Women's Soccer

Columbia Controls Destiny Following Upset of Then-No. 11 Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Following shutout victories, Columbia junior goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse and Brown freshman defender Sydney Cummings were selected as the League’s weekly award winners. Whitehouse owns four-straight shutouts to lead the Lions to a 4-0-0 start in Ancient Eight play. 

LEAGUE NOTES
  • Columbia finds itself in a familiar position at the top of Ivy League standings after its second-straight 4-0-0 start in League play. In 2016, the Lions finished 0-2-1 to fall to third in the Ancient Eight ledger.
  • Princeton is ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll (No. 17, Week 9 – Oct. 17) and Top Drawer Soccer Women’s Division I Top 25 (No. 20, Week 10 – Oct. 16). The club, which is 11-2-0 on the year, also sits seventh in the NCAA Women’s Soccer RPI.
  • The Tigers own two of the Ivy League’s three wins over ranked opponents in 2017. Their two losses are to then-No. 6 West Virginia, 1-0, on Sept. 15 and League-leading Columbia, 2-0, on Oct. 14.
  • Princeton has allowed just five goals on the season and ranks eighth in the nation in goals against average (.385), ninth in shutout percentage (.692) and 10th in save percentage (.884). The Tigers .846 winning percentage also registers 12th in NCAA Division I.
  • Ivies boast a .604 non-conference winning percentage with a 41-26-5 record.
  • Princeton sophomore forward Abby Givens paces the League in goals (9), goals per game (.75), game-winning goals (4), points (22) and points per game (1.83). She ranks among the national leaders in goals (35th), goals per game (18th), game-winning goals (21st), points (39th) and points per game (14th).
  • Columbia senior forward Natalie Neshat shares the League lead with nine goals and .75 goals per game, which each register among the top 35 on the national charts.
  • Brown freshman forward Star White tops the Ancient Eight with .46 assists per game and six assists. Bears senior forward Mikela Waldman shares the League lead and ranks 21st nationally with four game-winning goals.
  • Princeton sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Grossi ranks ninth in NCAA Division I with a .417 goals against average, 14th with a .878 save percentage and 14th with eight shutouts.
  • Penn sophomore goalkeeper Kitty Qu ranks 16th in NCAA Division I with a .875 save percentage and 27th with a .581 goals against average.
  • Columbia and Princeton each claim two of the League’s top four goal scorers.  
  • All four of this week’s League matches will be broadcast on the Ivy League Network, which is available on Apple TV and Roku. The network can be found at IvyLeague.TV and IvyLeagueNetwork.com.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, October 18
Yale at Howard, 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, October 21
No. 17 Princeton at Harvard, 1 p.m. [ILN]
Brown at Cornell, 1:30 p.m. [ILN]
Columbia at Dartmouth, 3:30 p.m. [ILN]
Yale at Penn, 4 p.m. [ILN]
 
KEY
ILN – Broadcast on the Ivy League Network, now available on Apple TV and Roku

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Columbia goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse continued her breakout junior campaign, helping the Lions to a 2-0 win over No. 11 Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 14. The victory vaulted Columbia to the top of the League standings at 4-0-0, as the last remaining unbeaten in conference action.
 
A native of Washington, D.C., Whitehouse recorded eight saves to shut out the nationally-ranked Tigers. The clean sheet was Columbia’s seventh of the year and fifth-straight. Individually, Whitehouse has notched clean sheets in four-straight League matches to open Ancient Eight play. Columbia is just the second side to shut out Princeton this season, joining No. 6 West Virginia (1-0, Sept. 15).
 
Whitehouse earns her first Ivy League Player of the Week nod and gives the Lions a pair of award winners this season, joining teammate Emma Anderson (Sept. 25).
 
Whitehouse’s Statistics for the Week
90:00 Min., 0.00 GAA, 8 Saves at Princeton (1-0-0)
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Brown defender Sydney Cummings, who has started all 13 games as a freshman, helped the Bears to their first victory over Harvard since 2010.
 
The Millstone Township, N.J., product has played every minute this season, including in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Crimson. The shutout was Brown’s fourth of the season and second in League play.
 
Cummings is Brown’s third Rookie of the Week honoree, joining teammates Zeinab Kante (Aug. 28) and Star White (Sept. 25). Cummings is the lone freshman to have started every game for the Bears.
 
Cummings’ Statistics for the Week
2 SH, 1 SOG at Harvard
 
HONOR ROLL
Jennifer Caruso, Brown (Jr., F – Brockton, Mass.)
1 G, 2 SH, 2 SOG at Harvard
 
Amaris Hemmings, Columbia (Jr., F – Bronx, N.Y.)
2 A, 2 SH, 1 SOG at Princeton
 
Natalie Neshat, Columbia (Sr., F – San Diego, Calif.)
1 G, 2 SH, 2 SOG at Princeton
 
Meghan Kennedy, Cornell (Jr., GK – Santa Clarita, Calif.)
110:00 Min., 0.00 GAA, 8 Saves at Yale (0-0-1)
 
Gia Parker, Dartmouth (Sr., M – Amherst, Mass.)
2 G, 4 SH, 4 SOG at Holy Cross
2 SH, 1 SOG at Penn
 
Danielle Etzel, Harvard (Jr., GK – Madison, Conn.)
45:00 Min., 1.00 GAA, 4 Saves at Boston University (0-1-0)
45:00 Min., 0.00 GAA, 3 Saves vs. Brown (0-1-0)
 
Erica Higa, Penn (Sr., M – Los Altos Hills, Calif.)
1 G, 1 SH, 1 SOG vs. Dartmouth
 
Alyssa Fagel, Yale (So., GK – San Carlos, Calif.)
110:00 Min., 0.00 GAA, 2 Saves vs. Cornell (0-0-1)