Every team in contention for a national title experiences some bumps along the way. This season, the field hockey team was that bump in the road for a number of its opponents, ending the undefeated runs of powerhouses such as Syracuse and Connecticut. Last Wednesday, the No. 5 Tigers (10-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) almost took down No. 1 Maryland, falling to the Terrapins 3-2 in overtime.
On Sunday, American (6-6 overall, 2-0 Patriot League) threatened to derail Princeton’s season at Jacobs Field in Washington, D.C.. In true Tiger fashion, Princeton overcame a frustrating first half to pull out a 3-2 victory and stay on the path to the Final Four.
The game-winning goal came with only 54 seconds left in regulation, when sophomore midfielder and co-captain Katie Reinprecht controlled a long pass in the midfield, dribbled into the circle and passed the ball to sophomore striker Kathleen Sharkey. Sharkey fired the ball into the cage at the left post, giving Princeton the 3-2 victory.
Junior goalkeeper Jennifer King noted that her team’s persistence enabled it to come out on top.
“It was a positive thing that we were able to finish despite the obstacles,” King said.
One of the Eagles’ home-field advantages was their bumpy turf, which took the Tigers much of the first half to get used to. “The first half, [the Eagles] were beating us to the ball ... It was one of those games where you felt the ball wasn’t bouncing our way. Any mis-trap [and] they were right on top of us, and they generated offense from those mis-traps,” head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said.
American scored the first goal 12 minutes, 38 seconds into the game off a penalty corner, with defender Anne-Meike De Wiljes blasting the ball from the top of the circle into the cage at the left post.
The Tigers answered just shy of three minutes later when freshman striker Michelle Cesan tied the score off a pass from Sharkey. The game remained tied for the rest of the half.
The Eagles regained the lead 25 seconds into the second half when forward Savannah Graybill one-timed the ball into the back of the net, giving American a 2-1 edge.
Despite this quick deficit, things started going the Tigers’ way in the second half. “We came out in the second half and were playing our kind of hockey,” Holmes-Winn explained. “Our spacing was better, we had better touches [and] better receptions, and we were a lot cleaner. We played around their pressure instead of playing through it, which is what happened in the first half.”
Princeton’s clean play paid off in the final 11 minutes. Senior striker and co-captain Christina Bortz scored the game-tying goal at 59:24. Sharkey dribbled the ball into the circle and passed the ball to senior midfielder Kaitlin Donovan, who found Bortz. Sharkey’s last-minute tally handed the Tigers the victory.
Overall, Princeton’s defense gave American few scoring opportunities: The Eagles only took four shots to the Tigers’ 15.
This Saturday, the Tigers travel to Brown to defend their spot at the top of the Ivy League in what is the first of three consecutive Ancient Eight matchups.
After playing the Bears on Saturday, Princeton will travel to Harvard on Oct. 24 to face the Crimson in Cambridge, Mass.
With the way the Tigers have been playing as of late, there could be no stopping this team in Ivy League competition.
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