FINISHING TOUCH: Gretchen Lindenfeldar goes after the ball in action last season. Junior forward Lindenfeldar has emerged as a key scoring threat for the Panthers this season, tallying a goal in a 2-0 win over South Hunterdon on September 12 and then adding three more goals in a 7-0 rout of Academy of New Church (Pa.) last Wednesday. The Panthers, who improved to 5-0 with a 5-0 win over the George School (Pa.) last Friday, are slated to host Peddie School on September 22 and Blair Academy on September 24 before playing at Northern Burlington on September 27. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

After not scoring a goal in her first two seasons on the Princeton Day School field hockey team, Gretchen Lindenfeldar has mastered the art of finishing this fall.

Last week, the junior forward tallied a goal in a 2-0 win over South Hunterdon on September 12 and then added three more tallies in a 7-0 rout of Academy of New Church (Pa.) last Wednesday.

“I am very much a cherry picker,” said Lindenfeldar. “Whenever someone gets it across into the circle, I try to move the ball around the goalkeeper and get it in.”

In the win over ANC, Lindenfeldar scored midway through the first half to give PDS a 2-0 lead and then added two more tallies in the second half to notch her first career hat trick as the Panthers cruised to victory.

“We played on Monday on grass so coming back to turf was definitely much easier,” said Lindenfeldar. “We had a good mindset. Coach (Heather) Farlow, coach (Charlotte) Craddock, and coach (Mary) Sisson have instilled in us a very attacking mindset as opposed to our defensive mindset we had in the previous seasons.”

Lindenfeldar was not surprised that PDS kept rolling after building a 3-0 halftime advantage.

“I feel like we are a second half team; we really have great people who can get it up quickly through the midfield like Gwen Allen and Eva Petschnigg,” said Lindenfeldar. “Once they start going, it gives the forwards more momentum to get it in.”

Continuing its great start to the 2016 campaign, PDS improved to 5-0 with a 5-0 win over the George School (Pa.) last Friday.

“I feel that we have a really strong team, all the way from our defensive backs to center forward,” said Lindenfeldar. “Everyone is working together, we have a really good team dynamic.”

PHS head coach Farlow has been emphasizing a more dynamic offensive approach this fall.

“We have really tried to think offensively, getting into the offensive 25 and creating all the opportunities,” said Farlow.

“Last year we had to focus a lot on defense to stay in games and this year because the girls have more experience and they are playing outside of school, we are really able to focus more on offense.”

Lindenfeldar’s new-found scoring production reflects that focus. “It is confidence for Gretchen and being able to work with her on things like improving her specific movement inside the circle,” said Farlow.

“Charlotte has been wonderful; she knows her from club so they had a good relationship coming in. She said I haven’t scored in two years and we told her you are going to score a lot this year. She got that first one and now she believes in herself.”

Sophomore standouts Allen and Val Radvany have shown a greater self-belief, forming a potent one-two punch for the Panthers.

“They contributed a lot last year, offensively and stuff but they are just so much more confident,” added Farlow.

“They are not afraid to get the ball, they not afraid to shoot. When they step on the field, they don’t think of themselves as sophomores. They have matured a lot.”

PDS has also stepped up at the defensive end, starting the season with five straight shutouts as freshman goalie Lexie Hausheer has starred in the cage.

“The defense is in synch and then we have a transfer student, Eva, who is playing left back for us and doing well,” said Farlow, whose team outscored its foes 26-0 in its first five contests.

Building on a late surge in 2015 that saw the Panthers go 5-2-1 down the stretch, Farlow believes her squad is primed for the tests ahead.

“We are young and we are doing some really nice things,” said Farlow, whose team is slated to host Peddie School on September 22 and Blair Academy on September 24 before playing at Northern Burlington on September 27.

“We know we are going to have a tougher schedule in October, that will be the real test. I think last year they thought we have just got to keep the score down because they had a tough season the year before. This year, it is like no, we are going to win. We capitalized on the last half of the season last year and just kept going forward. I think that we can be competitive, very competitive.”

Lindenfeldar, for her part, is confident that PDS can keep on the winning track.

“We can play really well,” said Lindenfeldar. “We still have some tough opponents to come. I think we can make a name for ourselves.”