Tigers prepare for national title defense

The field hockey team will travel to College Park, Md., for the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament this weekend. No. 8 Princeton (13-4 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) qualified for the tournament after defeating Penn last weekend and finishing the regular season undefeated in conference play. The Tigers are the defending national champions and will face off against Penn State (13-5, 5-1 Big Ten) in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday afternoon. Penn State earned an at-large bid despite losing 4-3 in overtime to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

“There's definitely a certain kind of pressure that comes along with defending the national championship title,” junior striker Allison Evans said. “But, there comes confidence, as well, because we know as a team what it takes to reach and win the highest level of competition.”

“We are a different team this year, and we don't hold onto last year's achievements,” senior midfielder/striker Michelle Cesan added. “We have played every game this season like we are the underdog, and that is how we will enter the tournament.”

The Tigers and Nittany Lions are no strangers to the NCAA tournament. This year marks Princeton’s 19th overall NCAA appearance and 10th consecutive appearance. Last year’s championship was the Tiger’s first and only NCAA crown. The Nittany Lions have qualified for the NCAAs in 29 of the team’s eligible 32 seasons, including the last four seasons. Penn State has yet to earn a national championship. Last year, the Nittany Lions lost to Syracuse in the quarterfinals.

“Prior experience in the tournament has definitely helped us learn the amount of intensity we need to compete with in every upcoming game in order to succeed,” Evans said.

Saturday’s matchup is the 32nd meeting between the Nittany Lions and Tigers, with Penn State earning 24 wins to Princeton’s eight. The two teams met earlier this year during the opening weeks of the regular season on Princeton’s home turf, with Penn State earning a 4-3 victory. This was the Tiger’s first loss of the 2013 season and the team’s only loss on their home turf. The two squads have the same record against common opponents this year, with both earning wins over Delaware and Michigan State, while losing their game against UConn.

“We've changed a lot since our last matchup with Penn State and have improved drastically,” Cesan said. “We've finally reached our potential, so the team is excited to show that on the field in the first round. We know a lot about their press and offensive tendencies from our first game but also from studying them all week.”

“Our team is excited to get vengeance against Penn State,” sophomore midfielder/back Teresa Benvenuti said. “Since the last time we played Penn State, we have made significant and crucial changes to our lineup. We also look to minimize unnecessary turnovers in the front and midfield.”

Leading the charge offensively for Penn State are Taylor Herold (12 goals, 4 assists) and Brittany Grzywacz (11G, 3A). Princeton’s defense will have to make sure it keeps these two players closely guarded to prevent them from getting an open shot on net. In goal for the Nittany Lions, Kylie Licata has grabbed 64 saves. She has a .703 saves percentage and 1.43 goals against average. The Tiger attackers will have to rely on their power and finesse to get the ball past this talented keeper.

The Tiger offense continues to put its opponents’ defense and goalkeeper under constant pressure. The Tigers have outshot their opponents 361-129 and outscored their opponents 54-27 this season. Cesan’s 10 goals and nine assists lead the Tigers. Also making significant contributions offensively are Evans (9G, 5A) and Benvenuti (8G, 7A). Freshman Cat Caro has tallied eight goals and three assists, earning two Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards. In goal, Anya Gersoff has allowed 1.49 goals against average and earned a .738 saves percentage.

“Postseason is more exciting than regular season,” Benvenuti said. “The last few games in the regular season were vital for us to win in order to clinch a place in the tournament, so those games and the upcoming games were and are all must-wins. That being said, we always adapt a crazy and intense attitude in the postseason that is unlike anything a person has ever experienced. I have learned from experience that the postseason players must lose any inhibition or fear of mistakes in order to be successful.”

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the second round of the tournament. That game will occur on Sunday at 2 p.m. against the winner of No. 1 Maryland and American.

“The main difference about the postseason is that you either win or your season ends,” Evans said.“We play, even more so, in postseason without any inhibitions, knowing that if we don't give it our all, our season may not continue.”