Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Field Hockey Team Looks to Build on Last Year's Success in 2006
August 23, 2006 | Field Hockey
The Princeton field hockey team begins practicing this week in preparation for the 2006 season and its season opener on Sept. 2 at Richmond. The Tigers regained the Ivy League title last season after their string of 10 straight league titles was snapped in 2004. Princeton hopes to start another such streak when the Ivy League season begins on Sept. 9 at Yale.
Princeton earned 139 votes in the STX/NFHCA Preseason poll to be the first team in the receiving votes category (equivalent to the 21st team) and was the highest Ivy team in the rankings, as Harvard received 20 votes. Five of the Top 10 teams in the preseason poll are on the Tigers schedule and nine of Princeton's 17 opponents are either ranked or receieved votes in the poll. Princeton first two games come against ranked opponents, at No. 19 Richmond and at No. 7 Penn State.
(the following is the 2006 season preview from the media guide... the complete media guide is available in the left side menu on the field hockey team page)
Princeton's 2005 season began with many question marks. How would the team respond following a disappointing 2004 campaign? How would a group of 10 freshmen and five returning players who hadn't seen significant playing time fit into the mix? What would the story of the season be?
It didn't take long to find out that 2005 would be a story about a team coming together, gaining experience, and being successful. The 2005 season was a step forward. Princeton returned to the top of the Ivy League with a 7-0 league record and regained the league title after falling short in 2004. The team's overall record was 9-9, but all nine losses came to teams that were nationally ranked. Five of the losses came by a single goal.
Princeton looks to take another step forward in 2006, building on the success of an Ivy title a year ago and working to turn those hard-fought losses into wins. The 2005 team was one that improved each time it took the field. That continued during the spring season and Princeton hopes to open 2006 where it left off a season ago.
The Tigers graduated four players last spring, included three starters. All three were All-Ivy selections last season, leaving head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn with a few holes to fill in the starting lineup. While there are openings, there is no shortage of players ready to fill them. The Tiger roster boasts 17 players, excluding the goalkeepers. Of those 17, four are juniors, nine are sophomores and four are freshmen. Princeton has just two seniors on its roster, both goalkeepers, who will help lead the cast of younger players.
The Senior Class
The Princeton field hockey Class of 2007 features goalies Allison Nemeth and Juliana Simon. The pair have shared goalkeeping responsibilities since their freshman season. After splitting time early in 2005, Nemeth emerged as the starting goalkeeper, starting the last 14 games of the season.
One of Princeton's three captains for the 2006 season, Nemeth had an 8-7 record in 2005 and her 1.61 goals-against average and her .719 save percentage were right on track with her 10-win freshman campaign. Nemeth missed much of her junior season with injuries. Last season she emerged as one of Princeton's leaders. Her confidence and aggressive play set the tone in the Tiger backfield.
Simon will continue to challenge for the starting goalie spot in goal coming off a solid spring season. Last season, Simon was 1-2 in four appearances with a .667 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against. While she picked up a win against Yale, her best performance of the season came as she made six saves in a 1-0 loss to Penn State.
The Junior Class
Princeton's junior class features four players – Nicole Ng, Paige Schmidt, Micaela Vie Brock and Sarah Yuki. Ng and Schmidt join Nemeth as team captains for the 2006 season, and along with their class mates, Vie Brock and Yuki, will play important roles during the upcoming season.
Schmidt enters 2006 as the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, an award she took last season as a sophomore. Schmidt not only led the team in most offensive categories, but also the Ivy League, and she was a first-team All-Ivy selection and received third-team All-America honors. She recorded career highs during the season in goals (11) and points (29).
Schmidt ran the show a season ago in the Tiger midfield and will continue in that role in 2006. Her talent, game sense and skill have built her into a top-caliber player and will help her evolve into one of the team's leaders.
Ng will also be an important piece to the Tiger midfield this season. She contributed a pair of goals and four assists in 2005 but could always be found in the middle of the Princeton attack as the coaching staff moved her to the striker line to provide more experience and leadership at that position. Ng's determination, fearlessness and relentlessness will help set the tone for the Tigers this season.
Bothered by injuries through her freshman season and the first few games in 2005, Vie Brock did not crack the Tiger starting lineup until the sixth game of 2005. But once in the lineup she stayed there, starting 11 of the final 13 games and playing a very consistent and reliable left back position. Her growing confidence and strong athleticism will help her develop into one of the top defensive players in the league.
