EARLY SALVO: Princeton High girls’ soccer player Devon Lis controls the ball in recent action. Last Wednesday against visiting WW/P-South, Lis scored an early goal to set the tone as PHS pulled away to a 3-0 win over the Pirates. The Little Tigers, who tied Robbinsville 0-0 last Friday in moving to 2-2-1, host Nottingham on September 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Devon Lis is primed to shoulder more responsibility this fall in her senior season with the Princeton High girls’ soccer tam.

“I am definitely stepping up into that leadership position, I want to push our team,” said Lis, who is serving as the co-captain of the squad with classmate Colette Marciano.

“I want to get us going and make those key plays that keep everyone in the game and pumped up to win.”

Last Wednesday, star midfielder Lis did just that as PHS hosted WW/P-South, curling in a brilliant volley to give the Little Tigers a 1-0 lead just over 10 minutes into the contest.

“I was dribbling across the 18 and I saw the goalie cheated over to the right a little bit so I thought I could hook it in the left corner,” said Lis.

Having lost 2-1 to both Steinert and Notre Dame in its last two games before facing WW/P-South, PHS was hungry to get back in the win column.

“We definitely had a positive energy coming in; we wanted to do well, we wanted to prove ourselves,” said Lis.

“We are a good group. I think that goal was great to set the tone for the team.”

Building on the energy from the tally by Lis, PHS got goals from Morgan Beamer and Abaigeal Ryan in the next 10 minutes and never looked back on the way to a 3-0 victory.

In Lis’s view, the three-goal output was a sign that PHS is finding an offensive rhythm.

“We have really clicked, we have a great chemistry on the field and off the field,” said Lis.

“We are really working on finding the end line, getting it back and crossing it. We have super fast forwards (junior transfer Camille Franklin and sophomore Kirin Kunukkasseril) and we can really make use of that.”

With 11 seniors on the PHS squad, there is a sense of urgency this fall.

“We all want to have a great season, we all want to have a winning season,” said Lis, who is headed to Georgetown University where she will be playing for its women’s soccer program.

“We have experience on the team already so there are no nerves; we just want to come out and play.”

PHS head coach Val Rodriguez credited Lis with helping the Little Tigers get off to a great start in the win over WW/P-South.

“It was a nice lift from her just to keep the ball at her feet, to be the player and take a nice shot to make that statement, hey we can do this,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was happy to see her team bounce back from the tough losses to Steinert and Notre Dame.

“We had some ups and downs in both games,” said Rodriguez.

“It is the beginning of the season, we are just trying to figure things out and get our rhythm.”

Seeing Beamer and Ryan get on the scoresheet was a plus for PHS.

“We have got more people scoring, that is a great thing,” added Rodriguez.

“That is our message, we are a team of 22 and every single person has a really important role. We all have to have the confidence and courage to move into the attack and do something with the ball.”

Franklin and Kunukkasseril’s play in the attacking end was a bright spot for the Little Tigers.

“I really liked what Kirin did on the field, she played hard and won some 50/50 balls for us,” said Rodriguez.

“She took the ball to the end which is what we were asking of her. Camille is working hard, she is coming along. She is new into the mix. She knows what she is doing, she was a good pickup.”

On defense, sophomore Lauren Rougas gave PHS some solid work. “Lauren is doing a really good job in her role, communicating better and keeping the defense organized,” said Rodriguez, whose team tied Robbinsville 0-0 last Friday in moving to 2-2-1 and will host Nottingham on September 26.

Lis, for her part, believes PHS can have a really good season. “We have a lot of potential, I think we can be up there,” said Lis. “We just have to prove ourselves, today was just the beginning for us.”

—Bill Alden