HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: Princeton High girls’ soccer player Kirin Kunukkasseril, right, battles for the ball in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior midfielder and Gettysburg College-bound Kunukkasseril scored a goal to help PHS defeat Trenton 6-0. The Tigers, who defeated WW/P-North 3-0 last Friday to improve to 5-1-1, are playing at Ewing on September 26 before hosting Hamilton West on October 1. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even though the Princeton High girls’ soccer team wasn’t pushed as it cruised to a 6-0 win over Trenton last Wednesday, Kirin Kunukkasseril saw the victory as a valuable effort despite the lopsided score.

“We were just learning, working off passes together, getting runs together for future games,” said PHS senior midfielder and co-captain Kunukkasseril. “We just need to get the basics down, this is a game where we could work on that.”

Kunukkasseril got something that she needed in the win when she tallied the second goal of the game.

“I was happy I was finally able to finish one; that was my first goal this season,” said Kunukkasseril.

“I am playing attacking mid and it was good to get my adrenaline going. I was able to finish an in-line cross.”

The Tigers have been playing with a lot of adrenaline this fall, fueled by an upbeat mentality.

“I think the team chemistry is great, everybody is so happy to be here every game,” said Kunukkasseril.

“In every practice, people have been working hard. Our possession is great. We are doing that every practice and it really shows that it is changing and getting better every game.”

As she goes through her final campaign for PHS, Kunukkasseril is determined to make the most of every game and practice.

“It has been great, I am so happy for this season,”said Kunukkasseril.

“I just want to give it my all and do whatever I can do for this team, not just for myself but leave a legacy.”

Serving as a team captain along with classmates Shaylah Marciano, Lauren Rougas, and Morgan Beamer, Kunukkasseril has been giving advice to her teammates.

“I feel just being able to talk, speak my mind and show my soccer IQ has been great,” said Kunukkasseril. “I have been playing since I was 5.”

Even with that extensive background in the game, Kunukkasseril is still  honing her skills.

“I have been working on touch passes and I did a lot of wall ball over the summer,” said Kunukkasseril, who is headed to Gettysburg College where she will be playing for its Division III women’s soccer program. “I have been doing one-on-one training for shooting for college.”

In reflecting on the win PHS head coach Val Rodriguez said her squad was able to work on some finer points of the game.

“We have to continue to work on shape, possession, speed of play, connectedness and communication, all of those things are still keys in a game like this,” said Rodriguez, who also got goals from Eva Petrone, Moji Ayodele, Molly Frain, Rougas, and Beamer in the win over Trenton.

“We wanted to work the end line a little bit and set up corner kicks and get more effective on that. We want to be more dangerous on set pieces and defend set pieces better. I think that is something that is going to be key to our success down the road.”

Rodriguez was happy to see Kunukkasseril enjoy some success around the goal against Trenton.

“That was a good confidence booster for Kirin, she is doing such a good job distributing to the other girls,” said Rodriguez.

“She works hard and she deserves it. The goals are coming, she is  a very effective player.”

PHS boasts two very effective players in junior Vanessa Ponce and senior Rougas.

“Vanessa is a very, very tricky player; she is unpredictable,” said Rodriguez.

“Sometimes that works for us, sometimes that doesn’t. Sometimes she lays a ball off and she is so soccer smart that the other players aren’t there yet. Those are the kind of things that are exciting for the future. If we can get her and Kirin on that same page, the combination play will be unstoppable. Lauren has found her home in center mid recently. We put her up on every set piece regardless because she gets in the air more than any kid does.”

Reflecting on the first few weeks of the season, Rodriguez believes her players are getting on the same page.

“We are making good progress, you have to learn how to battle early on so you have a fighting chance at the end of the season,” said Rodriguez.

“You can get banged up early on and still be fine later. This team has put themselves in difficult situations like Steinert (a 1-1 tie on September 16), for example, and we have made it through the end of the game. We have been productive and we have continued to play our soccer and our system. The kick and run game is never effective for Princeton, that is not our forte. Building the play is something that we focus on.”

The Tigers, who defeated WW/P-North 3-0 last Friday to improve to 5-1-1, will look to keep building momentum.

“We have to stay hungry, nobody can be complacent; we have to look at every game, one game at a time,” added Rodriguez, whose squad plays at Ewing on September 26 before hosting Hamilton West on October 1.

“That is what it comes down to, learning as much as we can about ourselves and continuing to critique it and improve.”

In the view of Kunukkasseril, PHS needs to be hungrier around goal as it heads into the stretch drive of the season.

“We need to work on improving the give-and-goes and finishing,” said Kunukkasseril.

“We are able to get to the final third but finishing is where we are struggling the most. If we can get people to finish the ball and get aim on their shots, we will be set for those games.”