By Justin Feil
Beth Yeager won’t forget her final game or her final goal at Bedford Field.
The Princeton University senior star forward assisted on the Tiger field hockey team’s first goal and then blasted in a penalty corner with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter for the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Syracuse in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals Sunday.
“There’s not a better way to end this,” said Yeager. “Obviously, it’s kind of a bittersweet moment for me in my last game at Bedford. I love being a part of this team, and I’m just super proud of the team, the effort we put together. Obviously, Syracuse is a great team and it was an exciting game, to say the least.”
Syracuse defeated Princeton, 1-0, in overtime in the regular season September 12. The second-seeded Tigers, now 17-3, exacted some revenge to advance to the NCAA Final four, where they will face third-seeded Harvard in the ultimate grudge match on November 21 in Durham, N.C. Harvard was the last team to defeat Princeton, which has won 13 straight games since a 3-1 loss September 26. The Tigers won the rematch, 2-1, in the Ivy League Tournament final on November 9.
“We just played them, so the prep is not as hard as here, the amount of film we do to prep for this weekend with BU or Fairfield and then this,” said Princeton head coach Carla Tagliente, referring to round three with the Crimson. “So that part’s nice, but we also know they have a chip on their shoulder and want to get one back from us now. And it’s a big rivalry. They’re a good team, we’re a good team. And there we go.”
On Sunday, Princeton had the run of play in the rematch against Syracuse. They outshot the Orange, 10-4 overall, and 7-2 in shots on goal. Princeton had four penalty corners to Syracuse’s two. The Tigers scored twice on penalty corners.
“It’s something we practice a lot,” said Yeager. “So I think in some ways, you kind of just try not to think about it and just kind of do it. I think I just kind of trusted in the preparation that we had as a team and just kind of did my best that I could in that moment. We do practice them a lot and it’s something that we really invested in, so super happy to see it pay off.”
After a scoreless first half, the Tigers broke through in the third quarter after Syracuse had a goal disallowed for playing a ball high across the goal mouth that hit a Princeton player. Princeton’s corner insert came out and Yeager drove it toward the right side of the goal where Pru Lindsey lunged low to redirect it into the cage for a 1-0 lead with just five seconds left in the quarter.
“She’s been incredible, I think, the whole season and then definitely the second half of the season,” said Yeager of Lindsey. She’s got what she deserves, I think. And it’s really great to see how amazing she’s playing. And it’s obviously great for the team as well.”
Lindsey had four assists as a freshman, but no goals. She didn’t score the first eight goals this season ever, but she’s been incredible since then. Her goal Sunday was her seventh of the season and fourth in the last five games.
“It’s just confidence for her,” said Tagliente. “And I think we’ve just had consistency in training with being deliberate in what we want to work on for them up front. And you can just tell she believes in herself right now. You see it in training, you see it in warmup, you see it in games. She just believes. Sometimes it’s half the battle for these players. It can really take a good player out of their realm when they don’t have confidence. And everyone wants to score, but some people love scoring goals. Pru loves scoring goals. You’re not going to see it in the celebrations, but she’s a true forward, and she’s just really stepping into that role.”
Syracuse tied the game on a penalty corner of their own. Their goal with just 3:47 left in the fourth quarter could have given Syracuse momentum, but it seemed only to inspire the Tigers. They came roaring back.
“It honestly speaks to our quality as a team,” said Yeager. “I think we’re not just a very tactically and technically skilled team, but I think mentally we really come together and rise to these pressurized moments and I think we almost, like, thrive on it more. I think in games that almost means more, you might feel that there’s more pressure and I think we rise to the occasion and come together really well and I think that is one of the reasons we’re at the Final Four.”
They needed a big play and their big player, Yeager, was up for the moment. When the insert from the penalty corner was stopped out front, she sent a laser off the goalie’s stick just above waist level into the netting for a 2-1 lead.
“Every single game feels like the most important game, so I think no matter what game this was, I would say that’s the most important goal,” said Yeager, who now has a team-high 14 goals and 10 assists. “But I think it being my senior year, last game on Bedford and my first Final Four and my most recent game I played, I think that’s definitely one that sticks out for me.”
Tagliente credits Yeager with coming through in the clutch.
“She just really has stepped up in big moments,” said Tagliente. “And credit to her because there’s a lot of pressure on her.”
Princeton did not make it scary for themselves down the stretch against Syracuse. They controlled the ball the final stretch and did not allow a shot for the Orange. The win was another sign of how much the Tigers have grown through the season. They were confident in the back with their defense and their forwards pressured effectively all game, often knocking down Syracuse’s long clearing attempts to win more possession in the rematch.
“We actually played them pretty well the first time,” said Tagliente. “But we really dominated and controlled a lot in this game. And I just think our connections on the field, we can string together so many passes and possess, possess, possess, and then go. The biggest difference really, though, has been our players up front, really connecting in with everyone else.”
Princeton erupted early in a 3-1 win over Fairfield in their second-round game Friday. Izzy Morgan scored three minutes into the game off Anna Faulstich’s 10th assist of the season. Upset-minded Fairfield, which defeated Boston University in the first round, tied the game, but Yeager scored on a penalty corner in the second quarter and the Tigers did not surrender another goal. Ella Hampson provided an insurance goal as Princeton advanced to earn a second chance against Syracuse.
“That was maybe one of the games we wanted back in the season,” said Yeager. “It was a little bit of a tough loss for us going to overtime and not scoring any goals throughout the game. I think it was relatively early in the season as well. I think we were looking forward to kind of building on what we’ve been doing all year round. And Syracuse is also a team that at least I’ve faced in the tournament before, and some of the other players have as well. So I think playing them especially was an exciting opportunity for us.”
Princeton played through the ebbs and flows of the quarterfinals to advance, looking like a team that would not be denied Sunday.
“We just took back momentum and just went for it,” said Tagliente. “So we just need to do that and not take the foot off the pedal there when we’re up. But credit to these guys, they didn’t get rattled and just went for it. That takes a lot when you get dinged and you have all that energy and adrenaline going.”
Princeton last reached the semifinals in 2019 when they advanced all the way to the final. North Carolina and Northwestern will meet in the other semifinal. The Tigers lost to UNC early in the year and beat Northwestern. To get to Sunday’s championship, first they’ll have to defeat Harvard for the second time in a row.
“I think we felt like maybe we would see them again,” said Yeager. “Obviously, they’re a great team. Every time we play them is quite the contest and quite the game. So I think we’re really looking forward to it. We’ve already played them twice. We’re quite familiar with them. And I don’t know, I think it’s a bit fitting that we see them in the Final Four again.”
November 19, 2025
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