Two goalies, one goal, no hard feelings

When the field hockey team returned to campus in August 2003, none of the Tigers knew what to expect.

Their All-Ivy League goalie, Kelly Baril '03, had graduated, leaving behind a gaping hole in the cage. The coach who had built the team into an Ivy power, Beth Bozman, had left for Duke.

Into the void stepped three women: new head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn and a pair of freshman goalies, Allison Nemeth and Juliana Simon. No one doubted that Holmes-Winn was ready to handle her new job, but the freshmen — well, that was a different story.

"It was pretty stressful to have to start a freshman because the college game is so different," Holmes-Winn said, "but we definitely made it work."

From day one Nemeth and Simon made it clear the Tigers' cage would be in good hands. Splitting time in net, each turned in spectacular freshman seasons as Princeton continued its decade-long reign over the Ivy League.

Two years later, midway through their junior seasons, Nemeth and Simon continue to share time in the Tigers' net. Far from being a "two-headed monster" — a phrase coined when they were freshmen that both say they hate — the pair has grown into their roles as teammates and friends despite fighting for playing time.

At the start of their college career it was unclear how the two girls from eastern Pennsylvania would fit into the team. They were the only freshmen on the squad in the fall of 2003, not to mention the only goalies.

Freshman year was a learning experience for the duo, as Nemeth and Simon were thrust directly into college action from day one. The keepers were up to the challenge, though, and found support in each other.

"It was so nice to have a buddy on the team that was going through the same things as I was," Simon said. "We were really scared and intimidated to be put in an arena with seniors and juniors, but it was definitely an exciting time."

The girls arrived on Princeton's campus three years ago already familiar with one another, having played in the same leagues together in high school. Nemeth hailed from Neshaminy, Pa., and Simon from Langhorne, Pa., just one county over, so they were bound to run into each other in their high school years.

"We were in the Futures program together," Simon said. "We knew of each other, and if we saw each other we'd say 'Hi,' but we weren't friends, really."

But Princeton changed all that — in fact, it was Nemeth who congratulated Simon on being accepted into Princeton before Simon had even received the fat acceptance envelope.

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"Ali and I were on the same recruiting visit, and we told each other this is where we wanted to go." Simon said. "We both applied early, and then we met up later in the year at a tournament, and Allison was like, 'Congratulations,' so she told me that I had gotten into Princeton."

It's easy to believe that they started out cordial, but with two same-year goalies competing for playing time, it could have been very hard to become close. But their current friendship off the field and competitive support on the field belie the expected.

"Most people when they hear the situation at other schools ask, 'Do you hate each other?' " Simon said. "We are both really good friends, and we have gotten along so well because we have different personalities. Of course it's been tough fighting for a position when it's your best friend, but we leave what's on the field on the field."

Teammates are impressed by their relationship.

"They're the most unselfish girls on our team, and they never say a negative word about each other," sophomore attack Paige Schmidt said. "And they spend a lot of time together off the field, too, so it's obvious that they're great friends."

The key has been not letting their rivalry get in the way of their friendship and teammate support.

"They are really good to each other even though they are competing with each other every day," Holmes-Winn said. "They are professional in terms of how they treat each other, but at the same time they are competitive."

The two keepers have been the sole competitors for goaltending action throughout their careers at Princeton. They have been splitting time, though Nemeth has an edge over Simon as she has recorded slightly better stats and has seen a bit more action. But each week is a chance for the keepers to show the team what they are made of: in order to keep the goalies on their toes, Holmes-Winn determines playing time based on their daily practice performance.

"It's more of how they perform that week in practice," Holmes-Winn said. "Goalkeeping is a very mental position, and it's one of the more difficult positions on the field. We go week to week and give each goalkeeper a fresh look."

The girls maintain their competitive edge by training with each other and with a goalie coach, who is working on changing their style of play to mimic one another. Despite the work they are doing to integrate their techniques, they still have different playing styles.

"Ali relies on her athleticism and her quickness, and she has very good basic skills," Holmes-Winn said. "She is a bit more aggressive in goal. On the other hand, Jules is fundamentally really sound. She has really good power on her clears."

Simon notes the difference in their styles as well.

"She has a big edge on me," Simon said. "She gets to be really mentally tough; she gets angry. I'm more subdued and calm in situations."

Three seasons after she arrived on campus, Holmes-Winn could not be more satisfied with how her once-uncertain goalie situation has turned out. That doesn't mean, though, that she ever wants to go through a season with nothing but a pair of freshman goalies again.

"We are actively recruiting freshman goalies for next year," she said, "to make sure that they will be trained and won't have to dive headfirst into the college game."