FINAL RUN: Princeton High field hockey star Julia DiTosto heads upfield last Thursday against Robbinsville in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals. Senior star and Stanford-bound DiTosto scored a second half goal to help second-seeded PHS edge the No. 3 Ravens 3-2 in overtime. The Little Tigers went on to fall 3-1 to 4-time champion Lawrenceville in the MCT finals. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Julia DiTosto wasn’t exactly thrilled when the Princeton High field hockey team headed into overtime against Robbinsville in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals last Thursday evening.

A year earlier, PHS had gone into overtime against Hopewell Valley in the MCT semis only to lose on strokes after neither team scored in the extra session.

“I think I almost started crying actually,” said senior star DiTosto, reflecting on her thoughts after second-seeded PHS and No. 3 Robbinsville battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation.

But stifling that initial emotion, DiTosto saw the extra session as a chance for a battle-tested PHS squad to wear down the Ravens.

“We are all just so tired already and to go into OT is a huge push,” said DiTosto. “The fact that we were able to dominate the entire second half shows how conditioned we are.”

With 2:26 left in the first OT period, PHS showed its skill as senior Trish Reilly rattled the back of the cage with a blast that gave the Little Tigers a 3-2 win and triggered an emotional celebration.

DiTosto was in the middle of the throng mobbing Reilly near the goal.

“Trish had a shot and she took it and it was awesome,” recalled DiTosto.

“She is always good on getting her shot off quick and having a hard ball. When it hit the backboard, I tackled her.”

In DiTosto’s view, the program’s first appearance in the MCT title game since 1998 was the product of a lot of hard work.

“This is the most deserving I have seen a team ever in my life; we deserve to be in the finals,” said DiTosto.

“We have worked so hard, we ran so much, we played so much. We have put in so many hours. It is great that we got to the step that we wanted.”

Moving up to the midfield from defense this fall, DiTosto has worked hard to improve her offensive skills. “This is my first year being more offensive than defensive,” said DiTosto, who had a goal in the win over Robbinsville.

“It is really fun to be part of the scoring aspect of the game because I had been hanging in the back with the defensive corners. It’s cool to be actually shooting the ball and getting it into the net.”

DiTosto is looking forward to a fun experience as she heads to Stanford University in 2015 where she will be playing for the school’s field hockey program.

“I am so excited about next year, they are doing so well,” said DiTosto. “They are in the top 3 in the nation right now, it is awesome.”

While PHS didn’t have an awesome game in the MCT finals, falling 3-1 to 4-time champion Lawrenceville, DiTosto is excited about the team’s prospects as it culminates the fall by competing in the state tournament. PHS, now 17-3, is competing in the North 2, Group 3 sectional, where it is seeded third and will host No. 6 Middletown South in a quarterfinal clash on October 30.

“I am looking forward to finishing off the season,” said DiTosto. “Hopefully we can win our section and do well in states.”