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Sports: October 8, 1997
Cornell tosses football, 14-10
Princeton exhibited many of the traits of last year's 3-7 squad, a parallel that was evident to Tiger head coach Steve Tosches. "Strategically, I thought we did everything correctly," he said. " . . . We had some opportunities to make plays on the both sides of the ball, and we didn't make them. Is it the same scenario from a year ago? It sure sounds like it."
Princeton's defense held Cornell scoreless in the second half after allowing 235 first-half yards, 188 of which came through the air. But its offense sputtered, despite being handed good field position several times, managing only a second-quarter field goal by Alex Sierk '99 and an eight-yard TD pass in the third quarter from quarterback Harry Nakielny '98 to wide receiver Ray Canole '99.
Nakielny, making his first start for the Tigers after sitting out the 1996 season, was hampered by a running game that got just 43 yards on 33 carries; he finished with 18 completions in 44 attempts for 151 yards. The teams combined for 94 pass attempts, a large number given the conditions. A key difference was that Cornell's were by design, while Princeton's seemed born of desperation. "Early on, we had a couple of completions, but it was mostly run, run, and third-and-long," Nakielny said. "There wasn't any rhythm."
Whatever positive signs could be gleaned from the game were provided by the defense. The Big Red used a short passing game with alternating quarterbacks Scott Carroll and Mike Hood frequently lining up in a shotgun formation, an approach that worked well in the first half. Carroll and Hood moved the ball at will using passes to wide receiver Eric Krawczyk (six catches for 64 yards) and runningback Brad Kiesendahl (seven for 77 yards). But Tosches made adjustments at halftime and Princeton held the duo to five completions in 21 attempts in the second half. Linebacker Tim Greene '98 said the defense "didn't make plays in the first half" and cited coverage mistakes as a shortcoming. One of those errors allowed Cornell's first score, a 15-yard pass from Hood to Krawczyk in the second quarter.
Sierk's field goal cut the lead to 7-3 on Princeton's next possession, and that would have been the halftime score had the offense been able to manage a first down late in the quarter. Instead, the Big Red forced a punt, and Carroll found Dittman with an 11-yard touchdown pass that extended the lead to 14-3.
Rocky Fittizzi '99 blocked a punt on Cornell's first possession of the second half to give the Tigers the ball at the Big Red nine-yard line, and Nakielny followed two plays later with his touchdown pass to Canole, who made a difficult, twisting catch in the end zone.
Aided by the conditions and by its suddenly stingy defense, Princeton kept Cornell pinned in its own end for most of the rest of the quarter, but could only advance as far as the Big Red 23. In the fourth quarter, an interception by Tom Ludwig '98 gave the Tigers the ball at the Cornell 32, but cornerback Damani Leech '98, lining up as a wide receiver, was dropped for a seven-yard loss on a reverse. The Tigers' final scoring threat ended with 2:32 left in the game when Nakielny's fourth-down pass to Phil Wendler '00 from the Cornell 13 fell incomplete.
If there's a quota on the number of chances a football team gets to change its destiny, the Tigers wasted a few against Cornell-and the meter is running.
-Dave Porter
Soccer squads kick off with wins
Cocaptain Jamie Adams '98 got a goal at the 15:33 mark of the first half, with assists from Justin Kerr '00 and Matt Striebel '01. Ten minutes into the second half, Hartwick tied the score on a throw-in, but four minutes later Griff Behncke '00 weaved around two defenders and chipped in a goal from 13 yards out, putting the Tigers ahead to stay. Despite constant pressure from the Hawks' attack (the Tigers were outshot 16-10), goalie Ethan Bing '98 (eight saves) preserved Princeton's lead.
A lack of offense hurt the Tigers last year, and Barlow hopes to see that improve this season. "We may not have any guys who can take over a game by themselves, the way AndrŽ Parris '97 sometimes could, but we are starting to play well together," he says. Barlow expects scoring to be spread among a number of players. In addition to Adams and Behncke, the coach wants offense from senior forwards Corey Rice, Seth Dorros, and Hayden Jones.
The heart of the team, in several senses, is at midfield. Cocaptains Chris Halupka '99 and Adams, joined by Behncke and a number of other talented players, should have no problem keeping up the good midfield play that's prevailed at Princeton for years.
The defense will be a mix of veterans and transplants from other parts of the field. Neil Jasey '98 will probably lead in the back, joined by Marcus Saskin '99, Brien Wassner '00 (who scored three goals on attack last year), and Chad Adams '00 (brother of Jamie). In net, Bing's solid play against Hartwick showed he is an able replacement for Stuart Reynolds '97.
Barlow's first year of Ivy competition was a disappointment: "We really feel we could have come away with some of those last year," he says. This season, in a league with much more parity, the Tigers can expect to bring the coach near a career .500 record. Yale is favored, but Barlow considers the title up for grabs. The men won their Ivy opener against Cornell September 20, 5-0; they play at Dartmouth October 11.
Women's Soccer
For the women (2-1-1 overall) to improve on last season's showing (7-8-2 overall, 2-3-2 Ivy), they must replace the scoring of Jen Abbondanza '97. Coach Julie Shackford expects forwards Dana DeCore '00, Julie Garrison '00, and the speedy Amee Reyes '01 to shoulder that burden. Tricaptain and midfielder Samantha Sacks '98 will add experience to the attack. Joining her is Andrea Herschman '00, who may turn out to be an offensive sparkplug.
Tricaptains Meredith Cage '99 and Janet Santo '99 lead a gritty defense, joined by all-Ivy honorable mention Susan Rea '00. Freshman Jordan Rettig played in goal the first two games.
The Tigers drubbed Rider, 5-0, on September 12 at home, with Herschman scoring two goals. Two days later, they battled visiting Boston University to a 1-1 tie; Sacks scored for Princeton. The team began its Ivy season September 27 with a trip to Dartmouth and hosted Yale October 4; the Tigers will visit Brown October 10.
-Rob Garver
Focus a must for talented field hockey
Coach Beth Bozman is carefully reining in the expectations of her powerful field-hockey team. After last year's Cinderella run to the NCAA title game, the Tigers (4-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy) grabbed a share of the national spotlight, and a preseason poll ranked Princeton third (behind collegiate-champ North Carolina and perennial powerhouse Old Dominion). All that meant to the coach, however, is that the Tigers wouldn't be sneaking up on anybody in 1997. "It's not what people say about [the team] that matters," Bozman cautioned. "It's what they show on the field."
Princeton's first two games, wins over Lafayette and Duke, showed why hopes are high for this squad: the Tigers have an opportunistic attack, a skilled midfield, and a gritty defense. All last year's starters return this year, and Bozman says that with their experience, a "strengthened bench," and the "outstanding leadership" of senior cocaptains Amy MacFarlane and Kathleen Kelly, she knows her team can beat anybody. But Bozman still repeats that old coach's mantra: "We have to take it one game at a time"-she doesn't want her players to start looking ahead, lest they forget how slim is their margin for error.
Revenge
The Tigers started this season trying to atone for such a mis-step when they hosted Lafayette on September 13. Last year, due to the pressure of midterms or perhaps to overconfidence, Princeton had to swallow a discouraging 3-2 loss to the Leopards. Bozman, who said her team had been "embarrassed, not just disappointed" by the defeat, expected to see a strong performance this time around. "You tell your players that revenge isn't a good thing, but I know it's in the front of their minds," said the coach before the game. "They've wanted to play this game since last October." Bozman's players didn't disappoint her, routing Lafayette, 11-1, and matching the single-game-scoring (11) and margin-of-victory records (10) they set last year. "We knew we couldn't take this game for granted," said defender Kelly, "but we knew we could win if we played our kind of game." That they did, allowing the ball into their own circle only once in the entire first half, while scoring nearly at will on attack.
Playing catch-up
The next day, Princeton faced a serious test in a meeting with Duke, which had been ranked ninth in the preseason poll. Both teams had explosive attacks and stingy defenses, and the Blue Devils appeared to have an advantage since this was their fourth game, but only
the Tigers' second. (Princeton starts its season about 14 days later than most other schools.) "There's no question the late start makes a difference," said Bozman. "We have to play a little bit of catch-up." The Tigers would prevail, 1-0, but it was a battle, and the team's lack of game experience showed early on. Duke got two good shots just minutes into the game, as Tiger defenders appeared slow to follow Blue Devil passes. Happily, goalie Gia Fruscione '00 was in her usual form and kept the game scoreless.
By the middle of the first half, Princeton was playing at full speed. The Tigers moved the ball well on offense despite a few sloppy through passes and got several penalty corners, though the corners themselves weren't as successful. Princeton appeared to be rushing through its set plays, struggled to trap the ball, and had to scramble to get off good shots. With 13:49 remaining in the half, however, one of those scrambles led to the game's only score, as attack Molly O'Malley '99 put a loose ball into the Duke goal.