Yuki made the most of her opportunities during the 2005 season, posting 10 points on four goals and two assists in limited playing time. She appeared in 12 games, mostly as a reserve. Her goal and point totals each ranked fourth on the team despite playing a quarter of the minutes of many of her teammates. She had an excellent spring and will bring great energy and focus to the striker line in the fall.
The Sophomore Class
Princeton's nine-member sophomore class represents almost 50% of the team's roster. Six of the members played significant minutes as freshmen and made important contributions.
The Princeton backfield was anchored last season by 2005 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Sarah Reinprecht. A leader on the field from the get-go, Reinprecht served as the field general, keeping things organized in the backfield. She also led the team in minutes played and was a second-team All-Ivy selection. Reinprecht is also a member of the U.S. Under-21 team.
Like Reinprecht, Holly McGarvie was also a mainstay in the Tiger backfield and played practically every minute of every game. McGarvie brought a fierceness and intensity to the backfield as she played the right back position. Her winning mentality brings a lot to the team.
Candi Arner was another freshman that played in just about every minute of every game last season. While she only scored one goal during the season, it was an important one, as her overtime goal at Harvard gave Princeton not only the win, but clinched the Ivy title it had lost the previous season. Arner sets the bar for the team in terms of her focus and decision-making and will continue to be strong in 2006.
Kristen Schwab also appeared in every game last season as her strong instincts and athleticism pushed her into the action on many occasions. Schwab tore her ACL last spring playing with the Princeton women's lacrosse team, but should be back on the field in October. She is a strong presence in the circle and will be back in the center of the action when she returns from her injury.
Leah Hoagland and Katie Kinzer, teammates in high school and now teammates at Princeton, played similar amounts during their freshman seasons. Hoagland finished the season strong as she scored Princeton's goal against Duke in the NCAA tournament game. She missed the spring season with an injury but will be back in time to continue where she left off in 2005.
Kinzer had three goals last season for the Tigers as she was a presence every time she was on the field. She improved throughout the season and will be an important part of Princeton's striker line this year. Elizabeth Williams and Kraftin Schreyer played limited roles in 2005, but could see increased playing time as sophomores. Williams battled through injuries through last fall and spring and will be at full strength by mid-September. She addressed all the areas of her game that needed work during the offseason and shows a great deal of promise as the season draws near.
Schreyer is one of the most versatile and dangerous players on the Princeton roster. She is gritty, creative, skilled and competitive and she can play on any of the three lines. Emily Hankin rounds out the sophomore class. She appeared in one game a season ago, but made tremendous strides during the spring and figured to contribute to the Princeton backfield this fall.
The Freshman Class
A group of five freshman will join the Princeton roster for the 2006 season and will be looked upon to contribute from the start.
Tina Bortz is a skilled and competitive striker from Emmaus, Pa. She was a teammate of Reinprecht on the 2005-06 U.S. Under-21 team and was a NFHCA first-team All-America in 2005. Her Emmaus High School team won the Pennsylvania state championship in both 2004 and 2005.
Katherine Cape has a natural feel for the game and is adaptive. The Canadian midfielder was a varsity starter in the ninth, 10th and 12th grades and captained her varsity team as a senior. In addition to playing at the Shawnigan Lake School in British Columbia, she played on the regional and provincial U-16 and U-18 teams in 2004.
Lauren Capps is a striker from Glenelg, Md., who has excellent instincts around the goal. She captained her Glenelg High School team as a senior and was a member of the state finalist team as a junior. She was an alternate to the 2005 U-19 National Futures Tournament.
Kaitlyn Perrelle is a presence on the field both with or without the ball. The midfielder from Southern New York State was a part of four New England Championships while at The Hotchkiss School. She was named a NFHCA first-team All-America and was selected the team's Most Valuable Player. Perrelle was an Olympic Development Selection in 2005-06 and was a member of the USFHA U-19 Team that toured Holland in April of 2005 and 2006.
Cynthia Wray, a goalkeeper from Delaware, is poised, skillful and cool under pressure. She was a four-time varsity letterwinner at St. Mark's School and was the team's starting goalie for three seasons. She was the all-conference goalie for three years and had a career goals-against average of 0.92. As a senior, she led her team to the state championship game and a national ranking of 18.