strive vs take the field against

strive

verb
  • To try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently. 

  • To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest. 

  • To vie; to compete as a rival. 

take the field against

How often have the words strive and take the field against occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )