Field Hockey: Tigers face stern test in unbeaten UConn

In posting a convincing 5-2 victory over Yale last Saturday, the field hockey team sent a clear message to the rest of the Ivy League: The road to the Ancient Eight title runs through Princeton, N.J.

With this bold statement in mind, Princeton takes the field this weekend against a league rival and an out-of-conference titan.

Tonight at 6 p.m., the No. 7 Tigers (7-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) will play Columbia (3-4, 1-1) at Class of 1952 Stadium. On Sunday at 1 p.m., Princeton will face a much tougher test, taking on No. 5 Connecticut (10-0) in a clash of two national powerhouses.

Sophomore striker Kathleen Sharkey, who leads the Tigers with nine goals and seven assists, explained that her team beat Yale because the Tiger offense was persistent.

“We struggled to score at first, but we didn’t give up,” Sharkey said. “We kept shooting, and eventually the ball found the back of the net. Yale’s defense was very strong, so it was exciting to score five goals against them.”

Tonight, the Tigers will be facing a Columbia squad that has struggled to generate offense of late. Last Sunday, the Lions were shut out, 6-0, by Syracuse, and last Saturday, they lost a 2-1 double-overtime matchup to Cornell.

While the Lions don’t pose a particularly formidable offense, they do have players capable of scoring. Forward Christine Buszczak leads the team with three goals and one assist on the season.

Though Princeton is facing a Columbia team that hasn’t found the back of the net often this season, the Tigers certainly aren’t taking this game for granted.

“We’ve been preparing for Columbia as we do for any other big game,” junior goalkeeper Jennifer King said. “While we’ve been successful against them in the past, you never know what can happen, and since this is a conference matchup, we need to go into it just as we would against the top team in the country.”

After Princeton battles the Lions on Saturday, a tough Connecticut squad comes to town for a huge Sunday afternoon game.

The Tigers have several things going for them heading into this crucial game. Lately, Princeton has been rock-solid on defense. King has been especially impressive between the pipes, with a stingy 1.20 goals-against average on the season.

Based on the skill set of the two teams, the matchup against Connecticut should be exciting. The Huskies sport a potent offensive attack, averaging 4.5 goals per game this season. Forward Loren Sherer leads the Husky charge, racking up 16 goals and nine assists thus far. Overall, five players on the Connecticut roster have reached double digits in points scored.

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Sharkey singled out players on the Tiger defense who have stepped up this season and could be important in shutting down the Huskies’ offense.

“Our defense has been playing very well the last few games,” Sharkey said. “[Sophomore midfielders] Alyssa Pyros and Allison Behringer are doing well in limiting the scoring opportunities of our opponents, and [senior back] Kait Perrelle has been a key contributor to our defensive organization.”

Like the Tigers, Connecticut has a very sound defense. Goalkeeper Andrea Mainiero has allowed just eight goals in the 10 games she has played. Princeton’s high-octane offense, which averages 4.25 goals per game, will need to fire on all cylinders against its defensively talented opponent.

Overall, the Orange and Black should be able to use the matchup against the Huskies as a mid-season progress report. This season, Princeton already has a couple of impressive victories under its belt, including a 3-2 overtime win over then-No. 3 Syracuse.

Sharkey noted that, despite the hype surrounding Sunday’s game against the Huskies, the Tigers have remained focused on mechanics in practice this week.

“We’ve been working on taking quick shots, staying low in the circle and making sure we have proper positioning around the cage,” Sharkey said.

After this weekend, Princeton has another tough test, facing top-ranked Maryland (10-0) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in College Park, Md.

If Princeton can pull off a victory against Connecticut this weekend, the team should have tremendous momentum heading into the weekday matchup against the Terrapins. Based on the way the Tigers have been playing of late, Sunday afternoon’s game could go down as one for the ages.