Sports

Freshmen hit the ground sprinting

With a handful of talented seniors graduated and a rough first two non-conference games, the women's field hockey team experienced a difficult start to the season.The Tigers saw a strong Class of 2006 depart last June, including Lauren Ehrlichman, Hillary Schmidt and Maren Ford, who were all starters and significant contributors to Princeton's Ivy League title, as well as the team's qualification for nationals.Along with the void left by graduation, every new year comes with its handful of fresh, eager faces, and the Class of 2010 is no exception.

High scoring weekend for Tigers

In the 90 minutes it took to play Friday's opener of the Penn Soccer Classic in Philadelphia, the men's soccer team netted as many goals in one game as it had in its first four games.

Offense leads way to tournament sweep

For the second weekend in a row, the women's volleyball team boarded the buses home with two all-tournament team selections and a title.

Despite Circle's injury, a big day for passing game

For the first half of the football team's 14-10 win over Lehigh on Saturday, the Tiger offense was all about the Circle of Trust.

Without Matheson, Tigers have scoreless weekend

If the women's soccer team was in the mood to send a postcard from its trip to Williamsburg, Va., this past weekend, it was probably mailed express to junior midfielder Diana Matheson in Vancouver with the message, "Come back soon."Matheson missed the tournament due to her commitment to the Canadian national team, and the Tigers (2-2-1) were unable to score a single goal, as they tied Virginia Commonwealth University (3-2-2) 0-0 Friday, and fell to host No.

Dominating effort ends in a nail-biting finish

Fans love overtime. Competition is always more fierce; the stakes always more dire. Yet for coaches and players alike, those extra minutes are torturous, a last-chance drive to the net, a hope to find the ball in the right place at the right time.While the stress of overtime sometimes keeps players from working with the cohesion and strategy they employ during regulation, when the women's field hockey team (3-2 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) took on Dartmouth (0-4, 0-2) on Saturday at the Class of 1952 Stadium, pressure made perfect.What the team had failed to accomplish throughout the rest of the game, and indeed what they have been struggling with in every game this season, finally worked in a 2-1 overtime victory.Ten minutes and 29 seconds into the 15-minute overtime, junior defender Micaela Vie Brock found herself expertly positioned to capitalize on the flurry of passes being made in front of the Dartmouth net after Princeton's 18th penalty corner of the game.Freshman attack Tina Bortz tipped the ball from the right-hand side of the net after the initial hit off the top of the circle and, as the ball popped from Bortz's stick toward the left-hand corner of the goal, Vie Brock touched it right back to the left, and right past Big Green keeper Ashley Heist.It was a doubled-edged victory for the Tigers, as the goal not only showed that they could capitalize on penalty corners ? a constant struggle ? but also gave them the final advantage in a game which they had dominated but were unable to put away."I don't think the score accurately reflected the game we played today" head coach Kristin Holmes-Winn said.

Roth, frosh start tennis season in style

If you've seen the recent Nike ads featuring Maria Sharapova, it's hard not to equate the catchy "West Side Story" tune "I feel pretty" with the stunning Sharapova slamming a backhand return into the back wall.

Sports front page

Footballers grind one out

Last year, Tiger footballers said they'd reached a new level. Coaches and staff said there was a new confidence present in the program and a new can-do, positive attitude that had been lacking before.Whatever all that means, the Tigers hammered the point home with a come-from-behind win over a team they hadn't beaten since 1993.Princeton (1-0) defeated Lehigh (1-2) 14-10 in a hard-fought tale of two halves that saw the Tigers fight back from a 10-point halftime deficit to notch the win in their first game of the season."This is a huge win for us ? this is the one team that the staff hasn't beaten since we've been here," head coach Roger Hughes said.

A new season kicks off

Pop quiz: What former NBA player replaced Magic Johnson in the Los Angeles Lakers' starting lineup after the Hall of Fame point guard was diagnosed with HIV prior to the 1991-92 season?If you know the answer, chances are you're going to be in Bethlehem, Pa., tomorrow afternoon for the football team's season opener against Lehigh.On the field.

Princeton seeks lost momentum

The season is still young, but if men's soccer (2-1-1 overall) can put together a strong performance at this weekend's Penn Invitational, it will certainly be among the top contenders vying for the Ivy League crown heading into the start of league play.In the two-day Philadelphia event, the Tigers will be squaring off against a very strong Duquesne team (3-1-1) tonight and a faltering St.

Secondary second to none for Tiger 'D'

If Benjamin Franklin had been the defensive coordinator of a college football team, death and taxes would have taken a backseat to injury and graduation.Of those things, no one can be more certain than Princeton's own Steve Verbit, who in striving to orchestrate a cohesive defense for the football team this season has already gotten off to a rather bleak start.

Q's with Hughes: 10 questions with head coach Roger Hughes

What is the hardest part of coaching at Princeton?These kids are so multi-talented and used to multitasking so much many times they take too much on.

Power in punting

Most of the time, when your football team gets the ball back, you expect big things. A touchdown, a field goal?the bottom line is that points define success for an offensive unit.

Sports front page

Skill players need line to learn fast on offense

Last year, Princeton football fans salivated over a heated quarterback controversy as the season drew near.

Invitational opens season

With the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, sitting only behind Notre Dame, the Princeton women's tennis team means business, and its coming-out party is this weekend at at the Princeton Invitational.The event, which begins this afternoon at the Lenz Tennis Center, will be a round-robin style tournament and includes Yale, Ohio State, Buffalo and Rutgers.

Princeton's Depth Chart

Terrell's time to shine

The man who went from his first varsity snap at quarterback last September to leading his team to its best season in years ? and nearly a championship ? has a secret, or at least an open one.

Dear Daily Princetonian:

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of postcards that Daily Princetonian sports staff writers wrote about their experiences in the wide world of sports this summer.