RAMMING IT HOME: Princeton High field hockey player Mia Ramirez, right, controls the ball in a game earlier this season. Junior star Ramirez scored the game-winning goal in overtime as top-seeded PHS edged fourth-seeded Allentown 4-3 in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals last Thursday evening. The Tigers went on to fall to second-seeded Hun in the MCT final last Monday in a penalty shootout after the foes tied 3-3 through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. PHS, now 13-2, will next be competing in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 sectional where it is seeded second and will host 15th-seeded Montgomery in a first round contest on October 27. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After losing 1-0 to Allentown on October 13 to suffer its first defeat of the fall, the Princeton High field hockey team was fired up when the rivals met for a rematch in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals last Thursday evening.

“When we lost to them the last time, it was just an off day,” said junior forward Ramirez. “We had possession the entire time — their goalie (Kylie Elefante) had so many saves and we couldn’t take advantage of our opportunities. Today we knew what we had to do.”

The Tigers didn’t waste any time finding the back of the cage in the game played at Lawrence High, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Delaney Keegan and Leah Rose-Seiden.

“We knew were controlling the game from the beginning,” said Ramirez. “We got up 2-0 to begin with — we knew that we just wanted it more.”

The Tigers, though, lost that control as Allentown tallied three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead into the fourth quarter.

“We knew that we weren’t going to give up no matter what,” said Ramirez. “We had to work as a team and keep it going and just keep pushing.”

Dominating possession in the fourth quarter, PHS broke through with a goal by senior star and Cornell commit Keegan with 8:59 in regulation to force overtime.

Heading into the extra session, the Tigers felt they had the momentum.

“We were very confident,” said Ramirez. “We knew that we weren’t going to give up and that is what we did.”

Just 45 seconds into the first overtime, Ramirez gave the Tigers the hard-earned win, firing home a goal.

“When I saw that ball, all I wanted to do was just throw it at the goal and just see what happened,” said Ramirez. “It came off a stick. I saw it and I pushed it towards the goal.”

PHS head coach Heather Serverson was not surprised to see Ramirez come through.

“Mia is one of our more confident, steady players, she just does great things out there,” said Serverson. “It is inevitable, eventually she is going to do something that is awesome. That is what we needed tonight, and that is what she did.”

Keegan produced an awesome effort, blasting hits from all over the field.

“Delaney is an amazing player. She sees the field so well, she hustles her butt off,” said Serverson. “She gets beat with a stick and keeps on going — you can’t ask for anything more. She is so sick right now and got beat up and was still able to play like that. She is very passionate but able to stay composed, and that is one of her best attributes.”

Staying composed helped PHS pull out the win over Allentown.

“In the past I have had teams where we have a goal scored against us and it just deflates everything,” said Serverson. “This team is not like that. They get mad when they get scored on, that is the difference. They come together in such a great way. The passing was on point, they were in the right positions, and they got feisty at the right time. It was just all perfect. I am so proud of them — they did an awesome job.”

Last Monday, PHS showed that feistiness again as they battled second-seeded Hun School in the MCT final. Similar to the semi, PHS jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and then found itself trailing 3-2 heading into the fourth quarter. Once again, Keegan tallied a game-tying goal and forced overtime. This time, however, PHS couldn’t break through as the foes remained tied after 20 minutes of overtime and the Raiders went on to win a penalty shootout 2-1 to earn the title.

Heading into the final, Ramirez believed that the Tigers had the right mentality to get that elusive county title.

“The last two years we have been knocked out in the semifinals and we really just wanted it,” said Ramirez. “This is what we have been working towards and I am so glad that this group of seniors can make this trip to the final.”

Those seniors will get another chance to make a final as PHS, now 13-2, will be competing State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 sectional. The Tigers are seeded second and will host 15th-seeded Montgomery in a first round contest on October 27.

The squad’s selfless approach will make it tough to beat in state competition.

“We just all work for each other; every minute on the field, we are just there for each other,” said Ramirez, whose teammates were chanting ‘Mia, Mia’ as she wrapped up her postgame interviews. “We want to do what we do for the person next to us. We just want to create opportunities as a team instead of individually.”