home and away games, there were 40 total events. Every single one of them had a preview story, postgame story and graphics pregame, in-game and postgame. That was a lot of words and a lot of time on PhotoShop for everyone involved. 

Just like the events crew, the communications group is not one that finds itself in the limelight very often. Here is the lineup of those who made all of that content come your way this weekend (alphabetically): Andrew Borders, Elliott Carr, Warren Croxton, Chas Dorman, Joanna Dwyer and Alex Henn. 

Warren gets a special shoutout. He was at football Friday night for a game that didn't end until 10 pm. Where was he just 16 hours later? Courtside for the women's basketball game at DePaul, which, by the way, is in Chicago.

That's a big-time performance. 

Joanna does too. The rookie out of Elon College has seven sports at Princeton — and six of them competed this past weekend. She was in New England, where the women's hockey and men's water polo teams both competed, while she also had both men's and women's swimming and diving and men's and women's tennis with their own competitions. Remember — they all required stories and graphics, especially when there were school records set in men's swimming.

Anyway, once again, TigerBlog salutes his hard-working colleagues on Appreciation Week. And all of the others out there in the profession, both in the Ivy League and throughout the country.

If you really want to appreciate those who work hard, check out any Division III website you like and go to the athletic communications section. Then see how few people are listed (usually one or two), and then count the number of teams the school has.

This weekend is a bit tamer, though it is not without its big events, including NCAA tournaments for women's soccer (at Virginia Friday at 7) and field hockey (at Saint Joseph's against Boston College Friday at 1:30) and the Ivy men's soccer tournament at Penn. 

Between last Sunday and this Friday, though, there is only one event on the Princeton Athletic calendar, and it comes up tonight at 7 on Carril Court at Jadwin Gym as the women's basketball team plays Villanova in its home opener.

If you were on the team's social media yesterday, you noticed that there is a shirt giveaway tonight (while supplies last). The front of the shirt recognizes the 2024 Ivy League championship, and the back lists the all-time league titles in program history.

How many are there? Well, is 18 a lot? 

Princeton is 1-1 on the very young season, having opened with a loss at Duquesne and then rolling past DePaul 79-58. Hey, the team owed it to Warren to win, right? 

It's way too early to draw any conclusions about anything for the coming season, what with the Ivy tournament a mere four months away. If you are going to make any guesses about the Tigers, though, it's that Madison St. Rose will score a lot of points.

Rose already has an impressive resume as the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a 2024 second-team All-Ivy League selection and Ivy all-tournament team selection. So far, through two games, she has put up 22 and 24 points while averaging nine rebounds. 

She went from 8.8 points per game to 14.8 last year, and she came into this season with 704 career points. The last three players to lead the team in points per game in a season have been Bella Alarie (four times), Abby Meyers and Kaitlyn Chen (twice). 

They are all-time greats in the program. St. Rose is on the verge of joining that rare air.

Villanova is a perennial postseason team that reached the final of the WBIT a year ago (the WBIT is the women's equivalent of the men's NIT). The Wildcats have played only one game to date this season, a 64-56 win at home against Wake Forest. 

Oh, and if you're at the game tonight, go find Warren at the scorer's table and tell him you appreciate him. He deserves it.

That Was Fun

John Mack, the Ford Family Director of Athletics at Princeton, sent an email out to the staff yesterday thanking everyone for everything that was done this past weekend to make so many events go so smoothly.

To paraphrase one part of the email, Mack mentioned how happy everyone seemed to be, despite how much had to get done. 

Yesterday afternoon, TigerBlog was talking to the very amiable Melissa Stephens of the Princeton Varsity Club, and she said it must have been a long weekend at the Ivy field hockey tournament. TB's response was three words: It was fun.

In fact, TB also mentioned that to someone else with whom he spoke this weekend. To paraphrase TB, he said something like he "definitely found the right career, since the games still get him fired up after all these years."

That's the way it has to be, and that's always been TigerBlog's way of thinking. If you don't love the games, you can't work in college athletics. Why would you want to work all those nights and weekends otherwise? 

This weekend was as busy as any TB has seen here. There were the two Ivy League tournaments — field hockey and women's soccer — that were added to an already typically loaded crossover season schedule, and that made it something different than has ever happened here.

And yet, everything went smoothly. 

If you don't consider all of the moving pieces that go into a weekend like this, that's good, because it means it's all under control. That doesn't happen accidentally though. 

TB reached out  to Princeton's Associate AD for Event Operations Karen Malec and asked her if she could remember any weekends like this one. If there has ever been anyone who has worked here and done so much while ducking any chance to be in the spotlight, it's Karen Malec, a former Princeton University Presidential Award winner. 

This is what she said:

"Everything was a blur."

When TB first texted Karen yesterday, she responded by asking him to call her. Then she did what she always does: gave all the credit to her staff.

