Field Hockey: Tigers avenge knockout loss, split weekend

Two close games marked by excellent defense ended differently for the field hockey team this weekend. The Tigers defeated Virginia 2-1 on Friday night but fell to Wake Forest 3-2 in overtime on Sunday.

In the Virginia game, sophomore goalkeeper Christina Maida came under fire early. The Tigers’ defense repelled the first Cavalier penalty corner, but the second led to a hard-struck ball that found the net and put the visitors up 1-0.

The Tiger defense was strong after that, with Maida and sophomore back Amanda Bird making some impressive stops and senior back May-Ying Medalia twice taking the ball away from the Cavaliers in the circle.

Solid defense put the Tigers in perfect position for a breakaway with five minutes to go in the first half. The ball rolled to the visitors’ side of the field and senior midfielder Alyssa Pyros sent it in from the baseline, putting it in perfect position for freshman striker Allison Evans to knock it in and tie the game.

With a minute to go in the half, sophomore midfielder Kelsey Byrne got the ball on the run and took what looked like a golf swing. The ball traveled the length of the circle, barely catching the corner of the net. There was some dispute, but the referees soon decided that she had been in the circle and the Tigers took their first lead of the game at 2-1.

Maida and Medalia played alert defense throughout the second half, and the Tigers’ offense handled the ball well but could not come up with another goal.

“It was tough for us to get quality shots off,” head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said. “But fortunately, the ones we got off, we were able to score.”

Evans almost added to the lead when she got the ball in the circle with less than 10 minutes to go. She evaded the Cavalier defense to get a shot off, but goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone was there in time to make the stop.

Maida stopped a literal last-minute charge and guaranteed the 2-1 win when she hit the ground to block a Cavalier shot with 30 seconds left.

The Tigers were out for revenge on Friday, having last met Virginia in the NCAA quarterfinals last November, when the then-third-ranked Cavaliers ended Princeton’s run at the championship with a 4-2 win. Virginia leads the overall series between the schools (now 4-3), but Princeton has never lost to UVA at Class of 1952 Stadium.

“It felt really good,” Byrne said. “We hadn’t beaten them in a while, so it was kind of like payback.”

The Tigers looked much the same against Wake Forest, but the result was different. Their defense was tight, so much so that the Demon Deacons failed to score from the field in regulation. The Tigers displayed an improved passing game that helped them immensely against the Wake Forest team, which was quick to exploit any offensive mistakes.

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Freshman midfielder Sydney Kirby scored early for Princeton, taking her second shot of the game 11 minutes in. Kirby’s goal, her sixth of the year, gave her team the upper hand for most of the half. However, penalties haunted the Tigers.

Close to the end of the half, the Demon Deacons were awarded a penalty stroke, which Jess McFadyen snuck past Maida. Four minutes into the second half, another penalty was called, and Princeton fans expressed their discontent; however, it was soon the Wake Forest section — which was unusually full on Sunday — making noise when Anna Kozniuk shot the ball into the upper corner of the cage, giving the visitors the lead.

After the penalty stroke went in, the Tigers wasted no time making up for it. They chipped the ball straight downfield to Evans, who took a rebound and sent it sailing into the net a mere 42 seconds after Wake Forest’s goal, tying the game 2-2.

Both teams threatened to take the lead in the second half, but neither succeeded. The Demon Deacons made numerous runs downfield but were foiled each time by Princeton’s defense. Similarly, the Tigers got off several good shots, but their passes were often disrupted.

Wake Forest missed three scoring opportunities late in the half. One attempt ended with a shot that bounced off Princeton’s goal post, and freshman back Colleen Boyce dove to block another ball close to the net with less than a minute left. Wake Forest got a final shot off with 10 seconds on the clock, but it was deflected again and the game headed to overtime.

The Tigers’ defense worked hard but ultimately came up short. Good play in the circle and a diving stop by Maida prolonged the overtime, but Wake Forest proved too powerful. A little more than halfway through the period, a hard shot from the middle of the circle got past Maida, handing the Tigers their second home loss of the season.

The Tigers are now one game below .500, but they look to rebound on Saturday against Brown. With tough competition in the Ivy League, Princeton cannot afford to lose to the Bears, who are 0-3 in the league.