LINE OF FIRE: Princeton Day School field hockey player Caroline Haggerty goes after the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, junior star Haggerty helped spearhead a terrific defensive effort as third-seeded PDS fell 1-0 to top-seeded Lawrenceville in the Mercer County Tournament championship game. The Panthers, now 10-4, will be competing in the state Prep B tournament where they are seeded second and host third-seeded Morristown-Beard in the semis on October 24 with the victor advancing to the title game on October 28. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

In late September, the Princeton Day School field hockey team fell 3-0 at Lawrenceville.

When the local rivals met again last Saturday evening in the Mercer County Tournament title game, PDS was determined to turn the tables on the powerhouse Big Red, who had won six of the last seven county crowns coming into the contest.

“We know that they have two girls, both the Megs [Barnes and Hillman] on their team, who like to play with the ball a lot and that is usually who they get the ball to,” said junior star defender Caroline Haggerty. “We were trying to block them up.”

Haggerty and the Panthers blocked the Big Red most of the evening, holding the fort as Lawrenceville generated a slew of penalty corners but failed to score.

“We are always strong on defensive corners, and we were today,” said Haggerty. “They had so many but they could not score on a single one, so I think we were pretty successful there.”

With teams locked in a scoreless stalemate, Lawrenceville cashed in a disputed penalty stroke call as Audrey lazar scored with 1:10 remaining in regulation to help the Big Red pull out a 1-0 win and leave the Panthers heartbroken.

“We don’t agree with the stroke call, in our minds it was a 0-0 game,” said Haggerty of the defeat, which moved the Panthers to 10-4. “It is one of the best games we have played all season.”

While Haggerty was disappointed by the outcome, she was proud of PDS’ run to the title game.

“It is so great to be able to have such a competitive game, to be able to get farther than we did last year and to show we can be that good of a team,” said Haggerty, noting that the Panthers were eliminated in the MCT quarterfinals in 2017.

Haggerty has shown this fall that she can be a force on the back line for the Panthers.

“I have had to step up a bit more this year, we have to change a formation; we now have a 3-2-3-2 so Maddie [Izzard] and me in the back have to work off each other,” said Haggerty. “A lot of times it comes down to us. I have been working on getting lower myself.”

PDS head coach Heather Farlow liked the work she got from her players in the battle with the Big Red.

“We showed that we can compete with them and that we earned the right to be here,” said Farlow. “We played hard; it was back and forth. I think our defensive corner unit and defensive unit played phenomenally well.”

Farlow credited Haggerty with spearheading the defensive unit. “Caroline was phenomenal; she decided that she wanted to get there and she wanted to win,” said Farlow. “She just was all heart and grit. She really just toughed it out.”

Having the game decided by a stroke was a heartbreaking way for the Panthers to go down.

“To make that call with a minute and 10 seconds left; it is a critical call and it is a tough way to lose a game,” said Farlow.

“It is disappointing to play hard that entire game and then have that happen at the end.”

Farlow liked the toughness her players displayed in advancing to the MCT final for the second time in three years.

“It is huge; one of our goals was to get back to the Mercer County final because we wanted to play Lawrenceville again,” said Farlow. “We thought we could give them the toughest game out of anybody in the county.”

With PDS competing in the state Prep B tournament, where they are seeded second and host third-seeded Morristown-Beard in the semis on October 24 with the victor advancing to the title game on October 28, Farlow believes the disappointment from Saturday will fuel her players.

“I think it strengthens our resolve, we have to play Mo Beard on Wednesday,” said Farlow.

“Depending on how things play out between Stuart and Montclair Kimberley Academy in the other semi, we may have to go up there.”

Haggerty, for her part, is confident that the Panthers will show plenty of resolve as they go after the Prep B title.

“None of us want to have this feeling again; we don’t want to lose again,” said Haggerty. “We want to win.”