When the field hockey team returns to Ivy League play against Brown tomorrow at the Class of 1952 Field, one question will be on everyone's mind: Will the Tiger offense be able to turn scoring opportunities into goals?
The Tigers (6-5 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) have been playing solid field hockey.
They control the ball well, and place constant pressure on opponents on the offensive end of the field.
At the same time, however, the Tigers have become notorious for having too few goals to show for their level of play.
In last Sunday's 2-0 loss to Boston University, the Tigers dominated the game statistically. The Tigers outshot the Terriers 22-6, and earned 14 penalty corners, compared to BU's four.
The Terriers, however, managed to pull out the victory, converting two of their six shots into goals while the Tigers were 0 for 22 in their opportunities.
Princeton also struggled to score against elite non-conference opponents Old Dominion and Michigan State. The Tiger offense, however, is no stranger to scoring goals.
The Tigers have had great success against Ivy League opponents this season, scoring a total of 22 goals in their games against Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth.
In a wild match at the beginning of October, the Tigers crushed Big East team and instate rival Rutgers by the score of 10-1.
Outstanding players and great depth fuel the Tiger offense.
Senior attack Ilvy Friebe, honored last week as Ivy League Player of the Week, will lead the way against the Brown defense. Friebe ranks fourth in the nation with 16 goals on the year. She led the NCAA in scoring last season.
Senior attack Rachael Becker, a second team All America selection last year, compliments Friebe quite nicely on the offensive end.
Junior midfielder Claire Miller is an expert at setting up scores for the attackers, ranking third in the nation in assists last season.
The offense will have their hands full with the Brown defense, which has played strong throughout this season.
Standing in net for the Bears will be sophomore goalie Kathryn Noe. Noe had a remarkable freshman year, which included being honored twice as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week. She has played a pivotal role in the Brown defense, which has only allowed its opponents to score more than three goals in a game once this season.
But tomorrow, she will have her hands full trying to stop Friebe and Becker.
Brown's offense has been mediocre, as it has also suffered from lengthy scoring droughts during the season.
Before last Wednesday, the Bears suffered through a four game losing streak that included two shutout losses.
However, they will be coming into tomorrow's game with a bit of momentum from beating two relatively weak opponents in their past two games.
The Tiger defense, led by senior defender Emily Townsend, has played well in recent games, and should keep the Brown offense in check.
Senior goalie Kelly Baril is also one of the nation's best between the pipes.
The Bears were also the last team to deny Princeton an outright Ivy League championship. In 1999, Brown won the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Bears, however, have not posed many problems for the Tigers since.
The odds are likely that Princeton will outplay the Bears in tomorrow's game.
The Tigers will probably outshoot and earn more penalty corner opportunities than the Bears. The game, however, will be decided by whether or not the Tiger offense will be able to capitalize on these chances, and put the ball past Kathryn Noe.
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