"They did it all," she says, "and I supported them."

There were a lot of "them" out in force this weekend. TB doesn't want to overlook anyone, but here's just some of the rundown:

* the field hockey tournament was run by Ieisha Jackson and Shane Williams
* the women's soccer tournament was run by Samantha Gudger and CJ Ford
* Karen and CJ covered the men's soccer game against Penn Saturday (which had a huge crowd)
* Karen covered men's hockey Friday night
* Ieisha and Michael Huggins covered football Friday night
* Jon Kurian covered men's hockey Saturday night
* Kaitlin Dobiesz and Jack Jephson covered the swimming and diving meets Saturday
* Ryan Statham and Matt Duker covered tennis at the new Meadows Facility
* Mike Mix covered women's volleyball in Dillon Gym

They were there before sunrise over the weekend. 

"We all bounced around from one thing to another," Malec says. "We enjoy what we do. This is what you look forward to, and it's a challenge when your teams are doing so well. Everyone contributed, and everyone had a positive attitude."

The two tournaments also required Princeton Athletics staff to serve as team hosts. Those who helped out were Melissa from the PVC, Jess Muroff, Tiffani Stefanchik, Mike Medley, Katie Lytle, Nancy Donigan and Gabby Callaway.

Now you can multiply that out across every division of the department, and you get a sense of what went on this weekend. And that doesn't even take into account all of the PA announcers, student-workers, stat-keepers, camera operators and everyone else who was there. Oh, and Shelley Szwast. How many pictures must she have taken?

Like Karen Malec, these are not people who seek out the spotlight. To do almost every job in Princeton Athletics, you have to be okay knowing that there are a handful who get all the glory and a big portion who get none.

It's definitely a "check your ego at the door" situation.

It's also something that can't be a chore. It has to be a labor of love. 

Just ask Karen Malec, who said this: "We're all exhausted now, but we all had a fun time."

It was that kind of weekend at Princeton. 

NCAA Bound

On a weekend when, among other things, freshman Patrick Dinu set a school record in his first swim meet, the women's hockey team went on the road and won twice, Paul Inchauspe qualified for the NCAA men's tennis championships, the women's volleyball team swept to clinch its spot in the Ivy tournament, the men's and women's basketball teams both got big-time performances while combining to win three games — where in the world to start? 

How about with Alexandra Barry of the women's soccer team? 

The Princeton women hosted the Ivy League tournament this weekend and overpowered two opponents to clinch an NCAA tournament spot. First it was Harvard in the semifinals, a game won by the Tigers 3-1, and then it was yesterday's game against Brown, won by the Tigers 2-0.

It's safe to say that Brown did not enjoy its time on Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium this year. The regular season game, as you may recall, was an 8-0 Princeton win. Add in yesterday's final, and that makes it 10-0. Shots between the two games favoried Princeton 34-13.

Before the game yesterday, TigerBlog had a conversation with someone about what the after-effects of such a lopsided first meeting would be. Would it give a false sense of security to the Tigers? Would it be a great motivator for Brown? Would it not matter?

In the end, who knows? 

The goal-scorers for Princeton were Drew Coomans and Lily Bryant. Goalkeeper Tyler McCamey made three saves for the shutout.

So where does Barry figure into all of this? 

The first goal of the game came from Coomans, with 11 minutes to go in the first half. It was an incredible play on Coomans' part, trapping the attempted clear from Brown and then lofting the most perfect shot you'll ever see into the net.

Barry was on the other side of the play. When the goal was scored, the look on her face ... well, you can see it for yourself:

Both of 'em from our Ivy League Tournament final win today at Roberts as Drew Coomans and Lily Bryant scored in our 2-0 victory! pic.twitter.com/vNo3Ld7yvg

— Princeton WSoccer (@PrincetonWSoc) November 10, 2024

That is pure jubo, no? 

Yes, it is.

The second goal was also a pretty one, as Bryant one-timed a corner kick perfectly into the net as well just after intermission. The celebration behind the goal can also be described as "jubo."

Oh, and in case you've forgotten what "jubo" is, that's short for "jubilation."

The game Friday saw Pietra Tordin score twice and Kayla Wong score once as the Tigers built a 3-0 lead. The two wins came in Year 2 of the Ivy League tournament, and Princeton becomes the first team to win the regular season and tournament titles.

The reward is the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers will find out their postseason draw this afternoon at 4 with the Selection Show on NCAA.com.

The Ivy League champion field hockey team found out last night what its own NCAA fate was to be. Unlike the women's soccer team, who can watch the selections and relax knowing that "Princeton" will come up at some point, the field hockey team had to sweat it out for eight hours yesterday.

Princeton went 7-0 in the league during the regular season to win the championship and then defeated Columbia 4-0 Friday in the first semifinal. Harvard then took down Brown 1-0 in overtime in the second, setting up a rematch of last year's first Ivy tournament final.

