Tigers end season with heartbreaking loss to Delaware, but finish with heads held high

Princeton Field Hockey’s Cinderella story ended Friday night against Delaware in a close 3-2 match up. The Tigers had beaten Penn State and Virginia in the previous two rounds to make it to the NCAA Final Four weekend. Had they moved on, they would have faced UNC for the chance to win a national championship.

After a resilient defensive effort by the Tigers, the Blue Hens won a penalty corner, which Esmee Peet converted from a strike from the top, putting them one ahead of Princeton. But the Tigers quickly responded less than a minute later, with junior striker Ryan McCarthy leveling it up with a diving effort to tap the ball sent by Sophia Tornetta across the cage. McCarthy then scored off a straight shot corner from senior back Hailey Reeves with a follow-up shot from a deflection off a defender. However, due to the video referral option that teams are given in the semi-finals, the goal was ruled out when the umpires reviewed it and ruled it dangerous play. Both teams saw a flurry of penalty cards at the end of the first half as the game went back and forth, but neither team managed to break the deadlock by the end of the half.

At the beginning of the second half Princeton found themselves with a lot of attack, but a strong Delaware defense managed to keep them from scoring. Freshman midfielder Krista Hoffman found space on the right hand side, but hit the ball just wide of the goal. Delaware then attacked quickly and was awarded with a series of five corners, but a strong Princeton defense stood firm; quick running from senior captain Cat Caro, along with a strong left foot save by freshman goalkeeper Grace Baylis, ensured that the Tigers remained in the game for the first four. However, by the fifth corner, Delaware was able to convert from a deflection by Kiki Bink past Baylis to take the 2-1 lead.

With 15 minutes to go, there was still plenty of time for Princeton to level the score and take the game to overtime. The Tigers won a corner in a well executed play that had been successful for them throughout the game, as a sweep hit by Caro smacked the ball past the Delaware defense. With just three minutes left, the game was tense and mistakes would become costly. A slip up in the midfield from Princeton saw the Blue Hens quickly counter-attack and led to a two-on-one battle for control in the circle. A simple pass on the part of Delaware was able to pass Baylis.

Unlike the buzzer-beating goal from the game against Virginia, the Blue Hens stood strong and saw the game out, winning 3-2. Reeves said after the game, “This season was full of many highs and lows. Despite not capturing the Ivy League title, we were given a second chance after getting an at large bid into the NCAA tournament. We took full advantage of this opportunity and beat the ACC and Big Ten champions to advance to the Final Four.” The end of this season brings seniors Caro, Reeves, and Ellen Dobrijevic to the end of their collegiate careers. Reeves added, “It was an incredible experience to compete with the top teams in the nation in Norfolk, Va. this past weekend. I am so proud of how this team persevered to make it as far as we did!”

The Tigers did see some success this weekend, with Dobrijevic taking home the Elite 90 Award, which acknowledges the student athlete with the highest GPA among Final Four teams. Dobrijevic is a Chemical and Biological Engineering major. She said, “I was very surprised and honored to have won the award considering the impressive pool of students. I am really proud of the entire team for being able to compete at such a high level of competition while managing the demands of a Princeton education.”

Despite a heartbreaking loss for the Tigers, they have ended their rollercoaster of a season on a high, being the first team to receive the last at-large bid and make it to the Final Four. They end their season with a 12-8 overall record and promising years ahead.