In the second half, the Tigers hunkered down and held off a desperate Duke attack in the closing minutes to seal the victory. "It was a huge game for us," said a happy Bozman after the win. "If we had lost, people would have said everything we did last year was a fluke. Today we showed that it wasn't."
The power of hatred
With only two wins under their belts, the Tigers fell to ninth place in the NCAA poll of September 15th. But it's a sure bet Bozman's team cares less about that than they do about repeating last year's performance in the postseason. To do so, Princeton will need two things: another Ivy title (with its accompanying bid to the NCAA play-in), and some wins against top teams (which affect a team's seeding in the tournament). Princeton opened its Ivy season September 20 by blanking Cornell, 6-0, at 1952 Stadium, then slipped by Syracuse (ranked number 10 in the September 15 poll) the next day, 3-2. After that came league games at Dartmouth (on grass) September 27, versus Yale October 4 at home, and at Brown this weekend. Crucial nonconference matchups are at number-three Maryland (October 16), hosting number-19 Connecticut (October 19), and at number-one Old Dominion (November 1).
As the season began, Bozman said she expected the league to be no less challenging: "There's a whole other element for us when we play Ivy teams-they all want to break our winning streak [now at 19]," said Bozman. "Hatred is a powerful thing." Despite that the Tigers were the overwhelming favorite to take a fourth-straight Ivy title.
For now, however, predictions make her nervous: "We didn't believe what everybody was saying last year," she says, recalling her team's inappropriately low ranking at the end of the 1996 regular season, 17th. "So we can't believe what they're saying this year."
If the Tigers win the Ivy title and perform well outside the league, Bozman may allow her team to loosen its game-at-a-time blinders a little. Until then, the coach will ask her players to take the season step by careful step-she thinks that's their best chance to look around in November and find themselves back at the Final Four.
-Paul Hagar '91
Sports Shorts
Ice hockey: The ECAC All-Stars, including Princeton forwards Ali Coughlin '99 and Danya Marshman '00 and defender Dani Holtschlag '00, will play an exhibition game with the USA Hockey Women's National Team on October 18 in Concord, New Hampshire. Lisa Brown-Miller, who coached the Tiger icewomen from 1991 to 1996, is a center on the national team.
Scoreboard and Highlights
(0-1 overall, 0-1 Ivy)
L at Cornell, 10-14
M. Cross-Country
(2-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
W vs. Rutgers, 20-71
W vs. LaSalle, 20-43
W. Cross-Country
(2-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
At. Lafayette Invit.-1st
W vs. Rutgers, 24-43
W vs. LaSalle, 24-71
Field Hockey
(4-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy)
W vs. Lafayette, 11-1
W vs. Duke, 1-0
Wvs. Cornell, 6-0
W vs. Syracuse, 3-2
M. Golf
(0-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
Georgetown Invit.-9th
W. Golf
(0-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
Dartmouth Invit.-1st
M. Soccer
(2-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 Ivy)
W vs. Hartwick, 2-1
L at Seton Hall, 2-5
W vs. Cornell, 5-0
W. Soccer
(2-1-1 overall, 0-0-0 Ivy)
W vs. Rider, 5-0
T vs. Boston Univ., 1-1
At UVa. Tourn.
W vs. VCU, 4-0
L vs. UVa., 0-3
W. Tennis
(0-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
Eastern Intercoll.-indiv.
W. Volleyball
(3-1 overall, 0-0 Ivy)
At St. John's Tourn.
W vs. St. John's, 3-1
L vs. St. John's, 3-1
At Colgate Inv.
W vs. Colgate, 3-0
W vs. Holy Cross, 3-1
M. Water Polo
(4-2 overall, 2-2 So. Div.)
L at Richmond, 5-9
W at Johns Hopkins, 9-7
W vs. Villanova, 12-9 (ot)
At Navy Open
W vs. Boston Univ., 13-8
L vs. Navy, 5-12
W vs. Harvard, 11-4
Highlights
W. GOLF: Laura Gilmore '98 shot 72-78 and Julia Alison '99 shot 78-73 to finish 1-2 at Dartmouth Invit. W. TENNIS: Jessica Improta '99 and Gailor Large '01 won the Eastern Intercoll. "A" doubles title. M. WATER POLO: Chris Gratian '01 scored five goals and goalie Greg Stoll '00 made 13 saves vs. Villanova.
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