AMAZING GRACE: Princeton University field hockey player Grace Schulze controls the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Sunday, senior forward Schulze scored all three goals for No. 18 Princeton as it edged No. 13 Rutgers 3-2. The Tigers, now 4-2 overall and 1-0 Ivy League, play at Columbia on September 27 before hosting No. 1 Northwestern on September 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Grace Schulze found the perfect way to end her frustration.

The senior forward scored all three goals in No. 18 Princeton University field hockey team’s 3-2 comeback win at No. 13 Rutgers on Sunday.

“It definitely was a great feeling,” said Schulze. “I think when we play Rutgers, there’s always a lot of emotion. They’re obviously our in-state rivals, so being able to get the comeback win was huge and I think I’ve been struggling with getting goals and getting shots, so I think for me it was a good way to start my scoring for the season.”

Schulze dealt with a different sort of frustration a year ago. She was the leading returning scorer for the Tigers going into the 2023 season, but broke her collarbone in the opening minute of the second game of the season and missed the entire year, choosing to retain a season of eligibility for this year by withdrawing from school. Schulze lived in the Princeton area and was able to train in the spring with the team, but did not play for the Tigers.

“The hardest part for me was knowing that I wasn’t going be able to play the last season with my original class, just because obviously we’ve gone through so much with COVID and then you just grow close to your class,” said Schulze, a 5’1 native of Greenwich, Conn. “So I think that was hard for me and I think my style of leadership has always been one where I lead by example, and so I had to learn how to lead from the sidelines. And I think it was hard to watch in the big games that we did win all I wanted to do is be out on the field celebrating. It just took time for me to adjust to that. I think I definitely learned a lot and grew on the mental side of things.”

Schulze returned to the field this year along with Beth Yeager, who missed last season after taking the year off to try out and make the U.S. Olympic team, and joined a strong freshman group. Princeton improved to 4-2 with the win at Rutgers following a 3-0 win over Penn in the Ivy League opener with Yeager scoring all three goals for the Tigers. It was the first weekend sweep in 2024 for the Tigers, who split their first two weekend series of the year while sorting out the best combinations and lineup.

“We’re still on that path, but I do think we’re getting there,” said Princeton head coach Carla Tagliente. “I said last week and I still feel like this week the potential of this team is so high and I still don’t even think we scratched the surface of it. I think the big growth area this week was just getting the forwards more involved.”

Princeton looks to continue to grow with another pair of games this weekend. In a classic trap game, the Tigers head to New York City on Friday to face a much improved Columbia team that already knocked off Cornell and played Monmouth tough on Friday, then host No. 1 Northwestern on Sunday.

“Our first priority is Columbia obviously,” said Schulze. “They don’t have the ranking or the prestige that Northwestern does, but it is an Ivy League game. So I think really making sure that we’re focusing on preparing and doing as much as we can for that game is big, and then once we take care of that, then we can put our attention to Northwestern. But first and foremost, we’re focusing on getting the job done with Columbia.”

The Tigers would love to see Schulze carry over her production from her Rutgers performance. If history means anything, that could be the case. In her last full season for Princeton in 2022, she had two assists in the first nine games. Then came a two-goal, one-assist game against Yale, and Schulze only went one game the rest of the season without having at least an assist or goal.

“There definitely was a bit of fear of that season where I started not scoring at all, and I think that kind of was in the back of my mind,” said Schulze. “And I think because I was thinking that way, it actually was preventing me from playing my game. I think also, like a testament to my teammates, they put me into a position where I was able to finish and score. I did score, but it’s definitely a team effort. They definitely put me in that position as well.”

Tagliente is hoping that the breakthrough game will take some expectations off Schulze. Not scoring through the first couple of weekends seemed to build up pressure that wasn’t helpful.

“She’s kind of a different player,” said Tagliente. “She’s got a little bit of an ice hockey and lacrosse background so she’s got some flair to her play that’s unique, but she’s more of a linking forward, and we’ve often thought sometimes to move her into the midfield because I don’t think she’s a real true goal scorer. But the Penn game was the first game she got a lot of touches and seemed to be very involved and she just missed two goals in that game at the back post and it just felt like it was just knocking, knocking, knocking. It was going to happen.”

Schulze, whose mother Katherine Schulze, nee Savage, played field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse at Princeton, scored the final two goals Sunday with five minutes to go in a momentum-changing 37-second span off the same corner play with her sending her hit out to Yeager, who passed it back to her as she stepped in.

“I just was overthinking things in the first few games,” said Schulze, who had no goals and one assist coming into the Rutgers game. “I think missing last season and then kind of having this expectation to come back and be kind of a goal scorer was definitely something I was struggling with. Before games I was just getting too much in my head about it, and I think this past weekend I kind of just let that go and realized, if I score great, if I can create a play, great. And I think that I was able to adjust my mindset, help me relax and really just play my game.”

The goals were just what Princeton knew she could do, and they finally got it at the perfect time. The Tigers have twice been on the losing end of 3-2 games, and they were happy to turn the tables on Rutgers for a big win.

“It was a good confidence boost for us,” said Schulze. “All the games that we’ve been in have been very close so I think being able to be on the other side of it instead of being like, it was a good game but we just we didn’t capitalize or whatever the reason may be, in terms of confidence in being able to actually execute for the full game, it was huge. Especially with such a young team. We obviously have a lot of freshmen playing and a lot of sophomores, so I think just in terms of confidence, being able to sweep was good for team morale.”

Schulze’s goals were crucial to the outcome, but she also used her leadership that developed further last year even while she couldn’t play.

“On the sideline it was easier for me to see when things weren’t going our way to kind of inject my voice and be like, pick it up or whatever,” said Schulze. “It’s harder when you’re in that position and you can feel the games not going your way. But I realize having someone say that can in fact lead to a change in momentum or spark. I took that from last year. Obviously we did have a dip in the Rutgers game, so using my voice I was able to kind of inject the spark.”

Her voice and goals went a long way in giving Princeton its first winning streak. The Tigers have proven they have the potential to play with anyone, and they look to continue their winning streak next weekend. It’s only the fourth weekend, and Princeton starts its preseason later than other non-Ivy teams.

“The amount of growth that we have already had to this point is something that I’m proud of, but I think there is a lot more growth that we can be doing,” said Schulze. “I am happy. I think we are disadvantaged that we start later than some of these Big 10 and ACC schools, so I think I’m happy that we do have a winning record up to this point and we do have a lot more big games down the road. So if we can continue to grow and improve it will put us into in a really good position.”

Schulze figures to be a big part of it. She doesn’t have to score goals to help the team, she can lend her playmaking and her voice, but the Tigers needed her production Sunday to build momentum and end some early frustration.

“She’s been patient,” said Tagliente. “I think she was due. And I think she was deserving.”