STANDING TAL: Princeton University field hockey player Talia Schenck, left, goes after the ball in recent action. Last Friday, sophomore star Schenck, a former Lawrence High standout, scored a goal to help Princeton defeat Yale 2-1 in overtime in a winner-take-all game for the fourth and final spot for the inaugural Ivy League Tournament. The Tigers, now 7-8 overall and 5-2 Ivy, are seeded third in the tourney and will face second-seeded Cornell at Harvard on November 3 in a semifinal contest. The victor will advance to the final on November 5 against the winner of the Harvard-Penn semifinal with the champion earning the league’s automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Talia Schenck and the Princeton University field hockey team have been through ups and downs.

Last Friday was definitely a high note.

Schenck scored the first goal of the game for the Tigers who went on to win a must-win game, 2-1, in overtime at Yale on a goal by Bridget Murphy. The winner of the game earned the fourth and final spot for the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, while the loser’s season was finished. The champion of the tournament will receive the league’s automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA tournament.

“We’re really excited to rewrite what’s happened this Ivy season because we want more for ourselves than to be third,” said Schenck, a sophomore who starred at nearby Lawrence High before coming to Princeton. “We’re excited to have another chance to prove ourselves. That’s what’s so great about having the Ivy tournament introduced this year.”

Third-seeded Princeton faces second-seeded Cornell in the second game of the Ivy tournament on November 3 at Harvard. The host and top-seeded Crimson will take on fourth-seeded Penn. Princeton defeated Cornell in the regular season on penalty strokes after the teams tied, 2-2. The final is slated for November 5

“Cornell is a great team and I’m sure it’ll be another close game just because it’s a tournament game and we are both skilled,” said Schenck. “Hopefully it doesn’t go into shootouts again. I think last time we played Cornell, we did so much preparation and it really showed in our game on the set plays. Not much has changed. It’s only been a few weeks. We’ll be in a great spot again, and I think it’ll be a good matchup.”

Schenck’s strong play Friday helped put the Tigers in position to compete for an Ivy tournament crown and spot in the NCAA tournament if they can win it. Princeton looked afraid to make mistakes in a scoreless first half that extended into the third quarter before Schenck finally broke through with a goal in the fourth quarter.

“Talia had the best game of her career in the second half,” said Princeton head coach Carla Tagliente.

“That really loosened everyone up on the team from there. And then Ottilie (Sykes) is playing better and Helena (Große) is playing better, and everyone is playing better. Ella Hampson is another one. She and Talia just picked the team up and put us on their shoulders and pushed it. When you have some courageous players like that, then it’s easier for others. We don’t have a Beth Yeager this year that can just make plays in moments. We haven’t had anyone step up yet. This was the first game when we just had two players step up and make plays.”

Schenck and the Tigers are looking to build on the momentum of two straight Ivy wins when their backs were up against the wall. Princeton was 3-2 in league play when it went on the road to beat Dartmouth, then won the do-or-die game at Yale. The wins were impressive from a young team that had high expectations.

“After the game, it ranks up there, even with being in final fours and national championship games of just being so proud of them and seeing their joy coming through,” said Tagliente. “It was a special moment for them.”

Princeton is 7-8 overall, 5-2 in the Ivies after battling through inexperience, injuries and many difficult tests to reach the Ivy tournament. The win at Yale was the fifth overtime game that they’ve played this season. Ten of their 15 games have been decided by one goal.

“It’s been hard,” said Schenck. “The ones that are one-goal games that we come out on the wrong side of it, it’s been kind of frustrating having it be so tense. Or if we feel like we put together a good game and it’s so close, it’s been a little frustrating. We just have to take it day by day and not let the numbers control our team and our confidence. It shows things to work through — sustaining our attack and increasing our opportunities. It’s just been a little frustrating, but it’s not a reflection of how capable we are as a team.”

