Showing Character in Fighting Through Adversity, PU Field Hockey Rode Late Surge to Ivy Crown
Having gone 35-6 overall and 14-0 Ivy League with an NCAA title in its previous two seasons coming into 2014, the Princeton University field hockey team found itself in an unfamiliar position by mid-October.
After losing 8-1 to Maryland on October 15, Princeton stood at 3-9 overall and 2-1 Ivy.
Having won nine straight Ivy crowns, the Tigers had reason to believe it wasn’t their year.
Instead, Princeton maintained its customary intensity. “They could have thrown in the towel; it is not easy to lose but they stuck together and kept working hard,” said Princeton head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn.
“I give them a lot of credit, that is not easy to do. It was validating in that we were able to keep players interested and focused. The kids were coming out before practices after losses and wins.”
Catching fire down the stretch, Princeton won four straight Ivy games to earn its 10th straight league title and a date at Monmouth for an NCAA play-in game.
The Tigers edged Monmouth 4-3 in that contest to earn another shot at Maryland in the first round of the national tourney.
“It was a random game, no team had control of the game at any point,” said Holmes-Winn. “Monmouth fought hard and so did we. I was proud of the girls who stuck through that, it wasn’t pretty.”
Holmes-Winn got some beautiful play in the victory from senior Allison Evans, who scored two goals in the win to pass the 100-point plateau in her Princeton career.
“I am really happy that it happened,” said Holmes-Winn. “It was really nice for her to have that achievement. She has come up so big for us on many occasions. She has been a constant presence for us on the front line over the last four years.”
Junior star Teresa Benvenuti tallied two goals and an assist in the victory, continuing a late surge after being sidelined in the middle of the season with a nose injury.
“Typically Teresa is a back/midfielder, but with her coming back from injury it just made sense for us to put her in the front,” said Holmes-Winn. “We needed some firepower and energy and she gave us both.”
In the rematch with Maryland, Princeton showed plenty of energy but it wasn’t enough as the Terps prevailed 5-1.
“Maryland is difficult to control because they have power and control over the ball,” explained Holmes-Winn, whose team ended the fall with an 8-11 record.
“We were trying to keep the numbers even all over the field. They have a ton of pace and can pick you apart. When someone is eliminated from the play, they are able to come at you with numbers.”
While the numbers weren’t as sparkling overall for Princeton as in past years, Holmes-Winn was proud of the character displayed by her players in the face of adversity.
“I am proud that we performed as well as we did in the back end of the season,” said Holmes-Winn, whose team dropped 4-3 regular season decisions to national champion Connecticut and national runner-up Syracuse.
“Being a winner is not only about getting the ‘W,’ it is how you live your life, how you treat others, what kind of teammate you are and how you approach schoolwork, and they are winners.”
Holmes-Winn credited her group of seniors with setting a winning tone.
“They are an inclusive group,” said Holmes-Winn, whose Class of 2015 includes Cassidy Arner, Colleen Boyce, Julia Boyle, Sydney Kirby, and Stephanie Goldberg in addition to Evans. “They really helped out with the transition for the freshmen, on and off the field. The team dynamic was really good.”
In looking ahead to 2015, Holmes-Winn believes her returning players must focus on being in really good condition.
“They need to do more in terms of fitness in the offseason,” said Holmes-Winn.
“You have to be super fit coming into the season. We are two games behind our opponents in the first month. We just have to hit the ground running. We play tough teams in the beginning by design. I think our lack of fitness hurt us in some of those early games. We can’t have fitness as a barrier.”
Princeton also needs to hone its mental toughness in order to remain among the elite of college field hockey.
“We have to have athletes who care about being great players and doing the work necessary,” said Holmes-Winn.
“We have had great American athletes who want to play for the national team. If not they will just be scraping by in the Ivy League and they won’t be playing for national championships.”