Talented and disciplined field hockey team seeks national excellence

To many, Princeton field hockey represents a historically dominant program that most recently featured three Olympians in the Rio Games. In addition to capturing eleven consecutive Ivy League titles, the Tigers have consistently ranked among the top 15 field hockey programs in the nation. Given these consistently remarkable accomplishments and honors, it is easy to wonder how such a successful team maintains a growth mentality.

The answer is the 2016 Princeton field hockey team.

Over this past off-season, the team underwent a complete structural transformation. In addition to graduating lead scorer, All-American Maddie Copeland and starting goalkeeper Anya Gersoff, the Tigers hired a new head coach after former coach Kristen Holmes-Winn stepped down after a 13-year tenure. The 2012 NFHCA National Coach of the Year, Holmes-Winn transformed Princeton’s field hockey team into one of the premier programs in the nation during her time at Princeton, which included eleven NCAA tournament appearances. Such a departure could not have left bigger shoes to fill, for either the players or new coach.

Following a nationwide search this past summer, the Tigers hired coach Carla Tagliente to succeed Holmes-Winn. Tagliente brings a record of success from the University of Massachusetts and a determination to take the reins of a nationally recognized program. When probed about her coaching focuses and aspiration for the team, Tagliente suggested that under her leadership, there is “a bigger emphasis on fundamental skills.”

Turning to the roster itself, the Tigers will crutch upon a young core as they transition to the new leadership. Of note in the young core are returning sophomore midfielders Sophia Tornetta and Ryan McCarthy, who ranked second and third in scoring for the Tigers last year, respectively. Thus far in the season, both Tornetta and McCarthy have already proven their offensive talents following stellar rookie years. The duo will be a key factor to watch this season.

To provide underclassmen perspective on the young team, Tornetta, reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and future 2020 Olympic-hopeful, walked through her freshman year journey, stating, “It was scary going into it. To be put into a role that most freshmen aren’t assumed to be in was nerve wracking.” But the Pennsylvania native then added that “the team helped me get comfortable and confirmed the fact that I deserved to be there.”

This year’s class of six rookies brings further talent and skill as three of the freshmen – midfielders Maddie Bacskai, Krista Hoffman, and Carlotta von Gierke – have already started all five games this season. Analyzing the crucial role the freshmen add to the team, Coach Tagliente paid special praise to Bacskai, who has assumed the position of center back, a key play-making role in field hockey. Tagliente commended Backsai, saying “The things she’s doing and the subtleties are really high-end.”

Leveraging youth and talent to their advantage, the Tigers have their sights set on elevating Princeton’s national field hockey status. When asked about her goals for the team this year, Tagliente commented, “To compete against the best, you got to play the best. It’s not like we’re just looking to stay in those [non-Ivy] games.”

As background, though the Tigers have consistently dominated the Ivy League, non-conference games have often been difficult and less reliable for the Orange and Black. Just last year, the Tigers defeated a strong Maryland team to advance in the NCAA Tournament, but subsequently fell to then-No. 1 Syracuse, ending the 2015 season.

That said, the Tigers are not taking the Ivy League for granted. After four years of experience, senior captain Cat Caro explained that “every team we play [in the Ivy League] is always up to play us.” Echoing the senior’s words, Coach Taglientedescribed the team’s goals as not just winning, but “dominating the Ivies.”

In Tagliente’s words, “the balance between a competitive schedule and taking care of the Ivies” has already come into play this season. In the very first weekend, the shorthanded Tigers fell to national powerhouse UNC, but arose two days later to handily defeat Bucknell by a score of 5-2.

To sustain the said level of success and excellence, the Tigers will need to distinguish themselves from the field of competition. The Tigers, to that end, believe that it is the mentality of resilience that will carry the Orange and Black through the trying season. To begin, Tornetta explained that the Princeton team is “really good at having energy for the full 70 minutes of a game.” The coaching staff has preached a similar lesson, urging the team to remain patient and take it one game at a time.

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An additional element of the Tiger’s mentality is courage in the face of failure. While the young team may have high aspirations, they are not scared of encountering setbacks, such as past losses to UNC and Virginia. In fact, the Tigers almost welcome the challenge. Tornetta explained a major component of her game is the “ability to tackle back and stay in the game.” The sophomore explained that “if you can get back, it’s so rewarding.” For a maturing team transitioning to new leadership, patience and resilience will separate the Orange and Black squad from their counterparts.

Even further, Tornetta emphasized the team culture and its role in sustaining the Tigers. Though Tornetta is just a sophomore this year, the long-time athlete has already played field hockey for nearly a decade and will likely start the majority of this year’s games. In the face of these tests to her and the team’s endurance, Tornetta optimistically explained, that “once you get everyone on the same page trying to their best, you know that even if it’s not going your way, you have eleven people who will keep going.”

Just before the end of her interview, Tornetta reminisced on her experiences watching Julia Reinpretcht ‘14, Katie Reinprecht ‘13, and Kathleen Sharkey ’13 compete in Rio this past summer. The rising star commented that “watching them made me cherish the whole Princeton atmosphere, knowing what can happen.” Looking at the 2016 Princeton field hockey team, it’s hard to not have the same excitement and to wonder just what can happen this year.