After not capturing the Ivy League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on Sunday, there were some anxious moments for the Princeton University field hockey team. As the Tigers watched the NCAA Division I selection show, there’s no doubt those worried looks turned to jubilant smiles when they saw Princeton come up on the screen. “Obviously, the result of the game Sunday was disappointing,’’ Princeton coach Carla Tagliente said of the loss to Harvard in the Ivy final. “However, it was hard to fully process the game because everyone’s thoughts immediately went to, ‘Are we in?’ It was a long eight hours from the end of the game until the selection show. When the team heard our name, there was a range of reaction from excitement to relief. A lot of hugs and definitely some tears. The girls are appreciative to have the opportunity to keep playing and see how far we can take this.” Princeton (13-5) will take the first step on Friday at 1:30 p.m. when it will face Boston College (14-6) on Ryan Field at St. Joseph’s University. This will be just the second meeting of the two schools. Princeton took a 3-2 win in the 1997 NCAA’s. The loss to Harvard was disappointing because Tagliente felt they got away from the things the Tigers do best. “We fell away from the core principals of how we have been playing which opened up an opportunity for Harvard,” said Tagliente. “There is value in losing in that it allows you to see more clearly the things you have been ignoring and the things you need to address. If we can respond and address the small changes needed, we can make a big run.’’ The Tigers are making their 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They have nine Final Four appearances and a championship in 2012. Boston College is making its 13th NCAA appearance. Princeton is led by Beth Yeager, who started every game this summer in Paris for the United States Olympic team. Yeager, who is the three-time Ivy Offensive Player of the Year, has 15 goals and 11 assists. “She just competes at a level that really I haven’t seen matched by any player in the country,’’ praised Tagliente. “Her work rate and the pace that she can play at for long stretches of play is incredible. She’s hard to mark out of a game because she covers so much ground on the field and understands how to create an overload. “Most impressive is her relentlessness on defense. She closes on her player so fast and causes a lot of turnovers. Teams aren’t able to play through our midfield which makes it easier for us defensively to organize structurally. She doesn’t cut corners. I’ve never seen her walking back in defense thinking someone else will handle the situation. She just has a never quit mentality no matter the situation.’’ Yeager gets help from Grace Schultze with four goals and six assists, former Lawrence star Talia Schenck has five goals and three assists, Ella Cashman has six goals, Pru Lindsey has four assists, and goalie Robyn Thompson has 1.10 goals against average. “BC is a very a good team,’’ Tagliente stated. “They are athletic and fast. They like to possess the ball for longer stretches of time which is very different than what we just saw from Harvard. We play a little bit similar in that regard. The key for us is to stay patient and disciplined with our build out. We need to execute better in our front end and create better scoring opportunities and more penalty corners. On the flip side of that, their corners are dangerous so we need to limit their opportunities.’’ The Eagles have the All-ACC Goalkeeper of the Year in Charlotte Kramer and first-team selection Yani Zhong. Peyton Hale and Eva Kluskens were second-team selections. The other first round game at St. Joe’s has the Hawks hosting Lafayette. Lafayette coach Jennifer Stone played at the George School. St. Joseph’s coach, Hannah Prince, played for Tagliente and was on the Tigers’ staff. “Hannah has done a great job with her group and I am very proud of her,’’ Tagliente stated. “Her success and her accomplishments are due in large part to her tireless work ethic and her passion to be great.’’ Having a great mentor didn’t hurt, either.