Cornell should not prove difficult for field hockey

For a tenth straight season, the field hockey team is steamrolling its way towards the Ivy League title.

As usual, the Tigers (5-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) will be heavy favorites when they host Cornell (2-6, 1-2) on Saturday. Last year, Princeton dominated the Big Red in Ithaca, winning by a 5-2 margin.

But the Tigers, ranked 10th in the nation, won't be taking Cornell lightly. It may sound cliché, but resisting the temptation to overlook seemingly weaker opponents has been crucial to Princeton's success.

"We definitely approach Cornell just like we prepare for Maryland or Old Dominion," head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said.

Escape artist

A harsh reminder of the dangers of a drop in intensity came in the Ivy League season-opener against Yale. After Princeton dominated the first half, a sloppy second stanza allowed the Bulldogs to recover and send the game into overtime.

Although the Tigers eventually escaped with the victory, they weren't happy with their play. On the other hand, their performance in the next two league games — 5-1 victories over Dartmouth and Columbia — were much more pleasing.

Still, even the easy wins didn't satisfy the Tigers. Their sense of urgency seems more apropos for a desperate team than a dominant one.

"We're anxious to put everything together and play 70 minutes of good hockey," sophomore attack Lauren Ehrlichman said.

Don't confuse Princeton's lack of complacency with a shortage of confidence. The Tigers fully expect to win — and rightfully so.

Offensively, they have been at the top of the class in the Ivy League thus far. Their 3.86 goals-per-game average easily leads the league. Cornell, on the other hand, ranks sixth with a paltry 1.25 average.

Most of the Big Red's scoring has come from midfielder Karleigh Burns and attack Gina Testa, who share the team lead with six points apiece. The Tigers, meanwhile, boast six players with at least six points, led by senior midfielder Claire Miller and junior attack Lizzie Black, who each have 11.

Indeed, Princeton's depth has been a large factor in the team's success. Nearly everyone on the roster has seen significant playing time, and 10 different players have netted goals.

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"Everyone is playing because they all deserve it," Holmes-Winn said. "Our depth allows us to always maintain a high level of play."

The Tiger's deepest position may in fact be goalie, thanks to the two-headed monster of freshmen Allison Nemeth and Juliana Simon. After Nemeth, who leads the league with a 1.06 goals-against average, was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice in a row, Simon responded with a gutsy 10-save performance against Maryland to grab the weekly honor for herself.

"It's indicative of the fact that they're very equal that it's a difficult decision [who to play] every week," Holmes-Winn said. "I make a game-time decision based on their practice and mentality during the week."

Whoever gets the call on Saturday will have to contend with a very speedy Cornell attack. In addition to Burns, the Big Red's most dangerous player, Holmes-Winn identified senior attack Lindsay Grace and junior midfield Sara Weiner as particularly quick.

Slow D

Ironically, the Cornell defense is just the opposite. Senior goalie Kaitlin Tierney, who averages 2.13 goals allowed per game, relies far more on her size than her speed.

"She's not quick, and she goes down a lot," Holmes-Winn said. "We want to make sure we stay poised and run around her, rather than trying to shoot through her."

Against Cornell — and all other future opponents — the challenge for the Tigers will be to cut down on unforced errors and take full advantage of their skills. Aided by Holmes-Winn's penchant for video-analysis, plenty of areas in need of improvement have already been addressed.

Even more critical than strategy, however, is the mental challenge of staying focused through every moment of each Ivy League game. Despite two heartbreaking losses to national powers, there's still a strong sense of the team's progress.

Holmes-Winn freely admits that the process of identifying and correcting mistakes is ongoing — whether Princeton is facing the nation's best or the Ivy's worst. And she's banking on the fact that the desire for self-improvement can be a powerful motivator.

"We've really put [the losses] into perspective well, and we understand that we are making strides," she said. "Every game shows us more we can work on."