Tigers look for revenge against No. 13 Syracuse

A 23-game conference win streak is within the sights of Princeton field hockey (3-5 overall, 2-0 Ivy League), which will travel to face Columbia (5-3, 1-1) this Friday and then host the comparatively mighty No. 13 Syracuse University (7-3, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Sunday. The Tigers’ all-time record against the Lions stands at a perfect 17-0, while the Orange and Black and the Orange have established an 11-6 series since their first contest in 1988. Syracuse has taken the last three matchups between these sides.

According to the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index — this metric does have limits for evaluating talent, especially this early in the year — Syracuse ranks 17thin the nation, somehow the lowest spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Columbia holds the 21stspot, six places above Princeton, which sits in the 27thslot. This disparity should not suggest that the Lions have much of shot of upsetting the conference’s traditional overlords.

RPI is determined by wins and losses while accounting for a team’s strength of schedule. The winning percentage of a team’s opponents, and, secondarily, the winning percentages of those teams’ opponents determines a schedule’s “strength.”

Of late, senior midfielder Sydney Kirby has shown the able leadership for which she was named one of the Princeton tri-captains. Having scored a brace against Yale this past weekend, the senior leads her team in scoring with four goals and an assist.

In fulfillment of their coach’s early-season anticipation, a number of Princeton freshmen have made important on-field contributions. Freshman striker Ryan McCarthy follows Kirby on the scoring list with three goals and an assist. Also worthy of note, her classmate Danielle Duseau has started all eight Princeton contests at the midfield position.

All Ivy League starting goalkeepers have tallied fairly similar save percentages this season. Princeton junior goalie Anya Gersoff sits drawn with Yale’s Heather Schlessier with a mark of .750 — Schlessier has allowed 22 goals to Gersoff’s 17, however. Columbia’s Kimberly Pianucci has the Ancient Eight’s fourth best mark with .737.

The Lions, coming off a split weekend — they dropped a 2-1 overtime matchup with Cornell before routing Georgetown 8-1 — have outscored opponents by a margin of 23-19 this season. A good portion of their offense has come off the stick of junior midfielder Christina Freibott, who has tallied a league-leading 10 assists.

The Orange, who competes in one of the country’s most competitive conferences, returns a pair of 2013 all-ACC second-teamers in juniors Alyssa Manley, a midfielder, and Emma Russell, a striker. The tandem has accounted for nine Syracuse goals and four assists. Freshman striker Lauren Brooks has been particularly impressive in her rookie season, tallying a team-high seven goals over 10 appearances.

Jess Jecko, with a save .674, has handled most of the duties between the posts for Syracuse. She and her defense have allowed 1.88 goals per game.

Princeton and Syracuse share one common opponent thus far. The Orange took down Albany in a 2-1 comeback win on Sept. 6. The Tigers fell to that team this past weekend by a mark of 2-0.

The previous iteration of Sunday’s matchup resulted in a fairly crushing 4-0 away defeat for Princeton, who surrendered a 1-0 advantage in the 10thminute and managed only two off-target shots in the first period.