FINAL SHOT: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player Harry Bernardi gets ready to unload a shot as third-seeded PDS rolled to a 23-4 win over 14th-seeded Gloucester Catholic last week in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B. Last Thursday, senior star Bernardi scored three goals to help PDS rally to a 16-14 win over sixth-seeded Holy Spirit in the Group B quarterfinals. The Panthers, who improved to 14-6 with the victory, were slated to play at second-seeded Rutgers Prep on June 6 in a semifinal contest with the winner advancing to the final on June 10. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Things looked bleak for the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team as it fell behind visiting Holy Spirit 7-2 in the first quarter of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B quarterfinal last Thursday, but Harry Bernardi wasn’t fazed.

“We have been in this spot before,” said PDS senior attacker Bernardi. “The offense was doing their part. I knew it would shift into one of those games where the offense would dominate. I knew the defense would come back.”

In the second quarter, third-seeded PDS started to find a rhythm, narrowing the gap to 10-6 to sixth-seeded Holy Spirit at halftime.

“That gave us a little bit of confidence, being only down by four,” said Bernardi. “We knew the game was in reach. It was just wake up, honestly. We are a second half team usually.”

The Panthers woke up in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 10-4 over the final 24 minutes of the contest to pull out a 16-14 victory and improve to 14-6. PDS was slated to play at second-seeded Rutgers Prep on June 6 in a semifinal contest with the winner advancing to the final on June 10.

Bernardi stepped up in a key stretch of the rally, scoring a pair of goals in a span of 10 seconds in the third quarter as PDS narrowed the gap to 11-9.

“It was just close finishing, that is all it was really was; I got one off the face-off,” said Bernardi, reflecting on his heroics. “You just have to want it more. In the first half, they definitely wanted it more. That is why they were winning and it looked like they were going to win the game. It is little details like that, little goals that change momentum. That brought us closer.”

In securing the win, PDS freshman star Andrew Ahrens took over the game down the stretch, scoring three fourth quarter goals to end up with seven on the game.

“He has a great shot, probably the fastest shot on the team as a freshman,” said Bernardi of Ahrens. “He is really clicking when it matters most. He has been scoring all year, I can’t really say I am surprised.”

It mattered a lot for Bernardi and his fellow seniors to prevail as the quarterfinal matchup marked their final game on Baker Field.

“Definitely, the last game on this turf means a lot,” said Bernardi. “I have been playing on this turf my whole life. I am just embracing it really with all my boys.”

The Panthers have extra motivation to keep going as head coach Joe Moore announced before the season that he will be stepping down from the program after this spring.

“We always talk about the seniors’ last ride, it is Joe’s last ride,” said Bernardi.

As Bernardi goes through his last ride, he is trying to stay in the present.

“I honestly can’t really feel it yet,” said Bernardi, who is heading to the University of Wisconsin. “I know the second the season ends. I am going to be, Oh wow this is over, I am never playing lacrosse again.’”

Surviving the challenge posed by Holy Spirit had Bernardi confident that PDS will keep playing.

“All that matters is survive and advance, we ended strong,” said Bernardi. “We were down 10-6 and went on a 10-4 run. We are hot now, the first half is gone. That is all that really matters.”

PDS head coach Moore was uneasy as his squad dug the early hole.

“I was nervous; for me and a bunch of other guys out here it is do or die for all of us and then this thing is over,” said Moore. “None of us wanted this to be our last day. We had a really rough practice yesterday and I told the guys, you don’t prepare and this is what happens. That said, I knew we had the talent and it was just going to be a matter of who is going to take charge and are we going to have enough time to turn it around.”

Moore’s halftime message centered on seizing the day. “It was positivity and just stay tight,” said Moore. “We are in an adverse situation where we have been before so stick together.”

The PDS veterans stuck together to key the rally. “Our seniors and captains have really started to step up towards the last quarter of the year,” said Moore. “I give them a lot of credit for us turning it around today and putting the team on their backs.”

Moore credited Bernardi with playing a key role in the turnaround.

“Harry has been our guy, he has worked all four years and beyond for what has come to fruition in the last three weeks,” said Moore of Bernardi, who has tallied 38 goals and 10 assists this season.

“He has really changed a lot and has had a huge impact on a lot of the success we have had towards the end of the season. Harry did his thing today. It doesn’t surprise me because of how he has been playing recently.”

Another senior, Ace Ewanchyna, did a lot of good things in the win, taking over face-off duties, winning 12 of 19, and scooping up 10 ground balls.

“Ace is another guy who plays hard; I always say he is the heart of our team,” said Moore. “He is not going to shy away from any contact or any play. He will put his head down and go get a ground ball. If we don’t win some of those ground balls on the X, we probably don’t come out of here with a win. I think he was completely influential in the game.”

The blazing shot of Ahrens was also influential in the victory.

“He is amazing, it has been fun to watch him develop over the year,” said Moore of Ahrens who has tallied 42 goals and 28 assists in his debut campaign. “He has been consistent — that is the word that comes to mind. As a freshman to take on that type of role and stay that consistent throughout the course of the whole season says a lot about his talent and the way he plays the game.”

Junior standout Sebastian Rzeczycki displayed his talent and leadership against the Spartans, tallying three goals and six assists and now has 101 points this season with 60 goals and 41 assists.

“Seb has been great, his biggest influence on our program is his leadership,” said Moore. “The stats speak for themselves. He broke our single season goals record. He is breaking all kinds of records and doing all of these different things. The talent speaks for itself, but more than that he has developed into a great leader for our guys and we needed that.”

In Moore’s view, pulling out the tight win should give his team a lift as it heads into the semis.

“I think it was exactly what we needed, I would much rather have a competitive game going into a semifinals game,” said Moore. “We needed a good, competitive game to get up. I think our confidence is there. Physically we have got to recover and study our opponent.”

For Moore, his final season at the helm of the program has turned out to be a very good experience.

“It is tough, it is definitely not easy; this is my escape from real life stuff, I don’t know what I will do when it is over,” said Moore. “It has been so much fun, I think that has been the most fun I have had since I have been here. It has been a positive year from a record perspective. We just love this group of kids. They play hard, they stick together, and they are coachable so it makes our job fun as coaches. We can play with different looks and actually coach. It is definitely bittersweet, but I am happy to see that these guys are having fun and having a positive year.”

In order to have a positive ending, the Panthers will need to pay attention to detail.

“To me, when you talk about semifinals or finals, it is all about the details and everything that you do going into those games to make sure that you are going in with confidence and prepared,” said Moore. “That is what I was talking to our guys about.”

Bernardi, for his part, is confident that PDS can get it done.

“It is just play our game, that is it, there is no hidden message,” said Bernardi. “Defense plays their game, offense plays our game with long possessions, attacking when we need to. If we click, we can beat any team in this tournament.”