Tigers victorious in conference opener against Dartmouth

Bedford Field saw No. 20 Princeton field hockey (1-4 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) put together its first win of the season this past Saturday. Opening league play against Dartmouth (0-5, 0-1), the Tigers continued their tradition of dominating Ancient Eight opponents with a complete effort yielding a 4-0 home win.

The weather remained around an ideal 72 degrees while the stadium atmosphere was buoyed by rowdy support from the men’s volleyball team. A series of classic chants from the Dillon Gymnasium residents added some fire to the course of play.

Constant pressure from the Tigers consistently opened up attacking chances. Aggressive on attempted clears, the Princeton forwards and midfielders challenged Dartmouth's rare possessions, as the Big Green's passes weren’t sharp enough to consistently find their targets.

Almost eight minutes into the first half, junior midfielder Teresa Benvenuti knocked the ball in from the goal line for the Tigers’ first goal. Not long after, she assisted her classmate striker Maddie Copeland inside the attacking area. Copeland drove hard past Dartmouth’s Ellen Meyer for her team’s second tally and her second finish of the year.

With just under 10 minutes remaining in the first period, Copeland provided the Tigers’ third goal and the game’s highlight play. Sophomore midfielder Cat Caro, dribbling past her defender on a breakaway, drew the slide from her forward’s marker. Copeland stood open in the semicircle, one-on-one with Dartmouth’s keeper. Caro played the ball into the attacking area with a lofted pass, which Copeland beautifully possessed before herself lofting the ball over the charging keeper and into the back of the goal.

At the 32:50 mark, freshman striker Lexi Quirk looked to have an easy tap-in after Dartmouth’s Meyer had sprawled out for a save. However, Quirk’s doorstep attempt connected with the outstretched stick of Dartmouth's Sarah Tabeek.

One more goal came for Caro five minutes into the second half, as the sophomore standout tallied her team’s fourth and final score off an assist from Benvenuti.

Sophomore defender Annabeth Donovan has been a strong presence at the back in her second season. She and her linemates allowed only one shot in a stifling first half performance. By the end of regulation, Dartmouth had managed only three shots on goal, all saved by junior goalkeeper Anya Gersoff.

Another noteworthy underclassman contributor is freshman striker Ryan McCarthy. Managing two shots on goal on Saturday, the rookie leads the team in attempts with 19, 10 of which were on target.

Australian native Ali Savage was the most impressive performer for the Big Green. Her size and speed made her a difficult mark for the Princeton defense, but the talent around her failed to generate sufficient support.

Eight attacking penalty corners came for Princeton and four for Dartmouth. Neither side was able to convert off the set pieces, however.

Ivy League dominance is hardly new for this Princeton side. Undefeated in-conference seven of the past 10 years, the last Ivy loss for the Tigers came in 2011 versus the Big Green in Hanover, N.H.

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Next weekend Princeton will travel first to Yale then Albany. Princeton’s all-time record against their New Haven opponents stands at an imposing 38-2-3, with the last Yale win occurring in 1977. Albany and Princeton have matched up only three times, all three of which the Orange and Black have won convincingly. Six consecutive home games are on the schedule beginning on Oct. 5.