Nemeth to lead from between the pipes

Athletics are marked by distinctive sounds such as gunshots, buzzers and sirens. Yet field hockey is just marked by the pure, crisp crack of a ball hitting the goal's baseboard, a sound which defines the sport. While Princeton (2-2-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) hasn't heard that sound too frequently in its first few games of the 2006 season, the Tigers are certainly looking forward to enjoying that familiar crack this fall.

Princeton's first four games of the season have been an even split, with losses to Richmond and Penn State before winning its Ivy League opener against Yale (2-1) last Saturday and again against William and Mary (1-0) on Sunday. The Tigers have found a groove, employing opportunities and strategies they did not use last season.

The Orange and Black have many holes to cover. Their squad will have to look to fill in the gaps left by graduating seniors, especially those made by the departure of Lauren Ehrlichman and Hillary Schmidt, two of Princeton's standout scorers from last season. Under normal circumstances the combination of losing key players and training a squad almost entirely comprised of freshmen and sophomores would be a daunting task for any coach. Head coach Kristin Holmes-Winn, however, is far from inexperienced in team building. As she enters her fourth season with the Tigers, it is impossible to believe that she will do anything but convert an inexperienced squad into a well-oiled machine.

One of Princeton's strongest standbys this year will be its veteran goaltender, senior Allison Nemeth, who played solidly in net last season. Over the summer, Nemeth represented her region at the Women's National championships in Virginia Beach, Va. Last season, Nemeth started 13 of the Tigers' last 14 games and played in every minute of those games except for one half. She went 8-7 overall and 6-0 in Ivy League action, with an impressive 1.61 goals-against average and a .753 save percentage.

Nemeth is no stranger to excellence in net, as she shut out four opponents last season: Dartmouth, Columbia, Albany and Brown. Nemeth continues to look strong this season, having stopped all but one of Yale's 17 shots on Saturday and shutting out William and Mary, which took 12 shots Sunday. Nemeth's strength in net will also set a solid example for one of the five new freshmen, goalkeeper Cynthia Wray, who will take over net-minding duties when both Nemeth and Princeton's other senior goalkeeper, Juliana Simon, graduate this spring. Goalkeeping will undoubtedly prove to be one of Princeton's greatest strengths this season.

The Tigers can also look forward to a variety of potential scoring stars this season, a welcome benefit to the team especially after losing Ehrlichman and the elder Schmidt. Four of the five new freshmen, attacks Tina Bortz and Lauren Capps and midfielders Katherine Capes and Kaitlin Donovan, will stand up, and look to capitalize on the strengths of Princeton's already-established defense and convert zone clears into effective, forward attacks. These four freshmen have the good fortune to have scoring powerhouses such as junior midfielder Paige Schmidt, Princeton's leading scorer last year with 11 goals in the 2005 season, as examples. Though scoring goals has not been a large part of the Tigers' success thus far this season, it is safe to assume that Schmidt and junior attack Sarah Yuki will soon step up once again, propelling Princeton into another high-scoring season.

The Tigers will also be looking to remedy one of their most frustrating setbacks, converting penalty corners into goals, which will be a serious concern for the 2006 squad. Last season the Tigers had 167 penalty corners called to their opponents' 98. Yet the Tigers still only scored 38 goals. Converting scoring opportunities into goals is a constant objective for any field hockey team, but Princeton especially will need to focus on its conversions. While getting initial shots will remain an integral aspect of stepping up the scoring this season, the Tigers will have to seek creative follow-ups to increase their goal scoring and to continue with the success they have enjoyed against Yale and William & Mary.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they have already seen goals from their younger players. It was Donovan who put Princeton ahead for the first time Saturday against Yale, and sophomore Katie Kinzer's game-winner that day came from a converted pass off Bortz. It is an optimistic start to see such an overwhelmingly young team already finding ways to work fluidly and comfortably together.

It is important that the Tigers up their goal scoring if they hope to find themselves back in the Ivy League championship spot they enjoyed last season after beating Harvard 2-1 in overtime.