Field hockey shuts out Columbia, now 3-0 in Ivy League

It might have been just a matter of experience. Get a few games under its belt. Find a groove.

Whatever it was, the field hockey team has found it.

With 3-0 wins over both Columbia and Albany, Princeton has maintained its undefeated 3-0 Ivy record and brought its overall record up to 4-4.

With Saturday's game against Columbia still scoreless entering the second half, the Tigers appeared to let up for just an instant. The Lions immediately took control of the ball in the beginning of the half, poking at the Princeton goal. But thanks to some tough defense and a sliding save by junior goaltender Allison Nemeth, the Tigers escaped.

Princeton then methodically marched the ball up the field. The Tigers finally converted on a penalty corner four minutes, 39 seconds into the half. Sophomore midfielder Nicole Ng was able to control the ball and find sophomore attack Paige Schmidt for her first goal of the season.

Prior to Schmidt's goal, Columbia goalie Kristina George had been impenetrable, making several excellent saves in the first half and helping her team gain the early momentum. Columbia had the game's first five shots, thanks to multiple penalty corners, and George did her part to keep the Tigers off the board. The scoreless first half was marked by good offense but even better defense, with Princeton outshooting Columbia 10-7.

With Schmidt's goal in the second half, however, things started to go decidedly one way. Shortly after Paige Schmidt found the back of the goal, her sister, senior midfielder Hillary Schmidt, added her second goal of the season for the 2-0 lead.

Another shot from Paige Schmidt 7:36 into the half was blocked by George. Freshman midfielder Leah Hoagland got to the rebound and sent it right back to the goal, but George once again made the save. Hoagland was able to get her own rebound, though, and she directed the ball towards Hillary Schmidt, who was able to control the rebound. This time, there was nothing George could do.

Now with breathing room, the Tigers went into shutdown mode. With Columbia knocking on the door once again, Princeton made key stops right when they were needed. Nemeth made two saves while her fellow defenders ensured the Lions had nothing more thann good looks at the goal.

At the other end, George kept frustrating the Tigers, making six saves in a span of 13 minutes, keeping her squad within striking distance.

It was only with 4:26 remaining in the game that Ng was able to get the ball past George and seal the game for Princeton.

Taming the Great Danes

The Tigers continued to dominate the field the next day against Albany. In the first half, Princeton outshot the Great Danes 12-1 en route to a 2-0 halftime lead and a 3-0 victory.

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Freshman midfielder Kristin Schwab put the Tigers on the board 7:14 into the game during a penalty situation. Hillary Schmidt controlled a loose ball and sent it across to Schwab who put it into an empty net.

Princeton's leading goal scorer Sarah Yuki extended the lead to two with 13:44 remaining in the first. The sophomore attack now has four goals on the season.

Jumping out of the halftime break with intensity once again, Paige Schmidt got the ball in the circle. Weaving through the Albany defense, she got off a shot from the left side that went past Great Danes goaltender Ashley Ross. It was Paige Schmidt's first goal of the season, though she leads the team in shots on goal.

The rest of the second half was marked by Princeton's defensive dominance. Albany struggled simply to get the ball out of their zone. The team's defensive shutdown effort meant that Nemeth was not called upon to make one save in her 70 minutes of play.

With the two wins this weekend, the Tigers have won three of their last five games and have outscored Ivy League opponents 12-1. Princeton plays its next three games at home, beginning this Friday against Cornell.