Field Hockey: Syracuse ekes past Princeton

No. 8 Princeton (17-3 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) fell to No. 3 Syracuse (22-1) 3-2 on Sunday afternoon after shutting out No. 11 Penn State (13-7) the day before in a 2-0 first-round victory. The weekend split left the Tigers with 17 wins on the season, the second-highest total in program history.

Following its opening-round win, Princeton came out strong against the Orange. In the first minute, senior attack Katie Kinzer took the ball along the end line and smacked it toward the cage. Syracuse goalkeeper Heather Hess couldn’t break up the play, and the ball went directly to freshman attack Kathleen Sharkey, who leads all Tigers in goals scored. Sharkey tapped it in at the far post for the game’s first score, giving Princeton a 1-0 lead only 56 seconds into the game.

The Orange didn’t panic, however, as it calmly continued to apply pressure in the Tigers’ zone. Princeton ultimately paid the price, as Syracuse tied the game and then proceeded to take the lead just three minutes later. Both goals came off penalty corners.

The Tigers failed to clear the ball after the Orange’s first attempt off a corner, and Syracuse midfielder Martina Loncarica took advantage, firing the rebound just underneath the crossbar. Just three minutes later, Syracuse attack Shelby Schraden deflected the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer King on another penalty corner.

Princeton took a timeout to try to shore up the defense. The time appeared to be well-spent; Syracuse couldn’t generate a single shot over the next 12 minutes.

The Tigers had a great opportunity to knot the score at two just before halftime. Senior midfielder and tri-captain Candice Arner was in the circle, but she was fouled hard by an Orange defender, and the referees awarded Princeton a penalty shot. Senior midfielder Sarah Reinprecht blasted her shot toward the bottom-left corner of the goal, but the ball just barely sailed wide, and Syracuse headed into the half with its 2-1 lead intact.

The second half kicked off with more of the same from the Tigers’ stifling defense. The Orange failed to generate scoring opportunities and thus had no chance to extend its lead. Princeton, meanwhile, continued to apply pressure in the Syracuse zone and its persistence ultimately paid off.

About 10 minutes into the second half, the Tigers earned a penalty corner. Freshman midfielder Katie Reinprecht sent the ball to her elder sister. The older Reinprecht made sure her second opportunity wouldn’t go to waste, as she slammed the ball into the inside of the far post to tie the score at two.

Both teams played staunch defense the rest of the way. The stalemate in regulation gave way to a dramatic overtime finish, with both squads fighting hard for a berth in the semifinals.

Both Princeton and Syracuse had scoring opportunities early in the overtime period, and both goalkeepers made saves to keep the game going. With just a few minutes left in the period, however, Syracuse attack Lindsey Conrad carried the ball into the Tigers’ arc. She crossed the ball to the middle after King came out of the cage to challenge her, resulting in an easy tap-in for Syracuse attack Nicole Nelson. The goal sealed Syracuse’s victory and its right to advance to the Final Four.

Princeton’s stifling defense was largely responsible for its place in the quarterfinals. On Saturday, the team had shut out the Nittany Lions in the first round. Katie Reinprecht notched both goals for the Tigers, who got out to an aggressive start but couldn’t find the back of the net until the 21st minute. Reinprecht’s shot bounced off Penn State goalie Jen Beaumont and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

It would be more than enough for the stingy Tiger defense. King made three saves to record the shutout.

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For Princeton, the top five teams in the nation were simply too tough to crack. The Tigers’ only other losses this season came against No. 1 Maryland and No. 4 Connecticut in closely contested matches.