The Radcliffe field hockey team will face its stiffest test of the season today when it meets its counterpart from Princeton at 9:30 a.m. on the field behind Watson Rink.

The game, considered to be a grudge match to avenge Radcliffe's 3-1 loss at Princeton last year, will test the squad's ability to play together as a team against the stronger and more experienced Princeton group, coach Pippi O'Conner said yesterday.

'Really Up'

"The team is really up for this game," O'Conner said. "If Princeton is as skilled and keyed as last year, we're going to have a tough time holding them. We have the capability, but so far we haven't put it together."

The Princeton team, which handed Radcliffe its only defeat last year, is perenially strong because of the physical education requirement for girls, O'Conner said. This brings the team a greater turnout of players so it can develop more depth, she added.

The Radcliffe squad, in contrast, is suffering from a lack of incentive this year, O'Conner said. "We should have 35 girls trying out so they have to work to earn their position," she said. "As it is we have about 20 players, and I have to plead with them to come to practice. It's hard to produce a winning team that way."

O'Conner said she plans to keep the same lineup today she has used all season. Top players for the team, she said, are Nancy Sato at center halfback, Kathy Agoos at left wing, and Barbi Matson at goalie. The team so far this season has compiled a 4-4 record, with losses to Northeastern, University of New Hampshire, Southern Connecticut and Wellesley.

Hard-Fought Game

The game with Princeton last year was hard-fought, and O'Conner said she expects this year's rematch to be the same. Princeton is "definitely a very good team with a great coach and a strong organization," she said. "Basically, they spend more time practicing, and place more emphasis on competitive sports than we do."

"But we're ready for a good competition," she continued. "When you've got the biggest game of the season coming up, anything can happen."