Field Hockey: Another Ivy title for No. 4 Princeton

While the rest of the school was relaxing during Fall Break, the field hockey team was winning an Ivy League championship.

The No. 4 Tigers (14-2 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) took home their 14th Ivy title in 15 years, and they completed their second straight season with a perfect record in league competition. The team secured the title by defeating Cornell (10-5, 4-3) in the Senior Day game by a score of 10-1 on Oct. 30. Princeton went on to cap off its perfect Ivy season with a 7-0 shutout of Penn (5-12, 2-5).

“These two wins were huge. We came to play in both games, and that’s what we need to be doing at this point in the season,” head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said. “We didn’t take anything for granted, which is how we need to approach everything from here on out.”

Princeton dominated offensively, outshooting the Big Red, 23-4, and beating them in corners, 11-3. Freshman striker Michelle Cesan finished the game with her first career hat trick, and sophomore midfielder Katie Reinprecht added one goal and three assists.

Reinprecht opened the scoring 13 minutes into the first half with an unassisted goal from the top of the circle, and Cesan scored six minutes later off a Reinprecht assist. The pair worked together again one minute later to give Reinprecht another assist and Cesan another goal. Reinprecht sent the ball across the cage to Cesan on the left, who drove it into the goal.

Cornell answered Princeton’s three-goal streak with its lone goal of the game 32 minutes in, an unassisted tally from striker Catie De Stio.

The Tigers recovered quickly and regained momentum with another goal three minutes later to end the first half. Cesan assisted freshman midfielder Julia Reinprecht, the younger sister of Katie Reinprecht, for the last goal of the half, creating an opportunity off a rebound from a shot by sophomore striker Kathleen Sharkey.

Princeton scored early in the second half to keep applying offensive pressure. Four minutes into the half, Sharkey scored with a straight shot from the center of the circle off an assist from Katie Reinprecht, who leads the team in assists (12).

After 10 minutes of play in the second half, senior midfielder Kaitlin Donovan scored with an assist from sophomore midfielder Alyssa Pyros. Pyros crossed the ball from the left side of the cage to a wide-open Donovan on the right.

Two minutes later, Cesan scored her third goal of the game to complete her hat trick with an unassisted goal. Pyros assisted on the next Tiger goal, passing to sophomore striker Rachel Neufeld, who fired a quick, hard shot into the goal from the left of the cage for her fifth goal of the season.

The Tigers kept the offensive pressure high until the end of the game, scoring their last two goals in the last five minutes of play. Sharkey scored her second goal of the game with a straight shot on goal. Senior striker Christina Bortz tallied the last goal of the game, scoring with an assist from junior back Alexandra Douwes.

For their performances in the game against Cornell, Cesan and Katie Reinprecht earned Ivy League honors. Cesan won the Ivy Rookie of the Week award for the second time this season, and Katie Reinprecht was named Ivy League Player of the Week.

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Though the Tigers’ game against Virginia Commonwealth was cancelled, they kept their offensive mindset through to the Penn game a week after defeating Cornell. Princeton had a 25-3 edge in shots and did not allow Penn any offensive corners, while the Tigers racked up nine.

“They keep the pedal on the gas the whole game and play really directed, purposeful hockey,” Holmes-Winn said. “And we’ve got talent. Put those two things together, and we get the outcome we want.”

Cesan recorded her second hat trick in as many games, and Sharkey added two goals of her own. Junior goalie Jennifer King only had to make one save to record her fifth shutout of the season.

Sharkey scored the first goal 20 minutes into the game by dribbling through the middle of the circle and making a hard shot to the left of the cage. Cesan scored her first goal less than two minutes later with an assist from Bortz.

Julia Reinprecht scored the first goal of the second half four minutes in, with a drive into the right corner of the cage. Sharkey’s second goal came next, 47 minutes into the game. She sent a reverse chip shot into the air and into the cage over the goalie’s head for her team-leading 17th goal of the season. She also leads the team in points, with 42.

Just 20 seconds later, Cesan added her second goal for the Tigers with another assist from Bortz. Bortz crossed the ball to Cesan on the right of the cage, who shot it in. Cesan finished her hat trick with the next goal 10 minutes later off an assist from freshman midfielder Charlotte Krause. Katie Reinprecht finished the scoring for the Tigers with four minutes left in play off a penalty corner.

The Tigers’ victory over the Quakers was their 19th straight victory in Ivy competition over the past three seasons. Over the season, Princeton has accumulated 46 goals against its seven Ivy opponents while only giving up five.

Princeton finished off another impressive season, but it now looks forward to postseason play in the NCAA tournament. Holmes-Winn explained that the team’s overall mentality will help it find success.

“They are strong individuals and work incredibly hard, and they play for one another,” she said. “I hope in the postseason they bring this attitude and level of focus they’ve held throughout the season.”