CLEAR-MINDED: Princeton High girls’ soccer player Zoe -Tesone clears the ball in action this fall. Junior defender Tesone shored up the PHS back line, helping the Little Tigers reach the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional semifinals. PHS ended the season with an 11-5-1 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Playing at fourth-seeded Monroe in the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional quarterfinals, the fifth-seeded Princeton High girls’ soccer team felt it had the blueprint for an upset.

“We knew what we were up against, we knew their best attackers and their formation and stuff,” said PHS head coach Val Rodriguez, reflecting on the matchup. “The girls understood the game plan from the start and they were psyched up.”

The Little Tigers went out and executed that game plan, sparkling at both ends of the field as they pulled off a 2-0 victory.

“They went in with that go-getter attitude from the start,” said Rodriguez. “I think it was the one of the best, if not the best, complete 80 minutes game that we have played.”

PHS took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal by senior Taylor Lis and then doubled its advantage when sophomore Colette Marciano found the back of the net in the second half. Senior goalie Rachel Eberhart made five saves in earning the shutout.

“The goals were beautiful too, I have to give the girls credit on those,” said Rodriguez.

“Taylor had one where she was served the ball facing away from the goal and she turned on the girl and just popped it over the goalie’s head. Marciano got the second one. We had a great cross and she took her time, she got composed, and just opened up and and hit a nice one-time shot into the left hand side of the goal.”

The squad’s Class of 2016 came up big as seniors Haley Bodden and Gabrielle Deitch chipped in assists to go with the goal by Lis and Eberhart’s fine play as the last line of defense.

“The seniors absolutely stepped up,” asserted Rodriguez. “They knew what was at stake, they really came to play for us.”

PHS couldn’t pull an upset in the sectional semis as it fell 3-0 to top-seeded and eventual Group 4 state champion Freehold Township.

“We did the best we could, we held them as long as we could in the first half and for 50 minutes or so,” said Rodriguez, whose team was knotted in a scoreless tie at halftime against Freehold.

“As soon as we gave them any kind of space, they countered on us. They had strength everywhere on the field. The girls did their best. We played very, very well but we were outmatched.”

As the game headed into the waning moments, Rodriguez rewarded her large senior class with a special gesture.

“The girls left everything on the field,” said Rodriguez. “We have 11 seniors so I put them all on the field to end the game; to be able to end with 11 seniors finishing off their last game together was special.”

In Rodriguez’s view, that contingent of seniors brought a lot of special things to the team.

“Typically your seniors are your captains and you have a couple of extras; this year we had 11 total and asking them to have the same vision and stay on the same page all the time isn’t always that easy,” said Rodriguez, who relied on senior tri-captains Bodden, Lis, and Deitch to guide their classmates.

“I think it was more challenging for the captains than they anticipated but it brought a lot of character, a ton of heart, and a ton of dedication.”

In reflecting on her squad’s 11-5-1 campaign, Rodriguez saw the dividends stemming from the dedication displayed by the players.

“I am pleased, if I look back I would say maybe there were two blemishes that I wish I could get back and I think the girls would agree,” said Rodriguez.

“Overall I think they played hard, they did their best. They produced at times when we asked them to produce. They did a good job.”

While graduation will leave a void for PHS, Rodriguez believes that the program is in good shape.

“We are losing a ton but the nice thing is that we are keeping our entire defense intact,” said Rodriguez.

“We also have two of our center mids coming back so it is a good core of the team. It is always good to start with a defense.”