And just like a year ago, and just like the regular season this year, the final score was 2-1. Last year, it was Harvard who won the tournament on a goal with 34 seconds to go. This year in the regular season it was Princeton who won in overtime.

And yesterday, it was Harvard who won a thrilling game, also in overtime. It was scoreless until Harvard scored with 2:35 to play, but Princeton came back to tie it when Beth Yeager set up Ella Cashman with just 59 seconds to go to force the OT. 

The game ended a bit before 2. The selections wouldn't be announced until 10. That was a long time to wait it out. 

In all likelihood, it looked like it would be Princeton, Ohio State and UMass for the last two at-large spots. As it turned out, it was Princeton and UMass.

The wait wasn't very long for the Tigers, who found out quickly that they'd be matched with Boston College at St. Joe's Friday. Just like that, the sadness of losing eight hours earlier turned to, well, jubo.

The Weekend Part II

TigerBlog was at Bedford Field during yesterday's Princeton field hockey practice session when junior Ella Hampson walked by.

"Christmas music?" she said as she heard the song that was playing on TB's computer at the time. "Isn't it early for that?" 

Well, yes, it is a little early for Christmas music. Uh, no, TB wasn't listening to Christmas music, unless the 1979 Blondie song "Dreamin'" qualifies as Christmas music. 

Also, TB's friend and colleague from the Ivy office Rachel Schermick put together this video from the four teams at their practices:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Ivy League (@ivyleague)

 Very clever. For the record, TB got them all right except for Pop Rocks.

And with that, welcome to the busiest athletic weekend on the Princeton campus that TigerBlog can remember.

As you probably recall from yesterday, things are so busy around here this weekend that TB couldn't fit it all into one offering. 

He mentioned the Ivy League field hockey tournament (which starts at 11:30 today with Princeton vs. Columbia on Bedford Field) and the men's soccer game tomorrow at 2 against Penn that will decide the Ivy League championship and tournament host. 

So what else is there? A ton.

The field hockey tournament isn't the only one on campus this weekend. The women's soccer event begins today as well, with an automatic NCAA tournament bid on the line as well. The women's soccer games start a bit later than the field hockey ones, so if you're trying to maximize your viewing, you can definitely get to both.

The first game matches No. 2 Columbia and No. 2 Brown, with kickoff at 1. The second game matches No. 1 Princeton and No. 4 Harvard at 4:30.

The championship game is Sunday at 1. 

These are the same four teams who were in last year's first Ivy tournament, with the same first-round matchups. That one ended with a Harvard win over Brown in the final. 

Princeton comes into the game with the Ivy League's Offensive Player of the Year, Pietra Tordin. If you recall, the regular season began with Tordin in Colombia (the country, where she won bronze with the U.S. at the U-20 World Cup) and ended a week ago at Columbia (the college, where she scored the only goal in the 1-0 win that brought the championship and tournament to Myslik Field).

And then there's the football game. It's a 6 pm kickoff on ESPNU, and it matches the Tigers and Dartmouth. Princeton is unlikely to get into the mix for the championship this season, but it could throw the race into a bit of turmoil with a win tonight.

Dartmouth enters the game tonight in a three-way tie for first at 3-1, along with Harvard and Dartmouth. Are there really only three games left in the Ivy football season? 

At the same time that the football is starting on Powers Field, the men's hockey season is opening at Baker Rink. This is more than just Game 1 on the 2024-25 season; it's also the first game for Ben Syer as the Princeton head coach. 

This is the start of Syer's 26th season as a college coach but first as the head man behind the bench. Syer has previously worked at Cornell and Quinnipiac.

Princeton is playing Harvard tonight and Dartmouth tomorrow night, both at 7.

And while it's not on campus, there's also men's basketball not that far away — at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, where Princeton plays Duquesne at 8:30. 

That's just a taste of what's going on. TB could keep going, but he'll leave it up to his friend and colleague Chas Dorman, who posted this earlier in the week:

The Staff In Tiger Town Is Ready!

4️⃣0️⃣ Total Events Thurs-Sun
1️⃣5️⃣ Home Events
2️⃣ Conference Championships
1️⃣ National TV Game

🧡🖤💻📸🎥🤳🧑‍💻👩‍💻🎟️🏆🎉🎊 https://t.co/Y06mHikDlk

— Chas Dorman (@ChasDorman) November 7, 2024

So here's a little snippet of how this weekend is going. Consider what yet another friend and colleague, Warren Croxton, will be doing.

First, he'll be at the football game at 7 tonight against Dartmouth as the Office of Athletic Communications contact. He'll be on a plane early Saturday morning, and he'll be at his next game, at 2 Eastern time. 

That would be the women's basketball game at DePaul. He's also the women's basketball contact.

It might seem like a lot, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Okay. It's time for the weekend to be off and running.