Princeton pounds Pride goal but still falls, 3-0

Every corner is a goal, or so the saying goes. The women's field hockey team only wished that was true Friday night, when Princeton (5-6 overall) took on Hofstra (8-3) at Class of 1952 Stadium.

Statistically, the Tigers should have had this game in the bag. Eighteen shots to the Pride's four. Fifteen corners to Hofstra's one. A penalty stroke. Coaches and players alike dream about chances like these for each and every game of the season. But for Princeton, capitalizing on the dream situations was left in the dream realm.

Despite the Tigers' 15 corner opportunities during the 70 minutes of play, they failed to score even one goal. To add insult to injury, the Pride converted its one corner into a goal and then added two more for the 3-0 victory.

What started out as a light drizzle turned into a deluge by the middle of the second half and, as with any field sport, adding water just made everything worse. Princeton attempted to maintain a game pace that was as steady as the rain, but neither team could keep the ball in its offensive end for more than a few minutes.

Though the score would suggest otherwise, the Tiger offense fought for every possession, literally. Sophomore attack Paige Schmidt was taken off the field midway through the first half with a broken nose, and senior attack Lauren Erlichmann was visibly bleeding through her shirt at the hip. Hofstra's Karen McEneaney was issued a warning for her physical play on the left side of the field.

Even though Princeton subbed liberally and kept the ball moving, it was unable to outrun and outmaneuver the Pride. Clearing the ball from the circle was the Tigers' major problem, and Hofstra took advantage of the weakness, crowding the net early. The first goal came off a pass around junior goalkeeper Allison Nemeth and was tipped in by an unguarded Pride attack, Charlia Warner.

In the second half, Hofstra struggled through some opening-minute malaise but maintained the same game plan. The Pride continued to push Princeton, gaining its only corner of the game 24 minutes in. Capitalizing on a chance the Tigers simply could not finish, Hofstra scored its second of the night. Its third goal came only three minutes later on a ball that popped up past Nemeth and the defender who had jumped behind her.

Aside from numerous corners, Princeton's greatest scoring opportunity came eight minutes into the second half. Pride goalie Jessica Cowperthwait pounced on the ball in a desperate attempt to shield it from the swarming Tiger offense, and the referees called for a penalty stroke. Freshman midfielder Sarah Reinprecht sent the ball hurtling toward the left corner of the net, catching the goalie out of position, but the ball hit the left post with a resounding clang. It was the story of the game for Princeton and one of the many reasons the team's frustration was so apparent after the 3-0 loss.

Blame it on the rain or blame it on luck, but any way you look at it, Friday was rough for Princeton.

Tigers to tarry with Terps

The Tigers have another chance, though, to bring their record back to .500 with their second non-Ivy League game in a row tonight at Maryland (12-1).

The Terrapins' 12-1 record barely begins to describe their strength. With a defense that has kept its opponents to less than a goal and less than four shots per game for the whole season, Princeton is going to have to display its ability to finish plays near the net, even with Erlichmann and Reinprecht leading the attack.

Maryland's two leading scorers, Jackie Ciconte and Tiffany Marsh, have combined for 21 goals this season and are both ranked among the top-10 goal scorers in the country. As if the field players weren't enough of a deterrent for the goal-starved Tiger squad, Terrapins goalie Kathryn Masson has the best goals against average in the country at 0.45.

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Princeton will have to bite down and put tallies on the board tonight against Maryland if the Tigers want to keep their playoff options open. While there is still plenty of time for Princeton to maintain its Ivy crown with games against Brown, Harvard and Penn still to come, the Tigers need a win against the Terrapins to bring the season back to an even win-loss split and to regain some pride.