No. 6 Princeton 6, Dartmouth 1
HANOVER, N.H. -- Sophomore Teresa Benvenuti recorded her first career hat trick to guide No. 6 Princeton to a 7-1 victory against Dartmouth on the road to open Ivy League play on Saturday afternoon.
Benvenuti put Princeton (4-1, 1-0 Ivy) up 1-0 two minutes into the match and added insurance goals in the second half, including converting on a penalty stroke in the 45th minute.
Allison Evans made it a 2-0 game at the 18:10 mark on a redirect from Cat Caro. Evans, a junior striker, also had a multi-goal outing, scoring her second in the 27th minute off a Benvenuti assist.
Caro made her first career assist versus the Big Green and she went on to finish with a pair.
Dartmouth, the only Ivy opponent to score against the Tigers in 2012, prevented Princeton from earning the clean sheet by scoring on its first shot on goal in the 20th minute off a penalty corner. That would be the closest the score would be for the remainder of the match, as the Tigers went on to score four unanswered goals in the second half.
Following consecutive Benvenuti goals, Maddie Copeland and Annabeth Donovan each found the back of the cage. Donovanâs goal in the 57th minute was the first of her career.
Princeton held advantages in shots 24-5, shots on goal 16-3, and corners 13-3. Tiger goalkeeper Anya Gersoff (2-0) made two saves in her complete game victory to Dartmouthâs nine.
Drexel 2, No. 10 Iowa 1
KENT, Ohio -- Drexel defeated No. 10 Iowa 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at the neutral site of Kent State. Elise DiDonato and Meghan Plank each added points on the board, while junior goalkeeper Jantien Gunter posted eight saves for the second consecutive game. The Dragons extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 5-2 overall.
Drexel tested Iowa's defense at the start of the first half. With just 7:38 into the contest, senior co-captain Elise DiDonato scored off of a pass from teammate Jenna Knouse. Less than two minutes later, the Hawkeyes' Karli Johansen was awarded a penalty stroke, however, her shot sailed wide of the cage allowing the Dragons to preserve their one-goal lead for the remainder of the half.
In the 48th minute of play, the Dragons' attack drew a penalty corner. DiDonato fed a pass to Meghan Plank, who fired the ball past opposing goalkeeper Kelsey Boyce giving the squad a 2-0 cushion. With 13:55 remaining in the second half, Iowa's Dani Hemeon converted on a penalty corner to cut the Dragons' lead in half, 2-1. The Hawkeyes' added three more shots, but Drexel's strong defensive efforts helped keep Iowa off of the scoreboard.
Jantien Gunter compiled 16 saves in both away games this week. She now has 49 stops on the season. Junior back Allyson Fuller recorded a defensive save against Iowa.
