Field Hockey: With stars playing for USA, new faces see opportunities

From the beginning of preseason in August through the first four games of the season, the field hockey team has been working hard to transition to a new season and a new roster. Though the adjustment has been rough at times, the Tigers have shown promise that they may have another strong year.

Last year, the Tigers (2-2 overall, 0-0 Ivy League) were Ivy League champions for the 16th time in 17 years and reached the NCAA quarterfinals.

This season, No. 19 Princeton has 13 returning players and six returning starters. But more notable is the absence of four others: striker Michelle Cesan, midfielder Julia Reinprecht, midfielder Katie Reinprecht and striker Kathleen Sharkey. The quartet of All-Ivy players is training with the U.S. National Team this year in preparation for Olympic qualifying, creating a major change in structure for the Tigers’ play.

“With the loss of four players to the U.S. National team, we’ve needed other players to step up,” senior midfielder Alyssa Pyros said. “Katie, Kat, Michelle and Julia contributed a lot to our attack last season, so now we’re looking to different players to take shots and earn corners. They were definitely a loss to our team, but we still have returning strikers and some new freshmen who I know can score.”

The team’s newest members have already played major roles for the Tigers. “The freshmen have made a seamless transition into collegiate hockey, which has really helped the success of our team,” said junior midfielder Molly Goodman. “A lot of them have played internationally with the U-19 and U-17 National Teams, and they have brought their experiences with U.S. hockey to our team.”

Freshman striker Allison Evans was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for her performance in Princeton’s games against Penn State and Richmond. Evans scored three goals over the two games and currently leads the team in scoring.

The Tigers started off their season on a strong note with a 2-0 shutout of Bucknell (1-4). Junior midfielder Charlotte Krause and freshman back Colleen Boyce each scored their first collegiate goals in the win, while sophomore goalie Christina Maida made three saves. Princeton put the pressure on early, outshooting Bucknell 5-1 in the first half. Krause scored the first goal during a penalty corner in the 16th minute of play off of an assist from Goodman, and Boyce scored off of a penalty stroke in the second half.

But the Tigers failed their first test against a ranked opponent, losing to No. 17 American (2-3). The game remained scoreless until the 62nd minute when the Eagles finally broke through. Princeton managed only one shot on goal and one penalty corner in the loss.

Four days later, the team showed it could still play with the nation’s best teams. In the first game of the 2011-12 season played by any team on Princeton’s campus, the hosts beat No. 7 Penn State (3-3) by one goal. Down 2-0 at halftime, Evans and sophomore back Amanda Bird each scored twice to push the Tigers past the Nittany Lions. Freshman midfielder Sydney Kirby tallied three assists.

On Sunday, however, Princeton suffered a damaging loss to unranked Richmond (3-2). The Spiders scored in the 17th minute off of a shot from the top of the circle before Krause quickly responded with a penalty stroke goal to tie the game. Richmond struck before halftime to take a lead it did not relinquish, netting an insurance goal in the second period and holding on despite Evans’ late score.

With a couple of victories and losses against varied opponents early in the season, the Tigers know what makes them successful and what parts of their play need work.

“We have a new shape in the midfield this season that we’re getting used to,” Pyros said. “We’re very successful when it’s right, and we can pass the ball quickly through the lines. We need to continue to work on that shape so it is on at all times during the game.”

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“Our focus going forward will be on our structure, to make sure we are getting the most mileage out of our system,” Goodman said. “We changed our structure from last fall to a new system with more flexibility that allows our attack to be more threatening, and we are still working on getting comfortable with this system.”

The Tigers hope to see another Ivy League championship this season as well a run in the NCAA Tournament.

“With our returning and incoming talent, we definitely have the potential to be very successful this season,” Pyros said.