Field Hockey: Princeton reaches Final Four, will face Maryland

For the first time in eight years, the field hockey team is headed to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. The feat comes after an impressive season, highlighted by the capturing of the Ivy League title for the 14th time in 15 seasons.

The Tigers (16-2 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) took on No. 14 Stanford (20-5) in the first round of the tournament and shut them out, 4-0. It was the team’s sixth shutout of the season. Princeton then defeated No. 8 Syracuse (18-4), 7-3, in the quarterfinals, avenging a 2008 playoff loss to the Orange.

Next for the Tigers is the semifinal game against top-ranked Maryland (22-0) tonight at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Tigers met the Terrapins earlier in the season, falling 3-2 in overtime. Princeton was the only team this season to take the undefeated Terrapins into overtime.

Head coach Kristin Holmes-Winn, said the Tigers have improved significantly since they last faced Maryland.

“We added patterns in attack and how we outlet the ball. We have much better variety in our play now, which is a huge plus,” she said.

Sophomore midfielder and co-captain Katie Reinprecht also said that the team has made great strides since the last game against the Terps, especially in scoring.

“Finishing and getting into goal-scoring positions was definitely a focus for us going into postseason. This is going to be very important for us going into our game against Maryland, because it is likely that we won’t have as many scoring opportunities as usual,” she said.

This will be the Terrapins’ second consecutive appearance in the Final Four, and they are the defending NCAA champions. They have won the tournament three of the past four years. But the Tigers are ready to take on the challenge.

The team has been practicing with intensity and focus in the past week leading up to the game. Senior striker and co-captain Christina Bortz explained that the team has been fine-tuning every aspect of its play in preparation.

“I think our team has become more strategic in how we’re moving the ball … We’ve been coming up with scenario situations and watching a lot of game film, so we know how to manipulate the other team’s offenders. The information that the coaching staff has been feeding us is amazing. It makes it so much easier for us,” Bortz explained.

The Tigers are both physically and mentally prepared, she added.

“We’re hungrier than ever. We’re so close … and we’re not going to let Maryland or any other team stand in the way,” Bortz said.

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The Reinprecht sisters — Katie and freshman midfielder Julia — each won Ivy League honors for the season. Katie won Ivy League Player of the Year for the second time in a row, and Julia was named Rookie of the Year.

“They are both such special players,” Holmes-Winn remarked. “They can play both sides of the ball extremely well. They can defend and finish and keep the ball. And they’re also really humble athletes, so it’s really easy to be happy for them, because they are such great kids.”

Katie Reinprecht attributed her success to her “teammates and coaches who make it possible for me to freely play the game and roam the field,” as well as her “experiences this summer as a member of the New Jersey Women’s High Performance Team and U.S. U-21 national team.”

To some of the Tigers, making the Final Four seems surreal.

“At first it took awhile to sink that we’re actually going to the Final Four. Now, though, I think we’ve just been concentrating on the fact that this is about us,” Bortz said.

Holmes-Winn said that the most important thing for the Tigers to do in the semifinal game is to keep the same attitude and skill they have had all season.

“One thing that’s been really consistent with us is that we don’t hesitate. We’re pretty fearless in how we approach the game,” she said. “We know that this is a huge game, but we’re approaching it how we would any other game, with the same preparation, focus and energy we’ve given every match of the season.”

Making the Final Four has been the Tigers’ main goal all season, and their efforts have been geared toward this match. “We’ve worked so hard and, as cliche as it sounds, put our blood, sweat and tears into building this team,” said Bortz said. “I know we won’t be happy unless we win it all this year, so that’s exactly what we plan to do.”

The girls recognize that the game will be a challenge, but they are ready to focus on the game to come out victorious.

“We fully expect to win, but we know the road to achieving that goal is not going to be easy. We need to play together and have confidence in one another for the entire game. We know we are not guaranteed another opportunity at the Final Four, so we will definitely leave it all on the field on Friday,” Katie Reinprecht said.