In potentially the most highly-anticipated game of the season, No. 13 Princeton field hockey (11–4 overall, 6–0 Ivy League) squared off with No. 6 Maryland (11–5, 5–2 Big Ten), where the Tigers defeated the Terrapins in a 2–1 nail biter of a victory. The win marked a second consecutive victory over a top ten opponent, following an upset earlier in the week over previously No. 10 ranked Harvard that elevated the Tigers to the leading position in the Ivy League standings.
Seniors on the team have played Maryland in close matchups the past three years, with wins in 2023 and 2022 and an overtime loss in 2021.
“There’s quite a history of it being a close game going back a decade or so, so it was really great to get a win,” junior midfielder and captain Beth Yeager told The Daily Princetonian. “Especially coming off our big win against Harvard last weekend, I think we’re really proud that we have built on that momentum, and we’re continuing to grow.”
The game started off with back and forth possession as the Tigers entered their offensive circle within two minutes of the starting whistle. Following a breakaway, Princeton received an offensive corner with 8:30 left in the first quarter, shooting just wide of the goal. No other shots were taken by either team throughout the quarter, however Princeton missed one open scoring opportunity by senior forward Grace Schulze.
“No matter what happened in the last play, it doesn’t matter,” Yeager told the ‘Prince’ about the team’s mindset. “We can move on, because we’re there for each other and also understanding that it is such a long game and that so much can happen in a short amount of time.”
After a scoreless first 15 minutes, the Tigers were able to stay on offense to start the second quarter. Just over three minutes in, Princeton took a shot from outside the circle that was deflected into the cage, a play initially ruled as a goal for the Tigers, but later revoked after video review.
Four minutes later, first-year midfielder Anna Faulstich ran a baseline route and assisted Yeager in scoring the first goal of the game.
“[Faulstich] made it easy to score,” Yeager said.
The second half of the game started off with high intensity, as the ball traveled between scoring opportunities for both teams within minutes. Maryland had a strong run five minutes into the half, resulting in a corner. Maryland midfielder Hope Rose took the shot, finding the net with a hit to the back right corner of the cage, tying the game at 1–1.
“I think that’s really important to gather your breath and just talk as a team to re-gather ourselves and just remind each other that even if you made a mistake, it’s in the past, and the goal is now to get another goal,” Faulstich told the ‘Prince’ about the Terrapins’ goal.
Maryland received another offensive corner in the third quarter, but this time, the Tigers were up to the task as the score remained knotted at one. Following Maryland’s second corner, Yeager carried the ball into the circle, earning a stroke for the Tigers. Yeager’s stroke was successful, scoring the final goal of the game and the eleventh goal for her this season.
“You work so hard throughout the game … [scoring] is just kind of like the nice reward at the end,” Yeager told the ‘Prince.’
The fourth quarter continued with no shots by Maryland and two unsuccessful offensive corners for Princeton. As the game neared conclusion, Maryland swapped out their goalie for an additional field player, however no shots were taken by Princeton after this substitution with four minutes left in the game.
This victory concluded Princeton’s third-to-last regular season game and final out-of-conference game for the year, as the team looks ahead to postseason play, their hopes for the Ivy League, and eventually national titles.
“[The] focus right now is locking up the Ivy’s here on Sunday,” Head Coach Carla Tagliente told the ‘Prince.’ “The next step is for us to win that tournament and make a run in the postseason.”
Princeton did just that — defeating Dartmouth (3–12, 0–6) on Sunday afternoon to claim the Ivy League regular season title for the 28th time in program history, the Tigers can officially start to look towards postseason play.
Devon Rudolph is a News contributor and a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Fairfax, Va.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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