Kinzer's late goal spurs win for Princeton

With just two minutes, 33 seconds remaining in a scoreless field hockey game Sunday, overtime seemed imminent for Princeton and No. 17 William and Mary. Tiger sophomore attack Katie Kinzer, however, changed that scenario.

After forcing a corner in the Tribe end, junior defender Micaela Vie Brock put the ball in play. Junior midfielder Paige Schmidt received the pass and rocketed a shot towards the William and Mary goal. Kinzer, who was in the line of fire, redirected Schmidt's blast into the back of the net. The Tigers were able to ride the one-goal lead to victory.

Kinzer appreciated the help of her teammates in enabling her to score the game-winner.

"Micaela had a great insert, and Paige had a beautiful shot," Kinzer said. "I was just in the right spot at the right time as the ball deflected off my stick into the goal. I felt the ball hit off my stick, but I thought it went wide of the goal. However, when I turned around, I was very happy to see that the ball was actually hit into the left corner of the goal cage."

Princeton (2-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) undoubtedly shocked many with its upset of the talented William and Mary (4-1 overall) team. The Tigers had lost their first two games against ranked teams — No. 7 Penn State and No. 19 Richmond — by one-goal deficits. The win against the Tribe proved that Princeton has the ability to match up against nationally-ranked teams.

Coming off a 2-1 victory over Yale in their first Ivy League game on Saturday — in which Kinzer also scored the game-winning goal — the Tigers fought hard in front of a supportive home crowd at Class of 1952 Stadium.

Solid defense and goalkeeping greatly helped the Orange and Black during the game. Senior goalkeeper Allison Nemeth, who had four saves on the day, played brilliantly in the net, often coming out of goal to challenge the William and Mary attack.

Though the game remained scoreless until late, each team had its fair share of scoring chances. The Tigers had the first great chance of the game. With 15 minutes gone in the first half, sophomore midfielder Sarah Reinprecht was awarded a penalty shot after she was tripped up by a Tribe player in the circle. Reinprecht got a nice shot off, but it ricocheted off the right goal post.

Princeton dodged bullets of its own in the first half. William and Mary midfielder Jessica Kacerek launched a shot from outside the circle that went past Nemeth and into the net for an apparent goal. The score was voided, however, because the referee had blown the whistle for a foul against the Tigers before Kacerek had shot the ball.

The solid play on defense translated to more scoring chances on offense for Princeton. Schmidt and sophomore defender Leah Hoagland — who already has two goals this season — exhibited great chemistry on the field, creating frequent chances to score. One of these opportunities came late in the first half. Schmidt stole the ball from a Tribe player and fed Hoagland a brilliant pass around midfield. It was a great breakaway opportunity, until Hoagland collided with goalkeeper Gwen Hunter.

Early in the second half, Nemeth was saving shots left and right. She had adequate support from Hoagland and sophomore defender Holly McGarvie to keep the game scoreless.

The Princeton freshmen also played well in the home debut. Midfielder Kaitlin Donavan and attack Tina Bortz were often in the midst of the action. Bortz has scored two goals and notched one assist on the season, while Donavan also has a goal. Their talent complements the leadership of the upperclassmen.

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The Tigers will try to remain undefeated against Ivy opponents when they face Dartmouth at Class of 1952 Stadium on Saturday.

Kinzer recognized the importance of the win against William and Mary and thinks it will give the team some confidence heading into the Dartmouth game.

"We were ready to prove that we could compete, and win, against non-Ivy League opponents after losing by one goal to both Richmond and Penn State," Kinzer said. "Our win has definitely improved our confidence because we know that we are on our way to becoming a highly-ranked team."