Field hockey finishes undefeated in league

Last Friday, the field hockey team won the outright Ivy League championship for the eighth time in nine years.

Although not as dominant as their other Ivy League victories, the Tigers' 3-0 win over Penn (6-11 overall, 2-5 Ivy League) was enough to close out their third-straight perfect Ivy League season.

During this year's Ivy League campaign, the Tigers (11-6 overall) posted a 7-0 record, and led the league in goals scored (43) and the fewest goals allowed (six). On offense, senior tri-captain and attack Ilvy Friebe has been outstanding for the Tigers, leading the league in two key scoring categories with 22 goals and nine assists.

Senior goalkeeper Kelly Baril recorded another impressive season in goal. And, to add to a dominant season, the Tiger offense's 43 goals mark a new Ivy League record for the total number of goals scored in a season.

Many teams would be perfectly content with a 3-0 shutout, but for this Princeton team, a 3-0 shutout over 6th place Penn did not completely match up to their expectations.

"Penn gave us a harder time than in the past couple of years," junior midfielder Claire Miller said. "A large part of that was our own mistakes."

Although the Tigers spent most of the first half on the offensive end, the Penn defense was able to hold its ground. The offense did not show quite the same form as it had during the rest of the season, and lacked the strong passing game that has been key to its success.

"We didn't begin the game as a team," senior tri-captain and defender Emily Townsend said. "We were 11 individuals but not a team. Therefore, we were not passing the ball well, dropping in passing lanes to defend their passes/thru-balls, and all around we were not using the space well. We weren't supporting the ball, but instead just trying to move forward, forcing the ball through their defense instead of moving it around."

Friebe managed to put the Tigers on the board after 21 minutes of frustration, carrying the ball into the circle and lifting a high shot that found the back of the net after being tipped by a Penn stick. The score remained 1-0 at the half.

The Tigers came out in the second half and displayed a more disciplined offense. Instead of trying to force the ball forward, the Tigers swung the ball around the back of the field more often and were able to create better opportunities to score.

Townsend scored 12 minutes into the second half off a penalty corner, ripping a direct shot into the right side of the cage. Junior midfielder Cory Picketts added the third and final goal of the game five minutes later off of another penalty corner. Friebe tallied the assist on both goals, which put her in a three-way tie for the Ivy League lead in assists.

Baril played a perfect 54 minutes in goal before senior goalkeeper Zehra Nizami took over to complete the shutout.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

With another Ivy League championship under its belt, the field hockey team now looks to reach new heights in the NCAA tournament. Last year, the Tigers made it to the Final Four, where they lost to Michigan, who went on to win the tournament.

Although the team may not have been completely focused against Penn, Princeton has shown recently than it will get psyched up and compete well against top teams. Last weekend, they played a solid game in a 3-2 loss to top-ranked Old Dominion, and then went on to post a 4-2 win against No. 8 North Carolina.

"Things are coming together at the right time for us," junior midfielder Claire Miller said. "I don't think there's any team we can't beat, or are afraid of."