Late goal upsets No. 3 UConn

After a hard-fought victory, it's usually the key attacks or tenacious midfielders who win recognition. That said, the player head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn labeled as "phenomenal" stole the spotlight playing both ends of the field.

Senior defender and co-captain Paige Schmidt had better get used to the limelight.

A standout in critical plays on defense and offense, Schmidt led the Princeton field hockey team to a 2-1 win over No. 3 Connecticut on Sunday, the first time in the teams' last five matchups that the Tigers have emerged victorious. Schmidt's goal with 14 minutes remaining in regulation finally put Princeton (6-4-0 overall, 3-1-0 Ivy League) ahead after over a half-hour of intense, scoreless play, and UConn (11-2-0) proved unable to respond.

Not that the Huskies failed to live up to their hard-hitting reputation. Connecticut out-shot Princeton 13-7, out-cornered the Tigers 9-6 and, initially, it appeared that the Huskies would command the game. In the fifth minute, three minutes after a shot by teammate Lizzy Peijs, UConn's Lauren Aird maneuvered through the defense and flicked the ball into the left corner of the Tigers' goal, putting Connecticut up 1-0 with an early lead.

However, Princeton's response was forceful and immediate. Junior midfielder and co-captain Candice Arner lined up for a free hit on the Huskies' penalty circle, faked to pass, then drove the ball straight past goalkeeper Andrea Mainiero. The goal was revoked because Arner's shot came from outside the circle, but the Tigers were unrelenting. Not one minute later, junior attack Kate Kizner centered the ball to junior midfielder Holly McGarvie, who popped the ball past Mainiero into the left corner.

For the rest of the first half and part of the second, the two teams battled for control. Superior stick-work by the Huskies tested the Tigers' defense, but Princeton countered with a strategy involving quick passes and constant movement.

"We wanted to have variety," Holmes-Winn said. "We wanted to get the ball into different people's hands and make [Connecticut] defend the entire field. We did that really well."

Princeton's defense also made it a priority to shut down several key Connecticut players. Schmidt and junior midfielder Kraftin Schreyer were able to control high lifts from UConn's Jennifer Kleinhans without much trouble, and McGarvie successfully kept star scorer Peijs in check while marking her for most of the second half.

"It was fun," McGarvie remarked. "She was getting frustrated, and it felt good to take her out of her game like that."

Finally, late in the second half, the Tigers were able to breakthrough. Pressure inside the Huskies' penalty circle forced a corner, and sophomore striker Tina Bortz lined up to feed her teammates the ball. She slid the ball to the top of the circle, Arner controlled the pass and Schmidt hammered the ball straight past the defense, where it smacked the back of the goalbox with a resounding crack.

The Princeton players ran to the center of the field to congratulate Schmidt but came back to the sidelines to huddle around Holmes-Winn after Connecticut called a timeout. Schmidt recalled that Holmes-Winn reminded the girls to stay focused as the clock wound down.

"Everyone was excited, but our mentality in those last minutes was to maintain possession and play good team defense," Schmidt said.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

A key element of that defense was sophomore goalkeeper Cynthia Wray, who racked up seven saves and took control in the critical last moments of the game. Determined to answer Schmidt's goal, the Huskies attacked furiously, forcing four penalty corners in the final 13 minutes. But Wray was ready for everything Connecticut could muster, twice diving to the ground to smother the ball.

"It was really nerve-wracking," Wray said. "But on corners everyone has to do their job. I came out on the inserter because it was there was no one else to go to her."

When it was finally over, each Tiger came off the field covered in sweat and sporting a brilliant smile, but no one was beaming as brightly as Schmidt.

"Being a senior, this is the fifth time I've played [Connecticut], and I just wanted to come away with a win once, and we finally did. It was an amazing team effort."