Field hockey hosts arch-rival Harvard

The story is a familiar one. It's one of the final weekends in October; the leaves are changing colors and beginning to cover the athletic fields, and walking around in the crisp autumn air without a jacket is getting a little uncomfortable. And if you happen to be watching a sporting event during homecoming weekend, you would do best to make sure that you're bundled up.

This year's homecoming festivities take place this weekend against Harvard. All four matchups are heavy with tradition and, some have NCAA berths on the line. Both Princeton and Harvard are gearing up for an emotional two days. One of the most crucial meetings of the weekend will occur when the Princeton and Harvard field hockey teams square off tomorrow at noon on Class of 1952 Field.

As is usually the case when these teams meet, the game has serious implications in the Ivy League title race. Should the Tigers beat Harvard, they will remain in contention to win their 11th straight title. A win over Penn next weekend would clinch the title and the automatic NCAA tournament berth that goes with it.

But if the Crimson (8-5 overall, 4-0 Ivy League) tops Princeton (5-8, 4-1), the Tigers will not be able to win the crown outright. If Princeton and Harvard have identical Ivy records when regular season play is over, the winner of the head-to-head match this weekend would receive the automatic Ivy berth, while the other would have to hope for one of the NCAA tournament at-large bids.

Though the Tigers have been dominating their opponents recently, outscoring Brown and Cornell by a combined 9-0 last weekend and outshooting those two teams, 68-7, their early-season trip-ups and overall 5-8 record make the chance of receiving an at-large bid unlikely. History, though, is in the Tigers' favor. Princeton has defeated Harvard every year since 1993. The last year in which the Tigers did not win the Ivy League. Yet that record does not mean that the Tigers have soundly stomped out the Crimson each year. Harvard is a strong opponent and routinely provides strong competition for the Tigers. Over homecoming weekend last year, the Tigers barely escaped from Cambridge with the win, finally emerging with a tension-filled 3-2 victory.

Junior attack Lauren Ehrlichman and senior attack Lauren Quinn, the only two members of the team from Massachusetts last year, have memories of a sweet personal homecoming. Last year, Ehrlichman put the Tigers ahead of the Crimson for good in the game, scoring a goal five minutes, 19 seconds into the second half of play. Quinn added an unassisted goal less than two minutes later to rocket the Tigers ahead of Harvard. Initially, Harvard had jumped out to an early lead on a goal scored by Mina Pell.

The situation is a little bit different this year. For one, Pell graduated last spring. But Harvard still boasts an impressive record and has done very well in Ivy League play. Princeton, despite the early disappointing loss to Dartmouth, has been a dominant force in the league as well.

Additionally, though Erlichman will be unable to play this weekend due to a severe concussion sustained in last weekend's game, the team has great depth and strength throughout. Not only are the upperclassmen strong forces on the team, young players such as freshman midfielder Paige Schmidt have had extremely successful seasons. This week, Schmidt was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second time.

It is a long tradition with a lot of history behind it. Homecoming weekend will define the remainder of the season for both the Tigers and the Crimson. Princeton is hoping that this chapter of the rivalry will end with the Tigers' 11th straight league title.