No. 2 Maryland next juggernaut up on field hockey schedule

The field hockey team has faced some tough competition early on in the season. From No. 6 Connecticut, No. 8 Northeastern, and No. 14 Delaware to its lone Ivy competitor so far, Yale, the Tigers (1-3) have been almost consistently challenged. This weekend will allow no rest for the weary as No. 2 and undefeated Maryland (7-0) comes to town tonight, followed by a match-up with Dartmouth tomorrow afternoon.

Maryland has been a dominant force in collegiate field hockey this season. The Terrapins ousted Towson 6-0 Tuesday, and are raring to go against the Tigers. In their seven games thus far, the Terps have outscored their opposition, 32-3, and already have a 198-14 shot advantage for the year.

The last time the Tigers and the Terps faced each other, Princeton found itself down, 2-0, with four minutes left in the game, but then scored twice in an 18-second span during regulation play to take the already exhilarating game into overtime. Paula Infante of Maryland won the game for the Terps with a penalty stroke in overtime to extend the Terps' six-game winning streak over Princeton. The Tigers' last win over Maryland came at Class of 1952 Stadium, and Princeton hopes that the home field advantage will play a role tonight as well.

A history of dominance

Against Dartmouth, history is squarely on the Tigers' side. When Princeton goes up against the Big Green on Saturday afternoon, it will carry into the match a 15-year consecutive winning streak against Dartmouth. The Tigers have dominated the Ivy League in general, winning their last 32 games against Ivy opponents and not having lost a single game in the league since 1999.

Despite some difficult opposition early in the season, the Tigers have proven themselves a force to be reckoned with. Up against some of the best teams in the nation, the Tigers have managed to outshoot their opponents, 64-40, and earn 39 penalty corners as opposed to only 11 for their opponents.

Part of the Tigers' early-season struggles may be due to the graduation of two important members of their team last season — midfielders Claire Miller '04, the 2003 Ivy League Player of the Year, and Cory Picketts '04, a regional All-America selection last season.

But while the loss of these two players certainly makes an impact, the Tigers have no shortage of talented players to step up and fill the void. Senior attack Lauren Quinn is a strong force on the team, scoring six goals for Princeton last season. Senior defender Lizzie Black paradoxically led Princeton with eight goals and 22 points last season. Black is also a key player on penalty-stroke situations.

Junior attack Lauren Ehrlichman scored three goals in last weekend's game against Yale, having entered the game with five goals in two seasons.

Head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn is entering her second season with the Tigers after leading the team to a 12-6 record in her first season in 2003, the best first-year record for a Princeton field hockey coach in the University's history.

The Tigers have several factors in their favor and could pull out a huge upset over Maryland and beat Dartmouth, as expected, this weekend.

"Although the season could be going better at this point in time, we are all very optimistic and focused on winning the Ivy League and going to the tournament," Black said. "Maryland and Dartmouth will both be very tough and important games, but I think we are prepared. Everyone is playing well and we all realize that this is a key weekend in our season."

Quinn also recognized the importance of this weekend's games. "Our season is still so young and we are recognizing our mistakes and are ready to fix them," Quinn said. "We are very aware of our record, but we are not dwelling on it. We are looking to build on the positive aspects of the first four games and clean up the rest. Maryland and Dartmouth don't care what our record is — they will play us as hard as they would if we were 4-0. And if people want to use our record to underestimate us, we certainly don't have a problem with that."