Michigan knocks field hockey out of NCAA Tournament

The Princeton field hockey team was finally knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the semifinals, succumbing to Michigan, 4-2. The young team scored some impressive victories throughout the year, but could not come back against an agressive Michigan offense when down in the second half Friday.

Sixth-ranked Princeton (17-3) charged into the NCAA tournament with the nation's leading scorer and possessing a stellar 8-0 record since a disappointing loss to Penn State on Oct. 7. The Tigers seemed poised for a championship, and they followed the script perfectly in the first two rounds. They took out Northeastern, 4-1, before defeating defending national champion and No. 1 seed Old Dominion, 2-1. Princeton entered its fourth-ever Final Four appearance – and first against No. 7 Michigan – with confidence and on a roll.

The Wolverines (17-5) put a stop to that roll, defeating the Tigers, 4-2, and providing a disappointing end to Princeton's season.

The game started out well for the Tigers, as they were awarded their second corner less than 10 minutes into the game. Sophomore midfielder Cory Picketts put a shot on net that was saved by Michigan senior goalie Maureen Tasch. The ball rebounded out to junior co-captain Emily Townsend, who beat a stretched-out Tasch on her left side to put Princeton up, 1-0.

The game went back and forth for the next ten minutes until the Wolverines were awarded a penalty corner when their long hit went off a Tiger defender's foot. The initial shot was taken by sophomore Stephanie Johnson but was deflected to the left side where junior Jessica Rose evened the score with a reverse tip at 13:29. The game headed to halftime knotted at one, reflecting how evenly it was played by both teams.

The Tigers quickly regained the lead just over five minutes into the second half. Picketts took a pass from junior Ilvy Friebe and lifted it over the Michigan goalie to put Princeton up 2-1 at 29:56.

The lead would not hold up for long, however, as the Wolverines stormed back to tie it at two just 40 seconds later and seize the momentum in the contest.

Michigan took its first lead of the game when April Fronzoni put the ball through Princeton junior goalie Kelly Baril from a nearly impossible angle on the right side with 25:15 remaining in the game.

The Tigers gave Michigan the opportunity to pad its lead when they were whistled for a major foul with 5:57 remaining. The Wolverines took a shot from outside the circle that hit the left post. Powers reached the rebound and threw a shot at goal that was batted down by a hand from the Tigers' defense, warranting a penalty stroke. Johnson converted the stroke to seal the game for the Wolverines and knock Princeton out of the tournament.

Michigan outcornered Princeton 11-3 in the game and outshot the Tigers 19-8. Many of the Wolverines' shots came in the second half, as they outshot Princeton 13-4 and effectively shut down all chances of a Princeton comeback.

Although Princeton did not achieve its goal of winning a national championship this season, it will return next year with an unusually experienced team. The Tigers currently have 7 juniors, three sophomores and 8 freshmen on their roster. They are led by captains Townsend and Baril, as well as national leading scorer Friebe, all of whom are juniors, and they have the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in freshman Natalie Martirosian. Given their youth, the Tigers' trip to the Final Four is a very impressive feat, and an experience that they will hope to build on next season.