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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Tiger Field Hockey Star Martirosian Ready to Make Final Season Special
By Bill Alden
Natalie Martirosian certainly got the attention of her neighbors in St. Petersburg, Russia last spring as she took a semester abroad from Princeton University.
Missing her beloved field hockey, Martirosian had her stick flown to Russia and started banging the ball around the courtyard of her residence, drawing stares from the local old women or "babushkas."
Martirosian, a two-time All-American, is looking to make a lot of noise back in the states this fall, starting this weekend when the Tigers host Northeastern on September 3 and Delaware on September 5.
While she enjoyed her immersion in Russian culture, Martirosian is chomping at the bit to get into action for her final college field hockey season. "It is so exciting to be be back," said Martirosian, sitting on a bench at Class of 1952 Stadium after a practice session last week.
"I tried to find field hockey in St. Petersburg but I couldn't. I knew our team was working so hard over here. So many people have improved so much."
Martirosian is confident the team can improve on the 12-6 mark it posted last year in the debut season of head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn.
"We're very comfortable with her drills and her teaching style," said Martirosian with her ready grin as she reflected on going through a second season under Holmes-Winn.
"We're altering some tactical things. We can make adjustments on our defensive press where last year we had to keep to the basics."
With a group of eight seniors that started their Princeton careers by going to the NCAA Final Four in 2001, the Tigers have a special camaraderie to go with their tactical fine-tuning. In addition to Martirosian, Princeton's group of seniors includes her twin sister, Alexis Martirosian, together with Lizzie Black, Ashley Sennett, Lauren Quinn, Kelly Darling, Jen Elliot, and Shahrzad Joharifard.
"I think we have an amazing senior class," said Martirosian, a native of Richmond, Va. who utilized her speed and stick skills to score four goals and seven assists last year as Princeton won its 10th straight Ivy League title.
"We all get along so well off the field which is important. We have unique personalities but we all mesh very well. I think we're all ready to make this a defining year."
As a co-captain of the Tigers along with Joharifard, Martirosian feels a special responsibility to make this a memorable year.
"I want to be confident that I can keep this team focused and composed on the field during the game," said Martirosian, noting that Joharifard is currently sidelined indefinitely due to a knee injury. "The other seniors can take on that responsibility as well. We just need to make sure that we are really consistent the whole game."
In Martirosian's view, one of her chief assets is the knowledge she has gained from playing with the U.S. national program.
"I just have a lot of experience," said Martirosian, who has played on the U.S. Under-21, U-18, and U-16 national teams. "I've made time to make sure that I'm playing with other players around the country. It gives you a very objective view of field hockey. It makes you a better player because you have to take in a lot of different styles of play."
Having the chance to share her college experience on and off the field with her twin sister, Alexis, has exposed Maritrosian to different slices of life at Princeton.
"I can't imagine going through this without her," asserted Martirosian, who is majoring in Slavic Language and Literature.
"We didn't make it a priority to go to the same college but I'm glad we did. It's worked out well because our teammates are the same but our acquaintances are different. She is a Near Eastern Studies major and she does different activities and has introduced me to different parts of campus. It's good that we have created separate identities."
Martirosian and the Tigers are looking to maintain their winning identity this weekend. "We have a lot of experience with Delaware," said Martirosian, who had game-winning goals against Yale and Old Dominion last fall.
"They're a good team, I know a lot of their girls from my summer league team. I know the Northeastern coach because she has been a national team coach. I think we really need to start fine-tuning things and make sure we'll all on the same page. We just need to get into the game."
It is likely that nobody on the field this weekend at Class of 1952 Stadium will be more into the game than Martirosian.
