RISING UP: Princeton Day School boys’ soccer player Eyal Yakoby goes up for a header in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, senior star Yakoby contributed two assists to help PDS rally for a 3-2 win over Lawrenceville. The Panthers, who improved to 3-6 with the victory, host Hun on October 3, play at Pingry on October 5 and then host Gill St. Bernard’s on October 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Eyal Yakoby struggled to join the post-game celebration after the Princeton Day School boys’ soccer team edged Lawenceville 3-2 last Saturday afternoon.

PDS senior star and co-captain Yakoby had ice packs taped to both of his calves as his legs gave out several times on the stifling afternoon, forcing him to hobble over to hug his teammates after the win.

“I got a lot of cramps in my legs which weren’t the most fun,” said Yakoby.

“I knew that I had to stick through it, I had to stay with the team. I had to play for my teammates, I had to play for myself.”

Giving his all before being sidelined, Yakoby picked up two assists as the Panthers rallied from a 2-1 first half deficit to forge ahead 3-2 by halftime and then hold off the Big Red to win by that score in a war of attrition as players from both teams suffered from the heat.

With PDS mired in a five-game losing streak, Yakoby and his teammates were determined to leave it on the field as they faced rival Lawrenceville on the school’s fall weekend

“We all had the mindset that we have to work hard this entire week,” said Yakoby.

“Saturday is the day. We haven’t had that many home games, it was going to be a big crowd. We have to just get our stuff together, practice hard, and put that into the game.”

Getting put into a new position up the field for the Lawrenceville game, Yakoby worked hard in his new role.

“I have been defender all season, that was the first game that I played attack,” said Yakoby.

“I like it. We just have to switch it up. It is about playing to our advantage and then looking to see how we can deconstruct the other team’s formation and play balls in.”

Hustling around the goal, Yakoby played balls in to set up classmate Nas Amer for the first goal of the contest and then got a pass to freshman Joaquin Rodriguez for the tally that made it a 2-2 contest.

“I was thinking that it wan’t going to go that far and Nas got it,” said Yakoby.

“It was a great step by him, he said let it go so I just tapped it to him. On the second one, I saw the ball coming in and I thought I could get there. The goalie got there at the same time. I was able to tap a pass and Joaquin was able to come in and capitalize on the opportunity.”

In Yakoby’s s view, the victory over the Big Red could be a game changer for the Panthers this fall.

“I think this win is a turning point in the season, we are going to extract the positives,” said Yakoby.

“There were also negatives in the game, just like every game. We got to work on our clearing, we have to work on set pieces. It is building blocks, it is just getting to playoffs, the prep Bs and to the MCTs.”

PDS head coach Ollie Hilliker concurred, noting that his team badly needed a win after a number of close losses.

“We have had a tough season so far, we are young right now,” said Hilliker, reflecting on the game which saw junior Chima Chukumba notch the winning goal with 7:13 remaining in the first half to help the Panthers improve to 3-6.

“No teams have killed us, we have been in games but we have been on the unfortunate end of results in 1-0, 3-2 games. Breaking that trend that has been going on is very important. I think that is a season-changing win for these boys, it needs to be a turning point for us. Their confidence was down from losing games and being so close, working hard and not coming out with a result.”

Yakoby displayed his toughness, grinding hard to generate scoring opportunities.

“Eyal got two assists off hard work: it isn’t about quality, it is about work rate,” said Hilliker.

“His work rate created two assists and two goals. That is what it comes down to at times. I said I don’t care how this looks. This isn’t about looking good, this is about getting a result and getting a win.”

Seeing his squad keep working through the heat on Saturday was heartening for Hilliker.

“Obviously we absorbed some pressure at the end, the boys were exhausted,” said Hilliker.

“We are thin, we don’t have numbers. We tried to rotate the boys as much as we could, it was survival in the second half. I am so proud of the work rate and the effort they put in today. It would be hard to find boys who are going to work harder than that in these conditions. They thoroughly deserve it.”

With PDS hosting Hun on October 3, playing at Pingry on October 5 and then hosting Gill St. Bernard’s on October 7, Hilliker is looking for his players to keep showing that kind of effort.

“We have a few days where we can regroup and get ourselves recovered from that and get a couple of sessions and build going into the Hun game,” said Hilliker.

“Over the last few weeks, it has been game, game, and game. I am proud of them and now we have to take that into the Hun game on Thursday.”

Yakoby, for his part, believes that PDS will build on the win over the Big Red.

“I can see in the weeks ahead that we are always going to use this game as an anchor for our practices,” asserted Yakoby.

“It will be remember Lawrenceville, remember how we played and remember how we outworked them. Remember this is our team, this is our season. We don’t get another one, every game is a big point for us right now.”