Tigers stay perfect in Ivy play

The endeavors of the field hockey team over the weekend can be best encapsulated by looking at the efforts of just one player: Paige Schmidt. Scoring a hat trick in addition to notching an assist over the course of the two games, the sophomore midfielder is definitely deserving of recognition.

On Saturday, the Tigers (6-8 overall, 5-0 Ivy League) defeated Brown (5-5, 2-2) in Providence, R.I., by a score of 3-0. But on Sunday, Princeton lost, 2-1, in overtime to No. 19 Boston University (10-1) in Boston. Nevertheless, the Tigers remained undefeated in Ivy League play.

In the game against Brown on Saturday, Princeton dominated throughout most of the contest. Schmidt scored her first goal three minutes into the game after her older sister, senior midfielder Hillary Schmidt, put the ball into play on a penalty corner.

The sisterly love continued when, eight minutes later, Paige scored again off a penalty corner by Hillary. Sophomore midfielder Nicole Ng was also credited with the assist.

The score remained 2-0 until the closing seconds of the game when senior attack Lauren Ehrlichman, recently returning from the Junior World Cup in Chile, scored off another Tiger penalty corner. The goal was assisted by Paige Schmidt, who had a total of five points in the game.

Princeton played effectively on defense as well as on offense in the win. Defensively, junior goalie Allison Nemeth ended the game with seven saves and kept the Bears off the board. Brown goalie Kristen Hodavance had eight saves. Offensively, the Tigers racked up 23 shots compared to the Bears' 14.

Princeton remains unbeaten in the Ivy League, and it is safe to say that it has dominated in league play. With Saturday's win, Nemeth recorded her third shutout against an Ivy team. Perhaps a more astounding statistic is that the scoring margin against Ivy opponents is 17-2 in favor of the Tigers.

Head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn knows that the team's dominance in Ivy League play is generated by players like Paige Schmidt.

"Paige has tremendous poise over the ball," Holmes-Winn said. "She is very skilled at getting out of tight situations, and she sees the field well. Her goals came off of penalty corner situations, and I also give credit to Hillary and Nicole for that."

Overtime loss

In Sunday's loss to Boston University, a nationally-ranked powerhouse, Princeton played competitively the entire game. In an MVP-worthy performance, Paige Schmidt scored the first goal of the game when she blasted the ball past Terrier goalie Erin Prediger. As has become the season's norm, Hillary Schmidt was credited with the assist.

BU evened the game 12 minutes later when forward Lauren Alfaro shot a ball that snuck by Nemeth on the right post. Nemeth had five saves in the game, while Prediger had three.

The quality of play, as well as the score, remained evenly matched until the end of regulation. Both teams recorded 12 shots in the game.

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The difference-maker in the game was midfielder Holly Wiles who scored the overtime goal for the Terriers. Receiving a pass from fullback Pam Spuehler, Wiles shot the ball past Nemeth.

Holmes-Winn was not satisfied with her team's performance in the game, but it might be a good thing that the Tigers have not yet peaked.

"We played 20 minutes of good hockey in a 70-minute game," Holmes-Winn said. "The game got away from us. We have not played our best hockey yet, but I have faith in the team and their ability to keep learning."

Even though this was a tough loss for Princeton, the Tigers can still end the season with a bang. Their next crucial game is away at Harvard (5-7, 1-3) on Saturday. Princeton can go 6-0 in the Ivy League and get one step closer to claiming the league title if it continues to dominate offensively and defensively like it has against other Ivy opponents. And it would certainly help if the Tigers had another stellar performance from the unstoppable Paige Schmidt.

"Our ability to control Ivy opponents is important, and we have a lot of confidence," Holmes-Winn said. "But every game is a battle, and Harvard will be a tough match for us. They always play extremely competitively against us."