ON THE BALL: Princeton University field hockey player Sophia Tornetta, left, chases down the ball in a game last fall. After a solid debut campaign that saw her tally seven goals and nine assists, sophomore striker Tornetta figures to be a go-to player for the Tigers this fall. Princeton opens its 2016 season by hosting North Carolina (1-1) on September 2 and Bucknell (1-0) on September 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

While Carla Tagliente is happy to see her Princeton University field hockey team ranked 15th nationally in the Coaches’ Preseason poll, she isn’t putting much stock in that.

“It always feels good to be ranked but the preseason poll is a tough one because you are not really basing it on much of anything,” said Tagliente, the new head coach of the program, the successor to Kristen Holmes-Winn, who left the program this summer to work for a sports performance company called WHOOP, Inc. based in Boston. “It is more of a feel good thing.”

Tagliente is hoping that the Tigers will outperform the preseason ranking as the fall unfolds.

“I would hope by the end of the season that we are a bit higher and doing quite well,” asserted Tagliente, whose team opens its 2016 season by hosting North Carolina (1-1) on September 2 and Bucknell (1-0) on September 4.

“Could we be there, making a run in the tournament at the end of the year, we absolutely can but right now we have to stay grounded and focus on opening weekend.”

In Tagliente’s view, the Princeton players are doing well in adjusting to the coaching change.

“I didn’t expect it to be bad but it has been incredibly easy,” said Tagliente, a former star at the University of Maryland who spent the last five seasons as the head coach at the University of Massachusetts.

“They are a really good group, they have responded great. Kristen and I are not that different but it is still a significant amount of change for them. Not everything is going to be identical to what they have done in the past and I think they have been great with it. We talked early on about that and they were actually really open to change and new things.”

The Tigers boast a group of talented players at striker, led by sophomore Sophia Tornetta (7 goals and 9 assists in 2015) and junior Ryan McCarthy (7 goals, 4 assists).

“Tornetta and McCarthy will be there; we have also played around with having Tornetta play back a line a little bit,” said Tagliente, who is taking over a team that went 11-7 last year, advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals and winning its 11th straight Ivy League title and 21st league crown in the last 22 years.

“She will go back and forth between lines; those two will definitely get a lot of time up there. Jane Donio-Enscoe (3 goals, 2 assist), Ellen Dobrijevic (1 goal) along with Hailey Reeves (3 goals, 2 assists) and Cat Caro (5 goals, 4 assists) will play up there quite a bit as well.”

Promising freshman Krista Hoffman could emerge as a key offensive weapon for the Tigers.

“Krista is really an incredible athlete,” asserted Tagliente. “I think right now the best position for her to make an impact is probably up front or in the midfield but she may play in the back. She started in the back in the Rutgers scrimmage for us. In our fitness test, she came in as one of the top players on the team. For a freshman to do that is impressive.”

One of Princeton’s most impressive players, two-time senior captain Caro, figures to see plenty of time in the midfield.

“Right now I have been moving her around to see where she fits the best,” said Tagliente.

“She is really an impactful player. I don’t want her to feel like it is all going to come down on her shoulders because I think we are actually quite good and have a good supporting cast around her.”

That cast of players includes sophomore Natalie Catalino (6 goals), sophomore Elis Wong (6 assists), and freshman Carlotta von Gierke.

“Nicole Catalino is really deceiving; she kind of flies under the radar but she is a really outstanding defender,” said Tagliente.

“We have moved Elise Wong up a little bit, she will bounce back and forth between the defensive midfield and the back. She has great vision, she is a great defender and she adds a lot defensively in there. We have a freshman,  Carlotta von Gierke from Germany, who has been playing a lot in the midfield for us.”

Tagliente has some good options on the back line with freshmen Hoffman and Maddie Bacskai along with senior Reeves.

“We had Maddie at center back with Krista Hoffman and Hailey in the back as well in the scrimmage,” said Tagliente.

“Maddie is great, she is going to be a star. She has got some little things to grow on from the scrimmage but for a freshman she is going to be outstanding.”

Tigers will need sophomore goalie Grace Baylis to grow into a star as she fills the big shoes left by graduated star Anya Gersoff.

“She doesn’t have much experience per se from last year but she is a quick goalkeeper,” said Tagliente, noting that Baylis, a native of London, England, suffered a season-ending injury as a freshman.

“She is not experienced at the college level but she has quite a bit of experience playing in England. She did a nice job against Rutgers. I think she will come along really well.”

Just a week into preseason, Tagliente believes things are coming along well for the Tigers.

“It is going to be a process and it may not happen overnight but ever since the scrimmage three days ago, I have seen a significant amount of improvement from day one to now,” said Tagliente.

“You see things clicking in their brains, they get a little bit more confident and then more things click and they get more confident. That is starting to come together.”

In order to click on all cylinders, the Princeton
players need to roll with the punches.

“It comes down to the psychological element of it and how you are going to manage the highs and the lows and how you are going to manage the process,” said  Tagliente.

“I think we can compete with anyone, whether the consistency will be there, I don’t know yet but the key to our success will be squeezing down on that consistency and trying to be as consistent as possible once we catch stride. I think we can do it.”

Tagliente is looking for Princeton to make strides this weekend as its hosts perennial national power North Carolina (1-1) and Patriot League title contender Bucknell (1-0).

“We will be competitive and it will be a good game, I have no doubt about that,” said Tagliente, referring to the clash with UNC, who was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll.

“It is a good benchmark for us to play a good team right off the get-go and see where we are at. Bucknell doesn’t get enough credit; they are a difficult team to play against. They have good penalty corners usually and they are physical. When I look at the history between the programs, they always seem to linger around. It is a good game to back up the UNC game.”