‘Prince’ Picks: Top plays of the fall sports season

Field hockey vs. Rider, Nov. 8: In a season marked by nail-biting, freshman Sydney Kirby’s game-winning overtime goal against Rider stands out as the highlight of the field hockey team’s season. After a series of highs and lows throughout the season, the Tigers needed a win against Rider to get into the NCAA Tournament. The teams were evenly matched, and excellent defense on both sides took the game into double overtime.

Four minutes into the second OT period, senior midfielder Alyssa Pyros sent the ball to Kirby on a penalty corner. Though the Tigers had failed to capitalize on a number of penalty corners earlier in the game, this one was destined to go in. Standing her ground and taking smooth swing, Kirby sent the ball sailing past several Rider defenders and into the back of the net, suddenly ending a game that seemed like it could go on forever and lifting the Tigers into the NCAAs. —Stephen Wood

Women’s volleyball vs. Columbia, Nov. 12: Senior middle blocker Cathryn Quinn wanted to end her career with a bang. Even though the Tigers fell just short of an Ivy League title, they defended their home gym the final weekend with victories over Cornell and Columbia, the latter of which earned Princeton second place in league. Quinn, a unanimous 2011 first team selection, hit .555 and recorded five kills without an error in the pivotal fifth game against Columbia. Her last kill came on match point, a fitting way to end her storied collegiate career. —Matt Siow

Men’s soccer vs. Villanova, Sept. 16: Down one goal with just two minutes to play, it appeared that Princeton would have to wait at least one more game to net its first win of the season. In a desperate attempt in the 88th minute, junior defender and captain Mark Linnville sent a long throw-in into the box. Senior forward Antoine Hoppenot blocked out a Villanova defender trying to clear it, forcing a handball. As Linnville lined up for the penalty kick, he tried to ignore the fact that the Tigers had blown a PK opportunity early in the game and simply focus on kicking it as hard as he could. He launched the ball to the left side of the goal, but the keeper guessed correctly.

“My heart stopped, thinking I’d cost the team a win,” Linnville said.

But Linnville had kicked the ball so hard that it bounced off the goalie’s chest and into the right side of the net. The Tigers would go on to win the game in double overtime. —Luc Cohen

Cross country Heptagonals, Oct. 29: Over fall break, X-country was nothing short of Xtreme. On their home course at West Windsor Fields, the men’s and women’s cross country teams finished first and third, respectively, at the Heptagonal Championships. The men ran an 8K and the women ran a 6K in 30-degree weather with their socks and shoes dripping from the mud and grime of the early season snowstorm.

This led to the remarkable, subtly placed bit of information from ‘Prince’ contributor Adam Fisch’s article: “With 400 meters left, [Columbia runner Kyle] Merber made a big move for the win, only to be outsprinted down the final straightaway ... Merber was later taken to the University Medical Center at Princeton for hypothermia.”

Merber may not go to Princeton, but he earned my respect and so did all of the runners that day. —Eric Levenson

USTA/ITA Championship, Nov. 5: Without a doubt, one of the top plays of the fall is the clinching of the consolation doubles title at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship by juniors Matt Siow and Matt Spindler. Siow and Spindler became the first Tigers to compete in the national indoor tournament since 2001. They were not satisfied with just being there, however, as they racked up three victories, including two against top-15 ranked opponents, to win the consolation doubles title and a pretty sweet crystal plate trophy made by Tiffany & Co. —Chris Scherer