F. hockey seeks revenge against Maryland

One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to understand why field hockey wants to take down Maryland tonight. After all, who wouldn't want to best the nation's top-ranked team, maintain a winning streak that has hitherto kept it undefeated, or enact a little revenge for a frustrating defeat 8-2 the year before? Any team faced with these challenges would have no trouble finding an appropriate source of motivation.

But senior captain and attack Melanie Meerschwam doesn't even have to look to these motives to spur her on. She simply would like to show up the four or five Terrapins that she knows personally from playing on the national under-21 team.

Others, like senior captain and attack Hilary Matson, might prefer to think of Princeton's relationship with Maryland in terms of a rivalry, one that has been raging at least since Matson came to Princeton as a freshman. But for Matson there is also a personal element to this game. She will face high school teammate Carla Tagliente, who recently broke a Maryland school record for number of goals scored in a career.

Tried and true

Whatever the motivation, No. 8 Princeton (5-0) has been preparing all week for the upcoming contest. Though the team has not altered the general strategy that it has relied upon this year, the Tigers are adapting the game plan through smaller measures, such as putting more pressure on the opposing team's strong point — its attack and midfield.

"We don't change a whole lot to accommodate them," Meer-schwam said. "[That strategy] is probably a good way. I know pretty much how they play.

"I definitely think they're beatable."

With the Terrapins' strong offense, the Tigers' defense will look to take extra measures to stuff Maryland's best attacks and midfielders.

But no matter how much it prepares, Princeton will need to convert every opportunity that comes its way into cold, hard points on the scoreboard; it was the Tigers' failure to do exactly this that cost them their last game against the Terrapins.

Princeton lost that contest in the first half by allowing the Terrapins to run away with five goals and not answering with any goals of its own. A goal off a penalty corner early in the first half opened up an opportunity for the Tigers to get their momentum back, but Maryland returned with 23 minutes, 58 seconds left in the game to score cleanly off of a penalty corner.

By the book

But while the Terrapins like to showcase their textbook offense, Princeton has shown this season that it has an uncanny knack for addition, racking up an impressive set of statistics. Most recently, the Tigers thrashed Dartmouth, 5-0, in a battle for Ivy League supremacy. Friday's game will help Princeton get an idea of where it is in the war for national supremacy.

"It will tell us a lot more than other games about how we'll do and where we are right now," Matson said.

Though Maryland (7-1) still maintains the No.1 ranking in the country, it was recently overcome by No. 3 Wake Forest, which improved to 9-0 with the win over the Terrapins. While this stumble certainly will cause Maryland to lose some of the complacency that comes with being considered the king of the country, it also reveals that it is no unimpeachable tyrant.