Tigers upset ODU in NCAA tourney before falling to UConn

On the heels of an emotional win over No. 3 Old Dominion that propelled the field hockey team into the second round of the NCAA tournament, Princeton's dream of advancing to the NCAA Final Four was brought to a halt Sunday afternoon as it fell 3-0 to a strong No. 7 Connecticut team.

Saturday's game against Old Dominion ended in dramatic fashion, with Princeton upsetting the tournament's No. 3 seed in overtime. The win allowed the Tigers to avenge an early season 5-0 loss to the Lady Monarchs and thrust them into the round of the Elite Eight Sunday against UConn.

Defense took center stage against ODU as the game was kept scoreless for much of the first half despite constant pressure from both teams. Senior goalkeeper Allison Nemeth was able to block four shots in the first period, giving the Tigers the chance to go into halftime with the lead.

In the last minute of play in the half, however, a flurry of offensive strikes from both sides left Princeton trailing, 2-1. The Tigers were able to get on the board first when sophomore midfielder Sarah Reinprecht received the ball off the inbounds play and passed it off to junior defender Micaela Vie Brock, who slammed it into the net.

Only seconds later off the restart, Old Dominion's Dana Sensenig had a fast-break play to the goal and was able to beat Nemeth one-on-one as she just lifted the ball over the keeper's outstretched hands. With the score tied at one goal apiece, Sensenig closed out the half with her second goal, redirecting a penalty shot as time expired and giving the Lady Monarchs a 2-1 lead.

Play in the second half mirrored the intensity of the first, with neither team willing to budge defensively. Finally, 16 minutes into the second half, Reinprecht evened the score off a penalty corner and an assist from junior midfielder and Ivy League Player of the Year Paige Schmidt.

Regulation ended with the teams at a 2-2 standstill. In overtime, Nemeth was able to stave off attack after attack from Old Dominion, making eight saves in the last 14 minutes. While Nemeth was stellar in goal, two other stars emerged for Princeton with two minutes left in overtime.

Sophomore forward Katie Kinzer stole the ball from an Old Dominion attacker and was able to create a two-on-one advantage on a fast break down the field. As the goalkeeper committed to defending her, Kinzer passed the ball off to freshman forward Tina Bortz, who was able to shoot and score on an open net, clinching the Tigers' victory.

This was Princeton's second overtime win in as many games and certainly its most thrilling of the season. The Tigers didn't have much time to celebrate, however, as they had to refocus their attention on Sunday's game against Connecticut.

"Immediately after yesterday's game we celebrated our win. But then we quickly focused on our next game," said sophomore defender Holly McGarvie. "We watched the game between Boston College and UConn, and after UConn won we went over the individual aspects we needed to improve on from the last time we played them."

Huskies end season

The last time Princeton faced Connecticut was on Oct. 7, and the game ended in a 2-0 Tiger loss. Unfortunately for Princeton, Sunday's matchup didn't produce a more favorable result, as the Tigers fell again to the Huskies by a score of 3-0.

Both teams came out firing right from the starting whistle and quickly settled in to their respective game plans. Neither team was able to dominate in the offensive third until halfway through the first half when UConn got on the board twice within a matter of a few minutes. Princeton recovered and had a few explosive offensive attacks, but the Huskies held strong and took their 2-0 lead into halftime.

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In the second half, the game was once again played primarily in the middle of the field. Neither team was able to assert its will offensively until 22 minutes into the second half when UConn scored its third goal of the game with a chip over Nemeth off of a penalty corner. Princeton came back firing with tremendous offensive pressure in the last 10 minutes of the game but was unable to capitalize and force one past the keeper before the final whistled sounded.

While this was a disappointing loss for the Tigers, the team has had great individual and team success this season and looks to push itself even further next year.

"It's been amazing for us to even come this far," said Kinzer. "Just knowing what it feels like to be this close to the Final Four will be motivation for us next year. We know that a championship is attainable."