GALE FORCE: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Abaigeal Ryan fires the ball up the field in a game earlier this season. Last Monday, junior  standout Ryan tallied a game-high four goals as PHS defeated Robbinsville 17-2. The Little Tigers, now 6-1, play at Washington Township on April 12 before hosting Notre Dame on April 17. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

In her first two years on the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team, Abaigeal Ryan toiled on the squad’s defensive unit while her older sister, Julia, helped spark the attack.

But this spring, with Julia heading to Temple and playing for its women’s lax team, the younger Ryan has moved up the field and has picked up the slack left by her sister.

“Last year I was playing defense and I got to take my sister’s spot and come up into the midfield,” said Ryan. “I was really excited.”

Ryan has developed an exciting partnership with sophomore star Mariana Lopez-Ona.

“It is really fun, getting the draw, working with Mariana  really well in the circle,” said Ryan.

“Getting possession and then being able to run down is something I wanted to do the last two years.”

Last week, that pair clicked as PHS pulled away to a 19-6 win over WW/P-South as Ryan tallied three goals and an assist while Lopez-Ona chipped in eight goals and two assists.

“In the beginning sometimes it is a little rough, starting out but once we get the hang of it, you get it together,” said Ryan, reflecting on the April 4 contest which saw PHS leading just 7-4 at halftime.

“I think once we all settled down and everyone stopped, all the jitters went away and we calmed down. It was really easy for us to find the openings and for everyone to shine and show their skills off and then everything just got rolling.”

In Ryan’s view, PHS’s 14-9 win over two-time defending state Prep B champion Princeton Day School on March 30 showed how good the Little Tigers can be.

“We beat PDS last week and that was huge,” said Ryan. “They are a really good team and we have lost to them in the past few years so it was really awesome for us to come back and beat them this year. We beat North and then we beat South. We are just really excited to move forward this season and play really good teams and show our stuff.”

Ryan is looking forward to reuniting with her sister as she has committed to attend Temple and play for its women’s lax program.

“I am going to play with her for another few years, “ said Ryan.

“She is loving it there, she is doing great. Once she graduated last year I realized how I am really going to miss playing with her so when Temple offered me a spot, I couldn’t give up the opportunity to play with her again.”

PHS head coach Sara Doran likes how Ryan is thriving in her new role on the team.

“She is fantastic, her height is such an asset, she has great ball control and a really solid shot,” said Doran of Ryan who scored a game-high four goals last Monday as PHS routed Robbinsville 17-2 to improve to 6-1.

“She knows when to feed the ball and when to drive and does both really well. She has been great for us on the draw too, getting possession.”

The Little Tigers possess another great weapon in the prolific Lopez-Ona, who tallied three goals and an assist in the win over Robbinsville.

“Lopez-Ona is great with possession on the draw and her shot is always top notch,” said Doran. “She is just a great shooter.”

PHS is displaying some great chemistry on the field. “The girls are really looking for each other out there; they are working together as a team,” said Doran.

“When I look and see that many of our goals are off of assists, that is always a positive and a sign that they are looking for each other. I am happiest about the way we are playing as a team; that is what I have been focusing on. It is just a lot of team bonding and trying to get the girls to understand the importance of it being a team effort.”

Doran is getting good effort throughout her lineup. “We have a lot of depth, we have a lot of girls that do a lot of the grunt work like Serena Bolitho, she is getting the ground balls, and Georgia McLean is like that too,” said Doran.

“We are just working hard all over the field, from the defensive end to the offensive end. I think that is what we are going to have to do against the top teams.”

Ryan for her part, believes that staying composed is another key to success for PHS when it goes against top competition.

“Everyone gets really excited and amped up and sometimes that goes into aggression and forcing things,” said Ryan.

“We need to work on settling down because once we settle down and everyone moves around, we can really dominate.”