Field hockey continues to win despite lack of offense

Just get the job done. That's what winning in sports is all about.

That mantra seems to be the guiding principle of this year's field hockey offense, which has helped boost the Tigers to a 6-2 overall record but has often times managed to produce just enough goals to squeak out the win.

One thing is for certain — this year's offense looks almost nothing like the hard-hitting powerhouse it was last season.

In the first three Ivy League contests last year, Princeton routed Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth by the scores of 7-0, 6-1 and 9-1, respectively.

This year, the Tigers' Ivy League games have been closer. The team beat Yale in a 5-4 overtime thriller and topped Columbia and Dartmouth by a safe, though unremarkable, 5-1 margin. Last weekend, they narrowly topped Cornell, 2-0.

Though last year's Tiger offense could dish out a lot of punishment against weaker opponents, it seemed powerless against ranked squads.

Last year's team was afflicted with the inability to finish in its tougher contests. The Tigers were presented with many opportunities to score but had few goals to show for those opportunities.

One of the reasons for this lack of productivity may have been Princeton's reliance on a few heavy hitters to come up with big goals. When other teams managed to shut down those heavy hitters with double-team defense, the Tiger offense was unable to produce.

This year's offense relies on a more balanced, controlled attack that keeps opponents guessing as to who will be taking the big shot at any given time.

"We have a smaller kind of game," head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said at the beginning of the season. "We're very much a team and rely on every person to attack and flow."

The offense emphasizes "easy, simple passing, and a lot of cutting," as senior midfielder Claire Miller put it after the Columbia game. When it's on, the Tigers' speedy sequence of passes get them down the field "like a pinball machine."

And when they get the ball near the opponent's goal, the Tigers can count on any of their attackers to put it away. Scoring has remained balanced, as six players already have more than three goals.

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The results seem to be positive, as the Tigers have been better at capitalizing on their opportunities against top teams.

This year, Princeton has held its ground against the best in the nation, beating No. 18 Virginia and only narrowly losing to No. 3 Maryland and No. 8 Penn State. In the game against the then-undefeated Terrapins, Princeton scored two goals in the final four minutes to send the game to overtime. In that game the Tigers capitalized on their opportunities, only losing 3-2 despite being outshot by an incredible 27-6 margin.

So why isn't Princeton able to dominate its weaker opponents with its smaller, well-balanced offensive plan?

The answer seems to lie in Princeton's lack of consistency. The team's inability to put together 70 minutes of great field hockey has turned many potential Tiger blowouts into reasonably close games.

The Yale game was much closer than it should have been due to second-half woes. It seems that in the Tigers' other Ivy League contests, Princeton only dominated its opponent in patches.

After the 2-0 win over Cornell, Winn stated that the team "played a good 37 minutes — but games last for 70."

As the Tigers grow more comfortable with their attack, their consistency on the field will improve as well. With this, Princeton can expect big things to happen against good teams and bad.