150th career victory comes for Holmes-Winn

During a trio of fall break contests, field hockey (6-10 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) did all it could to remain in the Ivy League Championship hunt. Conference rivals Harvard (9-7, 3-3) traveled to face the Tigers on Homecoming weekend. Following 70 minutes of Orange and Black-dominated play, the home side emerged victorious by a 1-0 margin. The following day, the reigning national champions visited and provided a much sterner test. No. 4 UConn (14-2, 5-0 Big East), having won four of the past five matchups, looked to continue their impressive run against Princeton. A 4-3 victory for the Huskies left the Tigers with only one out-of-conference win.

Princeton has not lost to Harvard since 1993, and with the win holds a 38-5-2 all-time record. UConn’s all-time lead over the Tigers extended to 14-8.

The following weekend, Princeton traveled to face Ancient Eight opponent Cornell (10-5, 4-2 Ivy League) in rainy and cold conditions unfavorable for both sides. The Big Red struck first, but failed to hold their early lead. Three goals came unanswered for the home side resulting in an impressive 3-2 victory.

Currently, the Tigers sit atop the Ivy League standings, tied for first place with Columbia.

Worthy of note is the fact that the victory over Harvard marked head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn’s 150th win at the program’s helm.

When asked about the accomplishment’s meaning during a postgame interview with GoPrincetonTigers.com, the 12th-year skipper replied first with a joke. “First of all,” she began, “I think it means I’ve been coaching for a long time.”

“I’m honored to work at a place like Princeton University,” she continued. “And I’m honored to work with these young women every day. They’re just sensational people. It’s been a gift, honestly, and I feel really grateful.”

This season marks the second time during her 12-year tenure that the Tigers will finish the season with a losing record. In 2004 her side finished with a mark of 7-10, following that campaign up with a 9-9 Ivy League Championship season.

Only Beth Bozman, who led the Tigers for 15 seasons, has more career victories than Holmes-Winn. Bozman’s 188 wins — along with 73 losses and 6 ties — came at a slightly better winning rate than Princeton’s current coach. The former’s percentage sits at 71.5, while the latter has won at a rate of 67.7 percent. It’s entirely possible that Holmes-Winn, who has overseen her program’s most successful years, will hold the all-time record by the time of her retirement.

Holmes-Winn's 150th win came by virtue of a goal scored by sophomore midfielder/striker Cat Caro. The afternoon’s lone score was an artful stroke from the top of the Crimson’s defensive area. Freshman striker Rachel Park drove from left to right into a wall of opposing defenders. An opponent’s stick knocked the ball out of her possession and towards Caro, who dragged it back to the left. Despite having to shoot back-handed, she fired a powerful shot past goalkeeper Izzy Davies.

The Harvard keeper parried five of the six on-target Princeton attempts. Two additional Tiger shots struck the goalposts, including a penalty corner attempt by senior midfielder and captain Sydney Kirby just 1:54 into the first period. Her classmate, striker Allison Evans, likewise hit the woodwork on a rebounded attempt seven minutes into the second half.

The slim margin of victory did not seem to adequately reflect the way the Orange and Black handled the visiting Crimson during the Homecoming affair. Princeton held a 5-3 advantage in penalty corners while outshooting its opponents 14-5.

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Kirby fired off nearly half of her team’s attempts, leading all players with six shots. The fourth-year midfielder recently received deserved accolades from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, being selected to compete in the NFHCA Division I Senior Game. 38 outstanding players were chosen to participate in the contest, including five Ivy Leaguers, which will take place on Nov. 22 in College Park, Md.

According to Holmes-Winn, the Tigers anticipated a difficult test in breaking through the Crimson defense.

“Coming into the game, we knew we would have to play around their pressure,” she said post-game. “They have a really good defensive core and defensive structure.”

Princeton has twice been on the losing side of one-goal contests at the hands of Duke and Bucknell earlier this year. This particular score line remains singularly frustrating to players and coaches alike.

“When it’s a 1-0 game, it can be tough,” Holmes-Winn explained. We weren’t able to break through and hit the post a few times. That’s going to happen. But they stayed the course, so I’m really proud of them.”

Bedford Field saw an equally tight contest the following day, as 2013’s national champion Huskies faced off against the titleholders from 2012. All seven goals were scored during a 23-minute block, stretching from the 29:29 mark until Charlotte Vietner of UConn scored her side’s game-winner with just over 18 minutes remaining in the second half.

Sophomore back Hailey Reeves opened the day’s scoring off of a penalty corner which she herself inserted into the Huskies’ defensive area. Kirby provided the assist for her 14th point of the season.

Following a deflected score by UConn’s Maddie Townsend, junior striker Maddie Copeland put her side back on top with a doorstep finish, good for her team-leading seventh goal, assisted by Caro, just before the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Huskies, trailing 2-1, came out of the intermission with a purpose, scoring consecutive goals within the second half’s first five minutes. A distance shot from sophomore midfielder Teresa Benvenuti, assisted by Kirby, levelled the score at 3-3.

UConn’s Vietner, finding the goal for the second time, scored unassisted off a rebounded shot, giving her team a lead which they would not relinquish during the remaining 18 minutes of play.

Princeton rebounded the following weekend with a win over Cornell, which side held a share of the Ivy League lead entering the contest. As in their previous conference matchup against Harvard, the Tigers held significant advantages in attempts and penalty corners, outshooting their opponents 15-7 and earning four corners to their opponents' one.

Cornell’s Katy Weeks got her side on the scoreboard first at the 5:25 mark. The early penalty corner resulted in the Big Red’s first goal against the Tigers since 2011.

In response, Kirby, Benvenuti and Evans recorded three Princeton goals, which were scored within 12 minutes of each other starting at the 25:19 mark. Confident in their lead, Princeton closed out the rainy contest, although allowing a fast break score within the last three minutes.

The Ivy League title will be decided next weekend. The Tigers’ season finale comes at home against Penn, who they have topped in nine straight matchups. Furthermore, during the past five contests, the Tigers have outscored the Quakers by a resounding margin of 32-1. Should Columbia top Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., and Princeton hold on against Penn, the Lions will be crowned kings of the Ancient Eight by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers.