Field hockey charged up for No. 18 Virginia

It has been a bumpy road for the field hockey team this season. The Tigers (3-7 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) have faced some of the top-ranked and most challenging competitors in the country. They have traveled long distances to play in less than desirable conditions and have had what they thought were fair goals in the final minutes of the game called back. Last weekend the Tigers went 1-1, beating Boston University and losing to Richmond.

This weekend the Tigers travel south of the Mason-Dixon line to Charlottesville, Va. to face No. 18 Virginia.

"We know that we can beat Virginia and we're going to play like we can," senior defender Jen Elliott said.

The Tigers and Cavaliers (6-6) have only faced off against two common opponents this season — Maryland and Richmond. No. 2 Maryland beat the Cavaliers, 5-0, over the weekend and beat the Tigers, 7-1, when they met in September. The Cavaliers fell to No. 11 Richmond, 2-1, in mid-September, while the Tigers lost to the Spiders, 1-0, this past weekend.

"We did a lot of great things versus Richmond, but we couldn't finish. We had great passing. For Virginia we're going to focus on finishing," Elliott said.

Historically, there has been great parity between Princeton and Virginia. Previous match-ups have brought out the best in both teams.

The Cavaliers and the Tigers have not matched up since Princeton's 2003 season opener, the debut game for head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn. In the game, Princeton soundly defeated Virginia, 3-1.

"We're definitely going to be looking for a big win," senior defender Kelly Darling said.

In their last meeting, the Tigers capitalized on two penalty corner situations early in the second half of regulation play to put the team in a commanding lead ahead of Virginia. Claire Miller '04 and then-sophomore attack Lauren Ehrlichman scored those two goals in the first five minutes of the second half to bring the score up to 3-1 for the Tigers. Princeton goalie Allison Nemeth made five saves in the game in her collegiate debut to keep the Tigers steadily ahead and to help secure the win for the team, as well as the successful debut of the team's new coach.

The Tigers controlled play in that game, outshooting Virginia 16-10 in the game, including 9-4 in the second half. They also had the home-turf advantage, playing in Class of 1952 Stadium. Although the Tigers have racked up fewer wins this year than in years past, they remain optimistic.

"We've improved leaps and bounds since the beginning. We're being more aggressive defensively, distributing well in the midfield, and on attack we're getting more shots and rebounds," Elliott said.

Nothing has daunted this team yet. The Tigers have demonstrated an ability to come from behind and to play with the best of them. The Cavaliers and the Tigers both have strong returning players, including Logan Carr in the Virginia goal, and both have depth in their starting lineups and on the bench.