As has become a recurring theme this season, the field hockey team initially found success against an Ivy League opponent before falling to a ranked non-conference foe. The Tigers (11-4 overall, 5-0 Ivy League) beat their archrivals Harvard (3-11, 1-4), posting a 4-0 shutout on Saturday for Alumni Day. On Sunday, however, Princeton fell 1-0 to Penn State (12-4) due to a last-minute, game-changing goal.
The Princeton attack started off quickly Saturday, racking up shots early in the game. Junior striker Kat Sharkey had five shots and sophomore midfielder Julia Reinprecht had four before the 12th minute, but the Tigers were unable to get around Harvard goalkeeper Cynthia Tassopoulos.
In the 15th minute, the Tigers were finally able to capitalize on their shots on goal, as junior striker Rachel Neufeld carried the ball in on the side and passed to Sharkey, who found the back of the net. Harvard did not attempt a shot until the 22nd minute, as the Princeton defense stayed firm and held on to the Tigers' 1-0 lead. Neufeld is also a staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.
Princeton extended its lead to 2-0 in the 30th minute off another goal by Sharkey. Sophomore midfielder Carrie Diamond passed to Sharkey at the top of the circle, and Sharkey spun around with the ball and fired a backhander past Tassopoulos.
Three minutes later, Reinprecht found Sharkey near the top of the circle, and again she shot a bullet past Tassopoulos, putting the Tigers up by 3-0 and earning her a first-half hat trick. It was her nation-leading 26th goal of the season. Princeton outshot the Crimson 15-2 in the first half and had seven corners to Harvard’s one.
“I thought that the Harvard goalie did a great job of making some really tough saves,” Sharkey said. “I think it’s having that mentality of not giving up ... Eventually our shots are going to get in.”
The Tigers entered the second half looking to sustain their relentless attack. Sharkey, Reinprecht and sophomore striker Michelle Cesan all attempted shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. In the 47th minute, freshman back Amanda Bird received the ball off Reinprecht’s corner. She then fed Cesan, who blasted the ball past Tassopoulos for Cesan’s 10th goal of the season.
The game slowed down after that. The Crimson were able to find some space in the middle and attempted a drive up into Princeton territory, but the Tigers’ defense stayed firm. Sharkey had Princeton’s only shot from that point forward, which hit the crossbar, and Harvard had two missed attempts. The Tigers were able to blank the Crimson 4-0 in front of a crowd of former players and alumni attending the game for homecoming weekend.
Sunday's game against Penn State started off slowly, and a defensive struggle ensued. Cesan, Bird and sophomore midfielder Molly Goodman had Princeton’s only shots of the period. The Nittany Lions earned two yellow cards during the first half, but the Tigers were unable to score off of their player advantage. At the half, Penn State had outshot Princeton 4-3.
The Nittany Lions came out in a fury in the second half. Penn State attempted five shots before Sharkey had the Tigers' first attempt of the half. In the 56th minute, after freshman goalkeeper Christina Maida saved a shot by Penn State back Daneen Zug, the Nittany Lions earned a penalty stroke. Penn State midfielder Jessica Longstreth converted, and Penn State went up by one goal late in the second half.
The Tigers fought for a comeback but the Nittany Lion defense locked down, and Sharkey attempted Princeton’s only remaining shots of the game. The Tigers dropped their fourth game overall in State College, Pa., losing to a ranked opponent on the road for the third week in a row.
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