Field Hockey: No. 5 Huskies will provide stiff challenge

Coming off a weekend split against No. 3 Virginia and No. 10 Louisville, the field hockey team will once again square off against one of the nation’s best teams when it plays No. 5 Connecticut on Sunday afternoon. Princeton’s other opponent this weekend is Brown.

The No. 4 Tigers (3-0 Ivy League, 9-2 overall) have not gone a week without facing a top-15 team since their second weekend of play.

The Huskies (11-3) are a familiar foe for the Tigers, as Connecticut bounced Princeton in the quarterfinal round of the 2006 NCAA tournament.

“They’ve got a lot of different threats,” head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said. “They have a lot of variety in how they build the ball. They can throw it, they can hit through lines, they press well, and they have a couple very dynamic players. They’re going to be a really good challenge.”

To have the type of success the team is looking for, Princeton will have to avoid some of the pitfalls that led to losses against Virginia and No. 9 American.

“We need more variety in how we attack and we have to defend for 70 minutes, or else the good teams are going to capitalize,” Holmes-Winn said.

Both coach and players alike agreed on the importance of playing together as one unit.

“It just came down to us playing too much individual hockey,” junior striker Kathleen Sharkey said of the Tigers’ loss to the Cavaliers. “Now we’re really trying to work on our passing and our off-ball movement.”

Meanwhile, Princeton must also begin to focus on some of the specific challenges that the Huskies will pose.

“They have a strong penalty corner unit, so we’ll have to really tighten up our defense and try to limit the amount of corners they get,” Sharkey said.

Connecticut currently ranks 15th in the nation in penalty corners per game and boasts the country’s second stingiest defense, having allowed just 0.82 goals per game.

One of the Huskies that Princeton will have its eyes on at all times is Melissa Gonzalez.

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“She’s a really skilled midfielder, and I’m sure she’ll be a key player in the game,” Sharkey said of the Connecticut All-American. “She’s going to be dangerous on their attack.”

Having beaten its first three Ivy League opponents by a total score of 22-2, Princeton’s prospects look bright for its matchup against Brown (1-2, 2-9) on Saturday afternoon at Class of 1952 Stadium. Nevertheless, the Tigers have learned not to rest on their laurels against unranked opponents.

“We never relax — the past has taught us that,” Holmes-Winn said. “I think if we stick to our ethos of wanting to get better every game and every practice and staying in the moment, then Brown is going to see our best.”

Sharkey said she expects the same reaction from the Bears.

“You can never underestimate an Ivy League team,” Sharkey said. “They’re always going to come out strong and play with intensity and give it their all.”

The Bears defense will have its hands full with Sharkey, who currently leads the nation with 20 goals and 4.09 points per game.

Princeton’s two recent losses have brought a team that was flying high at 8-0 back down to earth, reminding the players of tasks still left to accomplish.

“You do inevitably lose momentum, but I think what was good was that it did bring to the surface ... where some of our deficiencies are,” Holmes-Winn said. “We might have lost momentum, but it humbled us in a very positive way.”

With only three weekends left before the NCAA tournament, the Tigers will be playing with a sense of purpose as their regular-season slate of games draws to a close.

“This team is willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the [championship] game,” Sharkey said. “We just have to move forward and take what we can from the game and learn from it.”