Field Hockey Falls To Princeton, Finishes Season Seventh In Ivy League

Upper West Side NY

12 November, 2021

10:22 AM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MILES SCHACHNER AND STEPHEN DAMES NOVEMBER 11, 2021 Fighting against both time and its opponents, the field hockey team lost 5-1 in a decisive match against conference foe Princeton, cementing a seventh-place Ivy League finish for the Lions. In the final match of head coach Katie DeSandis's debut season, Columbia (8-9, 1-6 Ivy) could not stop the explosive offense of No. 16 Princeton (10-7, 6-1 Ivy). Even with exceptional play from fifth-year goalkeeper Alexa Conomikes—who made four stops in the first quarter alone—the Tigers' offense caught on fire in the second quarter, scoring three goals in a matter of minutes to put the Light Blue behind for good. Fresh off their Senior Day victory last week, the Lions were forced to be on the defensive almost immediately against the Tigers on Saturday. With three penalty corners and five shots in the first quarter, Princeton dominated possession, relegating the Lions to their side of the field for much of the game. With zero shots and zero penalty corners in the first quarter, the Lions could not get their offense moving, but with strong defensive grit and nimble goal-keeping by Conomikes, the Light Blue held off the Tigers for the first 15 minutes of play. Within minutes of the start of the second quarter, however, the floodgates opened. After intercepting a pass from the Lions, the Tigers earned a penalty corner. This time, the Light Blue's defense cracked. After an assist into the circle from forward Ophelie Bemelmans, midfielder Sammy Popper chipped the ball backwards into the net, earning her ninth goal of the season. Later in the quarter, the Lions earned their first penalty corner of the game, with senior midfielder Kelsey Farkas hitting the ball to fellow senior back Brooke Gasser, whose shot went just wide. Though its defense held out for nearly the rest of the quarter, the Light Blue allowed two goals in the last five minutes of the half, falling to a shot by Princeton back Claire Donovan and to a 28th-minute penalty stroke from Sam Davidson. While the Lions could not mount a comeback, their offensive and defensive effort improved in the second half. Columbia took four more shots in the second half than the first, and while the squad could not match the Tigers' output—an offense that ranks first in the Ivy League in goals scored—the Lions hung tough with Princeton for much of the last thirty minutes of the game. After Princeton midfielder Hannah Davey added a goal just thirty seconds into the second half, the game remained scoreless until the 54th minute of play. Then, junior forward Ellie Decker tipped in a goal off of an impressive pass from sophomore forward Annabelle Brodeur, disrupting the Tigers' chance at a shutout. The late score was Decker's fifth of the season, tying her with Farkas for the team lead. But the three goal deficit lasted just under four minutes, as the Tigers added another goal to bring the score to 5-1. The loss brought the series record between the two teams to 23-1 in Princeton's favor. The disappointing outcome against the tough Princeton opponent ends the team's season with an overall record just under 0.500 at 8-9 and an Ivy League record of 1-6 which is the program's worst mark since 2006. In what was a hopeful start after six consecutive wins—the best start in program history—the Lions only mustered two more victories, one against a Dartmouth team that was winless in the Ivy League and one against Rider University, a squad Columbia has not lost to since 2015. Much of the Lions' struggles can be attributed to injuries and ineffective offense. The team's leading scorers, Farkas and Decker, both missed multiple games in the heart of Ivy play, and the loss of Farkas, who was named to the U.S. Women's National Team, was particularly difficult. After the six game win streak to start the year, the Lions never scored more than two goals, finishing with an offense that was ranked fifth in the Ivy League. However, there are still bright spots from DeSandis' first year at the helm. Three Lions were named to All-Ivy teams: Farkas earned a spot on the first team while Conomikes and sophomore back Maya Walker were selected for the second team. Conomikes provided stout defense in goal throughout the fall, making 6.29 saves per game, the most in the conference and the seventh-best mark in the nation. Walker, a captain, was a dynamic contributor all year for Columbia, as she added three goals and three assists while anchoring the defense. As for the rest of the Ivy League, it was a familiar story at the top: No. 12 Harvard took home the conference while Princeton finished on the Crimson's heels. With an undefeated conference record and a 15-1 overall record, Harvard finished with the program's sixth-ever Ancient Eight title. The Crimson will represent the Ivy League this weekend in the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament. The Lions will look to next year to put together a team that could contend for the program's first Ivy League championship. Deputy Sports Editor Miles Schachner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @milesschachner. Staff writer Stephen Dames can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DamesStephen. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.