No. 10 field hockey sweeps the weekend: edges Yale 2-1, blanks Temple 3-0

Princeton field hockey pulled out a gritty 2–1 win on Friday against the Yale Bulldogs in each team’s third Ivy League game, advancing to 2–1 in Ivy League play (6–4 overall) while Yale fell to 1–2 in Ivy League contests (6–2 overall).

Starting off the first of two games over the weekend, the Tigers got off to a rough start. Within the first three minutes, a Yale defender put away a rebound after Princeton senior goalkeeper Olivia Caponiti saved an initial Yale shot.

“We had a bit of disorganization,” head coach Carla Tagliente told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “We were fine. [We were] in a more aggressive mindset but in a panic mindset.”

Though Princeton put continuous pressure on the Bulldogs throughout the remainder of the first half, they consistently came up empty-handed. To close the first half, two corners for the Tigers bore no fruit, with the first saved by the Yale goalkeeper and the second blocked by the Bulldog defense.

While some adjustments were made by Tagliente to boost her squad ahead of the second half, the greater change was in the mentality and general approach of the Tigers. 

“We just focused on tucking over and staying compact as a team so we can win the ball and then counter-attack and really be aggressive on their back-defenders,” said senior defender Ottilie Sykes of their halftime adjustments.

Frustration mounted in the third quarter, as solid defending from Yale, along with the post, which denied Princeton with less than five minutes remaining in the quarter, kept Princeton at bay temporarily.

However, following a point-blank shot from junior midfielder Molly Nye that was saved, Princeton earned a penalty corner. Sykes would end the wait for Princeton’s opening goal, pouncing on the loose ball and slotting it home with only a minute remaining in the third quarter. It was one of her four shots on goal during the game.

“Coming from a goal back we have that sort of grit and oomph to get back in there,” Sykes explained to the ‘Prince’ after the game. “Our pressing is [the] highlight of our play, we love getting the ball back and I think when we go a goal down we get very aggressive.”

“We always get told to get in on the rebound … I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Sykes of her third goal in only two games, especially impressive given her position as a central defender.

Of her defender-turned-scoring threat, coach Tagliente had high praise: “Most goals in practice.”

With less than five minutes remaining in the game, junior midfielder Anna Faulstich dribbled quickly down the center and passed to her fellow Tiger, sophomore forward Saylor Milone, on the left wing. Milone found herself one-on-one with the keeper. Keeping her cool, Milone kept her shot low, slotting it under the approaching Yale goalkeeper, whose slight touch on the ball could not keep it out of the net.

Over the final five minutes, the Tigers imposed a suffocating defense on Yale, not allowing a shot even after the Bulldogs pulled their goalkeeper for an extra field player. A Princeton yellow card with 1:11 remaining then gave Yale an 11-on-10 advantage, but the Bulldogs still failed to generate a shot. A final intercepted pass closed the door on any final offensive push from the Bulldogs.

After three straight losses against ranked opponents, each of which came in the increasingly dreaded “shootout” — used to decide games still tied after overtime — the Tigers were elated to end the game in regulation on their own terms.

“We’ve gone to shootouts so many times,” Sykes described when asked about her feelings over the comeback victory. “Just to come back and finish it off in a game and then also to close out the last few minutes when they’re going to really put their foot on the gas pedal: it was good to finish it off.”

The momentum from Friday’s comeback carried into Sunday, when Princeton’s offense broke through three times against Temple (5–6, 1–1 Big East Conference).

No. 10 Princeton hosted Temple at Bedford Field for the Tigers’ Senior Day. The Tigers downed the Owls 3–0 in an offensively dominant showing amidst light rain showers. The hosts outshot the visitors 12–3 and also held the advantage in corners 5–1.

The first quarter was scoreless, though both teams had solid chances. Princeton then broke the stalemate with two second-quarter goals.

The first came five minutes into the quarter, after Princeton’s second straight corner, when junior forward Pru Lindsey’s baseline feed was converted by junior midfielder Clem Houlden. The opportunity came after one of Faulstich’s long runs helped Princeton draw a penalty corner. 

The Tigers kept up the offensive pressure and five minutes later, on another corner, Sykes converted a feed from junior forward Lilly Wojcik. Faulstich had again helped create the opportunity by drawing the corner.

Heading into the half, Princeton’s edge over Temple was apparent, with the Tigers leading the Owls in shots 5–1 and penalty corners 4–0.

In the third quarter, Temple’s offensive pursuits continued to get muffled by Princeton’s defense and the Tigers found the back of the net once more. With less than a minute left in the quarter, Milone tipped in a long Sykes drive to make it 3–0.

With the 3–0 victory, Princeton improved to 6–4 on the season going into an Ivy League matchup on Friday. The goal also gave Milone four goals in six games since returning from a preseason injury, while Sykes capped a four-goal, one-assist week.

“It’s just about believing in each other,” said Sykes. She said she is confident in her team’s ability to make a deep run in the fast-approaching playoffs given their strong core of returning players and impressive first-year additions. “[It’s about] progressing through the season, taking each game as it comes and learning from each game. I think every game we’ve grown an inch or two so it’s just putting the pieces together.”

What of the three straight losses in shootouts that the Tigers had to endure the last couple of weeks? 

“It’s definitely a mental battle, so I think it’s good to build some resilience early in the season,” explained Sykes.

“When you look at the narrative of our season, we’ve lost three in a row, we’ve lost four in shootouts, we’re four and four and not having many things go our way,” said coach Tagliente of her squad’s comeback win on Friday.

Of the beginning of that game against Yale, “It’s kind of a gut check,” she said. However, the ultimate result of the night given this context is not lost on her. “I am really proud of these guys for riding it out and continuing to rise in the game more and more and more defensively, in playing more aggressively, and having go’s and we eventually broke it.”

As the calendar has turned to October, the Tigers have rounded into winning ways. Next up, Princeton hosts Dartmouth (3–6, 1–2) on Friday, Oct. 9.

Ari Ahdieh is a Provisional Sports Writer for the ‘Prince.’

Kaden Hammond is a Provisional Sports Writer for the ‘Prince.’

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