Guest TigerBlog - The Joy, Excitement And Optimism Of Alex Henn

 

Alex Henn is new to Princeton's Office of Athletic Communications. She is a recent graduate of Georgetown, and this is her first post-college job.

Is it off to a good start? Well, she's the sport contact for three fall sports: men's and women's cross country and men's soccer. And how are those teams doing? Both cross country teams won Ivy League championships, and the men's soccer team just took down Cornell and Penn to win the Ivy tournament, earning a spot Thursday at Akron in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. 

Alex was in Philadelphia this weekend for the soccer tournament, and she'll be with the Tigers as they head to Ohio. To say that she was nervous before the tournament would be a bit of understatement. To say she was excited would be likewise, though it's the good kind of nervous and the good kind of excited — the kind that, as TigerBlog always says about himself, shows that she's in the right field. 

After Princeton's win the other day, TB asked Alex if she'd like to write a Guest TigerBlog about her experience at the Ivy tournament. He told her it needed to be 500-700 words; she sent him back nearly 1,400. After he read it, TB texted her to say that it made him smile. He's pretty sure you will smile too.

Well done, Alex:

Optimism. 

 

When I walked into my hotel room on Thursday night, beginning my trip with the Princeton men’s soccer team to Philadelphia for the Ivy League tournament, that’s what I first noticed: a fairly tacky, generic, yet encouraging piece of wall art that simply said, “optimism.”  

 

At the risk of sounding dorky, I consider NCAA soccer postseason to be the best time of the year. For soccer fans, November and December are always sure to bring lots of emotions and memories, all with the backdrop of a graying Autumn and the start of the holiday season. 

 

This year, however, is extra special. It is my first year at Princeton, and the first round of postseason play for my Fall sports. And after both the men’s and women’s cross country teams won their Ivy Championships at home, I was lucky enough to travel with men’s soccer to its appearance in the Ivy League tournament this weekend.

If you’ve been following the team’s season at all (you should already be following @princetonmsoc), you’d know that this season has been an exciting one for the Tigers — full of grit, exceeding expectations, lots of wins and lots of joy. 

 

Beginning our trip to the tournament was no different. The week prior, we lost to No. 12 Penn at home 1-0, closing out our regular season. The team really felt the loss, and with it, Princeton became the No. 3 seed in the tournament while Penn won the Ivy championship and the ability to host the Ivy tournament.

Despite that lingering fresh in their minds, and mine, I couldn’t help but pick up on a different energy heading to Philadelphia. That was confirmed when I walked into room 1120 and saw the sign that read: optimism. 

 

If you’re someone like me, hope can sometimes feel presumptuous, especially when it comes to sports.

 

If you ever see me knocking on a table three times or worrying about what color my nails are painted or what I was wearing at the last win, or any of the things I get superstitious about when it comes to my teams, it’s because I’m just afraid to jinx it. And hope is something I usually consider to be a jinx. 

 

This time, however, I didn’t feel that way. From talking to the players at breakfast or joking with the coaches, everyone was happy to be there, together, playing the sport they love with people they love. The Tigers have trust in themselves, and it inspires belief and trust in them from others. I have been privileged enough to get a front row seat to that this season. 

 

Going into Friday’s semifinal against No. 16 Cornell (the No. 2 seed in the tournament), I had a cautiously good feeling. Shockingly, that didn’t go away when Cornell was the first to score in the game, despite how it probably looked as I was pacing in the press box.

 

I still wasn’t rattled when they added another, putting the Tigers down 2-0. A 3-2 Princeton win is what it’ll have to be, I thought. And that’s exactly what happened.

Not once did it feel like we were out of that game, and time seemed to slow down. The team adapted, and made two goals happen in regulation time, with Nico Nee scoring an incredible equalizer with just seven minutes left in the match (if you haven’t seen the clip, it was a perfectly timed volley, and you should definitely check it out). 

 

Going into overtime, I felt more confident than I had the whole game — so much so that I moved from my usual spot in the press box down to the bench so that when we scored, I could run out with the team and document the celebration. 

 

I was filled with adrenaline, eyebrows contorted together in concern and hands clasped together in worry as my eyes were locked on the field. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were going to get it done. The Tigers were inches away from a huge win and a spot in the championship game, and there was no way anyone was going to take that from them — you could just tell. 

 

Minutes later, I watched the game-winner from Daniel Ittycheria roll into the net, and before I could register what happened, the team and I were off. 

 

I was beaming from ear to ear, but that was nothing compared to the joy the athletes were feeling —  screaming and hugging each other; I think the phrase “let’s go” must have been yelled in record-breaking numbers (with my contributing at least a few). 

 

I was overwhelmed with the excitement and pride I had for the guys after seeing how hard they worked, in that insane 3-2 comeback win and throughout the whole season.

I was recording everything on my phone, but I was mentally documenting everything too. It was a moment I know I will cherish for a long, long time.

 

Saturday was a mix of feeling the joy from winning the night before and shifting focus to the task ahead: a rematch with Penn, this time on the Quakers’ home field, and for an Ivy tournament championship and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

 

We ate, like, a lot of food. We went to the field for a kickaround. The team rested; I caught up on work. Before we knew it, Championship Sunday was here.

And despite the daunting task ahead, combined with the fact that they had been through a tough, physical game less than 48 hours before, the energy in the team room was overwhelmingly positive. We were excited. Aware of the pressure, yes, but confident. 

 

As got to the field, the team knew its mission for the day. They all were ready to do it their way: with joy, and together. Princeton would go on to win the tournament, doing so with a dominant 3-1 victory.

 

This happened just one week after losing to the same team in Princeton (not to mention that Penn hadn’t lost at home since November 6, 2021, which was incidentally a 1-0 loss to Princeton during the Tigers’ undefeated Ivy campaign that year).

It was a moment well-deserved, but not at all taken for granted. The joy was palpable. And I finally exhaled — that cautious optimism I had was realized; the Princeton Tigers were the winners of the 2024 Ivy League tournament. 

 

The moment the team had been working towards all season finally came. And I was, and still am, as I write this, just absolutely thrilled for them. 

 

The work isn’t done now though. We now look to the NCAAs where Princeton will travel to Ohio to face the Akron Zips on Thursday. 

But with an exciting tournament under their belt, and an SID who will still get extremely nervous before the game, the Princeton Tigers will be ready for the next challenge. And it’s because they have the fight, the determination and the belief necessary. 

It also helps that they’re really good at soccer while being really cool people too. I’m not just saying this as someone who works with them; you really just can’t help but root for these Tigers. 

 

In such big moments, I always try to remember that it’s the joy we feel, and the nerves and stress and love of the sport regardless of any outcome, that makes this time of year so special. 

 

The hope creates the standout memories, the ones that keep us coming back to the teams after every game, win or lose.

But boy is it fun when we win.

So later this week when I’m a ball of nerves all over again for our NCAA first round game (looking at you, my OAC colleagues), just know I’m loving every second of it. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for my team.

And just to add one more to the books: LET’S GO TIGERS!!!!!!