Within a week, the field hockey team will have finished the regular season and will know its postseason fate. But having just seen their ranking jump to No. 18 nationally, the Tigers need to keep a cool head over the next eight days as they aim to seal the deal in their season's final three games.
The No. 13 Tigers (10-4-0 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) face Virginia Commonwealth (5-11-0) at home today at 6 p.m., then return for another home game Tuesday against Monmouth (4-10-0).
Next Friday, Princeton will travel to Philadelphia for its last regular-season matchup against Ivy foe Penn (7-8-0, 3-2-0). If the Tigers claim victory there, they will also claim their third-straight Ivy League championship.
Junior midfielder Sarah Reinprecht feels it is fitting that Princeton's chance to secure the title should come down to the game against the Quakers.
"Three years ago, Penn took the Ivy League title from Princeton for the first time in 13 years," Reinprecht said. "Since then, it's been their goal to ruin our season every year, so there's a bitter rivalry."
Not that the Tigers will be taking their games today and Tuesday any less seriously: Princeton's shocking loss to Cornell earlier this season taught the Tigers a hard lesson about bringing their best to every challenge, and the team can use its upcoming matches to prepare for Penn.
The VCU Rams arrive at Class of '52 Stadium coming off two losses, and a win against highly ranked Princeton would probably make their season. The last time the Tigers saw VCU was in 1999, when Princeton ran away with a 5-1 win. Both teams, however, lost to American University this season by one-goal margins, so it is certainly possible for VCU to step up to the plate and give Princeton a challenge.
Monmouth does not sport stunning statistics either — its win-loss record is currently the exact reciprocal of the Tigers'. The only opponent this season that the two teams have in common is Columbia, which beat Monmouth 4-2 but lost to Princeton 3-0.
The Quakers will likely prove to be the best match for Princeton in the upcoming week. Penn's players have proved themselves in clutch situations, cinching Cornell and Yale this season in overtime play. The Quakers will find their defense hard-pressed to keep up with the Tigers' relentless offense, though, as Princeton has outshot Penn 263-175 and forced 36 more penalty corners over the duration of their seasons.
One of Princeton's main focuses for this week will be to start converting some of those shots and corners into goals. Missing those opportunities can create nerve-wracking situations, like the Tigers' game against Harvard last Saturday. Though Princeton outshot and out-cornered the Crimson, it took all of regulation time and 11 minutes and 47 seconds of overtime before sophomore attack Kaitlin Donovan was able to slap a shot in for Princeton's 1-0 victory. Donovan was recently named Ivy League Player of the Week for her game-winning goal.
Reinprecht, senior defender Paige Schmidt and junior midfielder Candice Arner will be key to keeping the ball in the hands of the Tiger attacks. The two midfielders and Schmidt form a triangle in the center of the field, which in itself is a dynamic strategy.
"It can be confusing because [Candice, Paige and I] rotate positions throughout the game in order to be a constant, offensive threat," Reinprecht said.
The second of the Tigers' priorities in practice this week, however, is a little more unorthodox. Penn's home field is covered in grass turf, while the Tigers practice on the synthetic turf in Class of '52 Stadium. Field turf slows the ball's movement and can give some bounce to hits and passes. To prepare, head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn has moved Fall Break practices onto the football field so the Tigers can adjust their style of play for next Friday.
Sweeping this week will take a championship effort, but Princeton has waited all season to prove it is capable of just that.
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