Field hockey aims to take down Yale, No. 12 Albany

Conference and non-conference action continues this weekend for Princeton field hockey (2-4 overall, 1-0 Ivy League). First on the slate is league rival Yale (1-5, 0-1), a team the Tigers have historically dominated — the all-time record stands at 38-2-3. No. 12 Albany provides the next challenge (6-2, 0-0 America East). Princeton and Albany have matched up only three times, with the most recent contest resulting in a 5-3 away victory for the Orange and Black last season.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the Tigers picked up their first two victories of the season against Dartmouth and American University. In the course of those wins, Princeton matched its previous offensive total of six goals with four tallies against the Big Green and two against the Eagles.

For the first time this season, Princeton has fallen out of the National Field Hockey Coaches of America rankings. Even notching two strong wins this past weekend, the Orange and Black lost its No. 20 spot. No Ivy League team is currently ranked.

Sophomore offensive midfielder Cat Caro earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors for her performance this past weekend. The second year standout managed a goal and an artful assist against Dartmouth while adding her team’s first goal against American University. Her classmate, defender Annabeth Donovan, has been poised in patrolling the back line and stands out as one of the Ivy League’s top backs.

Yale managed a 3-4 and 4-3 Ivy League record in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Having graduated its top four scorers from last season, the team will need some time and luck to overcome its markedly slow start. Goalkeeper Hannah Schleiser earned second-team All-Ivy recognition during her 2013 campaign. Her save percentage of .792 led the Ancient Eight last year by a respectable margin.

The University at Albany, SUNY, should prove a strong test of the Tigers’ mettle. The Great Danes — the upstate New York school takes pride in having a nickname unique in the NCAA — have the country’s third best Ratings Percentage Index, garnered in part by a 1-0 win over then No. 8 Stanford. The Purple and Gold has also played incredibly close games against Syracuse University, ranked fifth at the time of the contest, and Virginia, which side was then ranked 10th. Albany held a 1-0 lead over the Orangemen before falling 1-2, while it took the Cavaliers to overtime in a 2-3 loss.

A freshman sensation last season, Great Dane midfielder Paula Heuser will provide the Tigers with a difficult defensive assignment. She leads her side with a remarkable nine goals and four assists through eight games. Their next highest scorer has managed only two tallies thus far.

The Great Danes have been particularly impressive on defense, allowing an average of eight shots per game. German-born goalkeeper Maxi Primus led the America East league in goals against average last season as a freshman.

The inaccuracy of the NCAA’s RPI is on display to an extent this week. Wins against fairly mediocre competition have earned Columbia the Ivy League’s best RPI — it sits at the 12thspot in the nation. In a bizarre reversal of usual fortunes, Princeton finds itself ranked fourth among Ivy schools by that evaluation. Plenty has yet to be revealed, but the Tigers will likely remain the Ancient Eight’s premier squad.