Field hockey tries to get back on track in weekend homestand

Hold on tight. This season is turning out to be one heck of a roller coaster ride for the Princeton field hockey team.

The Tigers showed vast improvement and even glimmers of brilliance in defeating Columbia last Friday, only to lose in overtime to a tough No. 19 Penn State squad on Tuesday night. And unfortunately for the Tigers, this weekend looks like it will be more uphill trekking than smooth coasting.

The Tigers (2-6 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) will host Boston University (5-3) on Friday and No. 12 University of Richmond (7-2) on Sunday at Class of 1952 Stadium.

Defeating BU could be formidable task for the Tigers as the Terriers are coming off a 4-1 victory over Dartmouth. This is particularly intimidating for Princeton, considering the Tigers succumbed to the Big Green 3-1 earlier this season.

The BU squad is led defensively by senior back Lauren Vendetti, last week's America East Conference Player of the Week. Freshman forward Pam Spuehler, last week's America East Conference Rookie of the Week, and senior forward Jen Joyce, who netted two goals in the Dartmouth victory, lead the charge offensively.

BU, who has defeated Princeton in their past two meetings, is traditionally a strong, very physical team that plays a smaller passing game and has very good transition onto attack and defense. It will be imperative for Princeton to stay alert on its weak side in transition.

The Terriers are also notorious for packing their defenders inside the circle, forcing the opposition to change its style of attack. To hang with BU, the Tigers must adapt to this defensive style early on in the game. Getting corners — and converting on those corners — will also be crucial for the Princeton offense.

While BU should give Princeton a run for its money, undoubtedly the more difficult game of the weekend will be against Richmond. In addition to their excellent record and high ranking, the Spiders are coming off a momentum-building win over perennial state rival James Madison last Sunday, 2-0. The victory was especially meaningful for Richmond as it was the first time it had defeated James Madison in 12 years and only the third Richmond win in the teams' 27 contests.

Furthermore, the Spiders proved in that game that they can capitalize on their corners. Both goals in the game came from corner opportunities, warning the Tigers that they cannot make careless fouls in the circle.

In addition to overall careful play within the circle, Princeton needs to be especially aware of junior midfielder Allie Howard, last week's Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week and junior midfielder Holly Cram, who came up big in the James Madison win.

Because Princeton and Richmond have not met in recent years, the Tigers have to rely on scouting reports to formulate a game plan for Sunday. The reports suggest that Richmond relies heavily on the center midfielder to generate much of the attack. Princeton will try to channel the Spiders wide, playing an energetic style and applying defensive pressure to force errors so it can intercept and counter.

"Our success relies on our midfield and guards to overlap and create numbers in our attack," head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said. "And defensively it is important that everyone pays attention to detail and stays in the play."

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While BU and Richmond are both non-league teams, this weekend's games are important in the Tigers' quest to get back on track after a disappointing loss to Penn State on Tuesday. The team played hard against the Nittany Lions and was technically sound with passing, structure, and off-the-ball movement. But Princeton could not find the back of the net, which has been the case throughout the early part of the season, and the Tigers left State College, Pa. with a frustrating loss.

"We need to work on productivity in our attack, capitalizing on quality opportunities, and getting our strikers more touches in the circle," Holmes-Winn said in regards to the team's scoring woes. "Every game from here on out is crucial. We have to win them all. It is a reality our team just has to accept."