TRIPLE CROWN: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse star Morgan Mills unloads the ball in the state Prep B title game last week. Senior star and Princeton University-bound Mills tallied eight goals and two assists to help second-seeded PDS top fourth-seeded Montclair Kimberley Academy 19-13 in the May 16 title contest. It was the third straight Prep B title for the Panthers, who posted a final record of 10-4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Before Morgan Mills even came to Princeton Day School, she sensed that there was something special about its girls’ lacrosse program.

“When I was visiting PDS from England, coach [Jill] Thomas brought me into the lacrosse meeting and said this is a prospective freshman looking to come here and made me feel comfortable with the team even before I decided to come here,” said Mills.

“I think that speaks to her as a coach and the entire PDS community, just that they are willing to go the extra mile.”

Last week, senior star Mills ended her PDS career with an extra special performance, tallying eight goals and two assists to help the second-seeded Panthers defeat fourth-seeded Montclair Kimberley Academy 19-13 in the state Prep B championship game on May 16.

“It feels incredible, especially in my last game,” said Mills, reflecting on her performance as the Panthers won their third straight Prep B crown and finished the spring with a 10-4 record.

“PDS has given me so much so I am glad I can give a little back to the lacrosse program and be able to finish on such a high.”

In the win over MKA, the Panthers started the game on a high, jumping out to a 6-1 lead midway through the first half.

“The big concentration we have had for all of our games is to get out of the gate,” said Mills.

“I think today was the first time we immediately started the game and knew exactly what we had to do.”

Mills knows that she has a special on-field partnership with junior star Madison Mundenar, who tallied nine points on seven goals and two assists in the title game.

“It is fantastic knowing that Madison is always going to work incredibly hard to get open and she is always the one who is flashing for cuts, looking for feeds,” said Mills.

“With everyone on the team, we have a great chemistry. It is a testament to all of the team bonding that we do, both on the field and off that we really trust one another to be there.”

That trust came in handy as MKA narrowed the PDS lead to 11-8 at halftime and the Panthers looked to regroup for the second half.

“It was just keep our heads, maintain our focus, and not let them creep back in when we had the nice lead to begin with,” said Mills.

“It was just nice to take a deep breath and reconvene with our coaches, get a little water break, and really repeat what we knew we needed to do going into the game.”

Mills and classmate Abby Atkeson, the team’s
co-captains and only seniors, have focused on building a special team chemistry among the Panthers this spring.

“I think that this year we are a very, very close team,” said Mills. “We are friends, both in the hallways and on the field during practice. Sometimes there can be a little bit of disconnect between the upperclassmen because there are only two of us, we have to make sure that we did a good job connecting with them all.”

Helping the Panthers win a third straight Prep B title left Mills with mixed emotions.

“The growth that I have seen on this team is absolutely phenomenal,” said Mills, who is headed to Princeton University this fall where she will be playing for its women’s lax program.

“As a freshman, I came in and our program was really strong but it is crazy how much we have grown in the last four years. I am very sad but incredibly proud to be leaving this team behind next year. They are going to have even more incredible seasons.”

PDS head coach Thomas credited Mills and Mundenar with growing into a deadly one-two punch for the Panthers.

“It is really awesome for Morgan, what a way for her to go out,” said Thomas.

“They both have great stick skills and are both great shooters. To be able to feed each other and know the exact timing of things, it is great.”

After the game tightened up at halftime, the PDS defense showed its skill in holding off the Cougars in the second half.

“We made some adjustments on defense, we communicated a little bit better,” said Thomas.

“Their big guns were No. 7 [Lily Pryor] and 23 [Annie Wallace] and we had to do a little different execution on that. Atkeson was on 23 and Emma Dries was on 7. We said if they are going to beat us then they are going to have to do it without them. We took care of the ball and didn’t turn it over. Maddie Madani stopped up there and made some big saves in goal.”

In the view of Thomas, it was a big achievement for the program to earn a third straight Prep B title.

“It is pretty cool when you are on top and you begin your season, everybody has a little extra push against you and you have to play that much better,” said Thomas. “To be able to rise to the occasion, it is all good. It is a great job, I am really proud of the kids.”

Mills, for her part, was proud of how far she has come since the beginning of her career with the Panthers.

“The great thing about PDS is that because it is such a small school, everyone — the faculty, teachers, and students — have always reached out to me from the very beginning,” said Mills.

“I want to thank everyone, especially coach Thomas and the PDS staff for really helping me get here, watching me grow as a little freshman who had only been playing for one year.”