For the second straight season, field hockey’s campaign has concluded in College Park, Md. The Tigers (8-11 overall, 6-1 Ivy League) traveled to face the No. 2 Terrapins (19-3, 7-1 Big Ten) in a rematch of an 8-1 Maryland win earlier this season. A win guaranteed an NCAA tournament quarterfinal berth and a chance to take on Albany the following day. Princeton would not secure that berth, as the home team routed the visitors by a score of 5-1.
Maryland, one of only five teams with a winning record against Princeton, improved their all-time series lead to 20-7-1 with a postseason mark of 4-2.
Senior captain Sydney Kirby maintained her excellent form in what would be her final game in orange and black. Four of her five shots were on target, though all were parried by Maryland’s Brooke Cabrera.
The Tigers’ star midfielder won Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year honors the prior week. She finishes the season second in the Tigers’ scoring tally with six goals and six assists.
With just over 12 minutes having elapsed, Maryland’s Welma Luus scored her team’s first goal of the day and her second against Princeton this season — she scored first for the Terrapins back in the teams’ October matchup.
Controlling the pace of play, the home team would go on to outshoot Princeton 11-4 in the first period while earning five penalty corners, the fifth of which they converted, to the visitors’ one.
The scoreboard read 3-0 heading into the halftime break. Just under 10 minutes into the second period, Princeton’s Kirby fired a shot on goal off a penalty corner inserted by sophomore back Hailey Reeves. Cabrera replied with her second save of the day.
Shortly thereafter, Maryland senior Steffi Schneid scored the first of her two goals. The Terrapins’ fourth and fifth scores came as a result of penalty corners.
Just three seconds remained in regulation when the Tigers earned their first and only goal. Senior striker Allison Evans converted a penalty stroke, just the second such score of Princeton’s season.
Evans' prolific production of late has made her Princeton’s leading scorer. Her 10 goals and single assist bring her career point-tally to 105, good for eighth best all-time in the program.
During the 70 minutes of regulation, junior goalkeeper Anya Gersoff tallied nine saves. She finishes the season with 110 stops, more than doubling her total from 2013.
The 8-11 record the Tigers accrued this season marks the first losing season since 2004. Last spring saw the graduation of Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Players of the year in Michelle Cesan and Julia Reinprecht. The departure of these Olympic-quality athletes left a hole which a young side could not fully endure. Youth, however, deserves to be ever sanguine. Princeton has an excellent chance of repeating as Ivy League champions in 2015. Competing consistently out of conference will be the true test for next year’s Tigers.
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