Historic rivalry heats up

With everything from tradition to titles at stake, five Penn teams squared off against Princeton this weekend. The old Ivy rivalry was alive and well.

Buses of Quakers fans made their way to New Jersey, nearly equaling the Princeton crowd at Saturday’s football game.

And while fans tailgated, Penn coach Al Bagnoli was anxious about the game.

“You always go into rivalry games nervous,” he said.

But for the football team, there would be little to worry about.

The marquee event was over just as soon as it began. Princeton fans cheered wildly for first downs, which were few and far-between. Meanwhile the Penn crowd had much more to celebrate as the Red and Blue cruised to a 52-10 victory.

With the football game in the bag, men’s and women’s soccer were slated to take the field in Princeton — both with Ivy titles on the line.

The women, who played during the football romp, kept the score 0-0 for a wild 90 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods. With the tie, the ladies took home an Ivy trophy and are now heading to the NCAA championship tournament.

Then came the men. In front of 2,000 fans, the Quakers gave up two goals and could only net one. The victorious Princeton squad guaranteed itself a postseason appearance and clinched a share of the Ivy title.

Friday night featured more of the same with two title games and two league champions crowned.

At Franklin Field, the sprint football team clinched a share of their own title with a 70-0 smashing of the Tigers.

Meanwhile, Princeton’s field hockey team, ranked sixth in the nation, closed out their regular season with a decisive 10-0 victory over the Red and Blue. It was the Tigers’ sixth consecutive conference championship.

When the action-packed weekend ended, the rivalry was deadlocked. Two Princeton teams took home championships, as did two Penn teams.

To top it off, either Penn or Princeton could take home the volleyball title later next week.

As the fall season comes to a close, winter sports are about to begin. The rivalry does, after all, hold its roots in basketball, which tips-off Saturday night.

In the press box before football’s rout of the rival Tigers Saturday, one writer from The Daily Princetonian posed a question: “Do you think the score will be even higher than last night’s sprint football game?”

Bagnoli and the Quakers actually gave the sprint team a run for their money, earning Penn’s biggest football victory ever over the Tigers.

But one Daily Pennsylvanian writer picked up on a better question:

“Will Penn score more points today,” he retorted, “or when they play Princeton in basketball?”

Against the Tigers’ famed defense, 52 points may be a tall order.

The score — and the rivalry — will be settled soon enough.

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