Princeton has a chance to avenge an Ivy loss if they advance to the Ivy tournament final against either Harvard or Penn, both of whom upended the Tigers in the regular season. First, the Tigers have to get by Cornell which is looking for revenge.

“The goal for us needs to be to shut down their biggest threat and to really lock down penalty corners, but also dial in,” said Tagliente. “They have other threats. They’re a pretty good team. We have to expand our focus a little bit and pay attention to the whole field.”

The Tigers feel like they’re still growing as a team. The Ivy tournament allows them to continue to develop.

“We’ve put the record behind us and we’re
proceeding with confidence,” said Schenck. “It’s finally coming together for us. The strength of schedule is good. Even though we struggle with it, it helps us improve so much throughout the season.”

Schenck too has come through some tough moments as an individual in the early stages of her college career. She made the short trip up Princeton Pike from Lawrence, and the jump to college field hockey came with new challenges for a player who was the first from New Jersey to ever score 100 goals in a high school season. She had a pair of goals and two assists in her first college season while appearing in 17 games.

“This year has gone a lot smoother for me,” said Schenck, who has three goals and an assist so far this fall. “Last year was such a shock — socially, academically, field hockey-wise, all of that. It was hard and a lot to adjust to in those first couple months when you’re trying to perform your best. I was lucky to get good playing time last year to gain some experience because the college level is so different.”

Schenck started five times as a freshman. She has started every game this season and jumped into a bigger role that includes not only playing her usual forward spot but also helping to fill time in the midfield. Schenck says picking up the tactical side of college field hockey was a challenge in her first year, and after a year she’s able to focus more on just playing and not thinking so much.

“Now she’s more in that zone and her defense she’s realizing generates a lot,” said Tagliente. “She can be very disruptive with her defense and creating more attack. She’s still in the early life stages of her growth, but what you saw against Yale, I see in snippets in practice, and we know she could be one of the best players in the country. But that’s a big thing to say to her right now. She needs to take it one step at a time, and some of it is just experience and some of it is psychological, which she’s starting to get. When you see a player start to make the turn on that, it’s nice to see.”

Schenck credits her growth to being a part of the Princeton program. She came in a well accomplished player at the high school level, but had to raise her level and learn to fit into college play. She has focused on film study, improving her game knowledge and building her skills while navigating the highs and lows of each practice and game.

“I think when people say you grow so much as a person coming to college and playing D-I sports, you don’t understand what they mean until you go through it,” said Schenck. “As much as there’s a struggle in the beginning, and it can hurt at times, I’m shocked at how much it’s helped me grow. Mentally the strength that I’ve had to push through things in life, it’s made me feel like a stronger person. I feel like I’ve become better at connecting with people. The whole experience shapes you. It’s very hard to describe. It’s mentally taxing, but you come out of it and you have these moments of clarity, like (Friday) night where you could see how much it’s worth it, and a year ago if I hadn’t gone through that I wouldn’t be able to mentally sustain myself for the 60 minutes. It’s the most rewarding experience.”

Schenck feels more settled in now in her second season. She continues to develop and could be among the best players in the country with further growth, said Tagliente. Schenck has taken steps forward this year and is adjusting to being able to contribute in either midfield or forward positions.

“I enjoy playing both,” said Schenck. “Opportunities to shoot come for both mids and forwards. It doesn’t bother me much, I’m having fun either way. In the midfield, I get to run a little more and dribble which I love to do. At forward, I like to press the defenders more. Either way it’s fun for me and I enjoy it, and as long as it’s helping the team.”

Schenck has enjoyed plenty of support from the local community. Her club team and her high school team are close by as is her family.

“I just think it’s great for them to see that even though field hockey might not be the biggest thing in Central Jersey, you can make the most of the programs we have here,” said Schenck. “I love Princeton and the town around it. A lot of my family lives here so I see them a lot. I love to be here and I hope people can look at what I’ve done and see that you can make so much out of playing sports here.”