After a stellar undefeated season in the Ivy League, the field hockey team was rewarded with a chance to play in front of its home crowd in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Princeton (9-8 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) will face No. 4 Duke (15-4) in the first round of competition at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Tigers find themselves in a bracket consisting of highly competitive teams. Along with Duke, the regional bracket includes No. 10 Connecticut and No. 13 Boston College. But don't count Princeton out quite yet. The Tigers are on a roll, coming off three straight wins, including the victory against Harvard that gave them the Ivy title.
Another factor is that Princeton has greatly improved over the course of the season, as the 10 freshmen on the team have gained experience and confidence. Production from young players such as freshman midfielder Candi Arner, who scored the winning goal in the game against Harvard, is definitely an advantage for the Tigers.
The talent of individual upperclassmen also needs to be taken into account. After scoring the deciding goal against Penn on Nov. 4, senior midfielder Hillary Schmidt was named the Ivy League Player of the Week. Hillary has scored a total of 18 points this season, trailing only her younger sister, sophomore midfielder Paige Schmidt. The sisters are a vital part of the team's success, and significant contributions from them would greatly help Princeton in Saturday's matchup.
This is the first time the Tigers have faced Duke since the 2000 season. Overall, Princeton is 3-1 against the Blue Devils, including two home victories. The Tigers will certainly need to play great hockey to add another victory to that tally.
Duke is coached by Beth Bozman, who has a personal tie to Princeton. She coached the Tigers for 15 years before leaving for Duke in 2003. Under Bozman, Princeton went to eight NCAA tournaments and played in the national championship in 1996 and 1998. Additionally, Duke assistant coach Kelly Baril '03 once played field hockey for the Tigers.
Putting Bozman's homecoming aside, the focus should remain on the Ivy League champs. Head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn keeps her team focused and demands an intensity from her players that has led to great success this season.
"Our main objective is to get better every time we step on the field," Holmes Winn said. "We don't always evaluate our performance in wins and losses. If we win a game but play poorly, that is not good enough for us."
Princeton dominated when it mattered most against Ivy League opponents,. Excellent play on defense is part of the success story. Thanks to great goaltending by junior Allison Nemeth, the Tigers recorded shutouts against Dartmouth, Columbia and Penn.
The offense improved as well. Princeton outshot its opponents 268-165 this season and had a total of 163 penalty corners. The Schmidt duo took advantage of a lot of these penalty corner opportunities. Senior attack Lauren Ehrlichman was also responsible for some of the offensive production and scored seven goals this season, including a crucial one in the game against Penn. Ehrlichman was elated that her team was able to reclaim the Ivy crown.
"Holding the Ivy League trophy with Liz [Miller], Maren [Ford] and Hillary [Schmidt] was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in a Princeton uniform," Ehrlichman said. "I'm so proud of this team for having given everything week-in and week-out to bring the trophy back home to Princeton."
The Tigers should profit from their momentum going into the game against the Blue Devils. If Princeton wins this game, it will compete Sunday against the winner of the match between Boston College and Connecticut, the game directly following the completion of the Duke-Princeton contest.
If the Tigers win the regional, they will go to the national semifinals in Louisville, Ky. With pride and confidence going into Saturday's game and an undefeated Ivy League record under its belt, Princeton has a chance to take home-field advantage count and move one step closer to the prized championship.
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