The Agony Of Defeat

Hopefully you read yesterday's guest entry from Alex Henn about her experiences at the Ivy League men's soccer tournament. 

You did? Then you really loved it. You didn't? You can read it HERE.

When Alex asked TigerBlog for some guidelines, he told her that she should write about the emotions of the weekend. Clearly, she listened to him.

Her piece was all about emotion. She's far too young to know the significance of the words "the thrill of victory; the agony of defeat," and yet she's had the chance to experience its truest meaning this past weekend.

So did TigerBlog. 

By the way, this is where those words originated:

If you're in TB's age range, then you didn't need to watch that, though if you did, it probably gave you chills as well. 

Meanwhile, back at TigerBlog's weekend, there was the NCAA field hockey first and second rounds. For Ivy League champion Princeton, there was a 1-0 opening round win over Boston College Friday and then a tough 1-0 loss to St. Joe's in the quarterfinal Sunday on St. Joe's home field. 

Also Friday, the women's soccer team lost a 2-1 decision at Virginia in the opening round of its NCAA tournament. Like the field hockey team, the women's soccer team also won the Ivy League title — and then added the Ivy tournament crown as well. 

TigerBlog wasn't around the women's soccer players after their loss. He was around the field hockey team, though, and he expects the reactions were similar.

The immediacy of what happens in the NCAA tournament is something that has to be seen up close to truly be appreciated. It's there ... and then it's gone. In a blink. A great season that led a team to this point, to the NCAA tournament, ends in such an unforgiving way.

It hurts. 

It's one thing when a team overachieves and is "just happy to be there." It's one thing when a team is playing a far superior team and has no expectation of winning.

It's another when it's a 50-50 game against a 50-50 opponent. That was the case for the two Princeton teams this past weekend.

When it ends, you're left to mull over what might have been different, what move could have been made, what bounce went the wrong way.  The final horn can be the cruelest sound.

As you're dealing with your emotions, you're also watching the other team celebrate. It's a very, very, very emotional moment for everyone involved.

In the case of the field hockey team, the one bounce came with five minutes to go, when St. Joe's tucked in the only goal of the day. When the clock reached all zeroes, the Hawks and their fans celebrated wildly. They were off to the Final Four this weekend in Michigan. 

Princeton gathered in front of its bench, huddled together. There was everything to say, and nothing to say. 

It's a moment like this where sports are really something very unique. The thrill of victory on one side; the agony of defeat on the other. It was a cavernous emotional range that followed a razor-thin margin on the field. 

It's hurts. And it's supposed to hurt. And yet at the same time, it's very much worth the hurt, to go through all the things teams go to as a season progresses from preseason to this moment. Each season is its own unique organism, regardless of how many seniors were lost or starters return. 

Teams put in so much time together in all sorts of ways, and the games themselves are the smallest amount of time of all of that. TigerBlog has been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this from the inside of so many teams across so many sports through the decades he's been at Princeton.

The good news is that the agony fades. In the immediacy, the team gathers and then heads to the postgame tailgate. In college sports, somebody wins and somebody loses, but everyone eats. 

It takes more than a great buffet to make everything better though. It takes a while. It's different for everyone. 

There are some losses that will sting forever. But the agony? That raw emotion of the moment? 

That dissolves — and it leaves you with the knowledge that you gave it your all, did your best and had a great year.  

And you did it together. Nothing will ever change that, or ruin it. 

TigerBlog was in the field hockey huddle after the game Sunday. He saw the sadness and the tears, but he also knew that one day, they'd remember how special 2024 was for all of them more than anything else.