FIGHTING ON: Princeton Day School boys’ soccer player David Cedeno heads upfield in a game earlier this fall. Last Sunday, junior midfielder Cedeno, who was sidelined earlier in the season with a knee injury, contributed an assist as third-seeded PDS fell 2-1 to top-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s in the state Prep B championship game. The Panthers, who won seven of their last 10 games, ended the fall with an 11-7 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

David Cedeno could have given up on his junior season with the Princeton Day School boys’ soccer team when he injured his right knee earlier this fall.

Cedeno was sidelined for nearly two months with a torn ligament but gamely returned to action in time to play for PDS in its Mercer County Tournament quarterfinal clash at Princeton High.

“My first game back was against Princeton and I scored,” said Cedeno, whose tally was the lone score for the Panthers in a 2-1 defeat.

“I wanted it for a while. I fight for these boys and they fought for me. It is all about unity.”

Bouncing back from that setback, third-seeded PDS fought its way to the Prep B championship game, edging second-seeded Newark Academy 2-1 in the semifinals to earn a shot at top-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s for the crown last Sunday.

“We came in with a mindset that we are going to win it,” said Cedeno. “We were going to fight and no matter what, we were going to keep our heads high. We deserve to be here. We fought throughout the whole season and we deserved to be in the final so we came in with a high spirit.”

The Panthers produced a spirited effort against Gill. They fell behind 1-0 in the first half on a penalty kick but responded with several flurries, hitting the crossbar with one attempt. In the second half, the Knights extended their lead to 2-0 with 28:28 left in regulation. Less that two minutes later, PDS hit another crossbar and Cedeno helped convert the rebound into a goal as he fed sophomore midfielder C.J. Uche, who banged it home to make to a 2-1 game.

“We keep generating chances and eventually one is going to go in,” said Cedeno.

“I just thought get it back in there and get another chance. There was no need to sulk on what we missed. We have to keep trying and trying. In the end we did get the goal. It lifted our spirits very much.”

Over the last few minutes of the contest, PDS kept the pressure on, dominating possession and generating four corner kicks down the stretch.

“That’s what we were pushing for, we put three up top with Kevin Hagan, Connor Fletcher, and me,” said Cedeno.

“We said we are going to go for this game. We are not going to let it end like that.”

While things didn’t end in PDS’s favor, Cedeno was proud of the squad’s effort and resolve. “We got to give it to them, they played a great game as well, it is not like it was a fluke or anything,” said Cedeno.

“They played their game and we played our game. We just pushed and kept trying to score.”

Over the last month of the season, PDS has lifted its game, going 7-2 in its last nine games leading into the title contest as the team has come together.

“We have became a lot closer, it is like a family; we talk about that a lot,” said Cedeno. “We have become closer and in that sense we have become stronger as a team, both playing soccer and outside the field as well.”

PDS head coach Malcolm Murphy sensed that his team was primed for a strong effort on Sunday.

“I think we were well prepared for today and as the game showed, it was a pretty even game,” said Murphy.

“It could have gone either way from start to finish. I thought the seniors led the way very well, they are taking a lot of pride in driving the team forward. They have done very well in the last three or four games.”

That pride resulted in a show of resilience as PDS kept pushing forward to the last whistle.

“I thought today when it was 2-1 and we hit the bar, we were going to get the second opportunity,” lamented Murphy.

“It is a matter of inches in this game and that crossbar is four inches and twice it hit that and it kept them in the lead. The last 10 minutes, we pursued the result with a lot of venom, and I was thinking we were going to snatch it back. But it was not to be, it was just the time running out. We were applying the pressure and we were getting opportunities. At the end of the day, that is what you live and die by, making sure they are going in.”

Murphy credited Cedeno with helping PDS to generate opportunities down the stretch.

“He gave us the options at the end there, we went to a 4-3-3 for the last 15 and it gave us a lot more movement up top,” said Murphy.

“I think David played well, he is going to get better and better because he is a good player. Once he is completely over the injury, he will do well again.”

Flashy sophomore Uche did very well against Gill, looking like the most dangerous player on the field for stretches.

“C.J. wanted it bad, he was driving the midfield on,” said Murphy. “Sometimes it is hard to keep his discipline and keep his shape but he was giving us the advantage and getting the numbers attacking through the middle. He did very well.”

In Murphy’s view, PDS has the potential to do very well next year. “I think we do have a great future,” said Murphy. “If you can instill in them to go out and play and give it your best shot every time, you are always in with a chance of a result and you see where that takes you.”

Cedeno, for his part, thinks the Panthers can build on their late surge.

“We know we can do it, we know we can get to the finals,” asserted Cedeno. “We are going to miss our seniors but I know we are going to push on and still fight and next year is going to be a big year for us as well.”