SURVIVAL MENTALITY: Princeton Day School girls’ soccer player Lilly Razzaghi clears the ball in a game earlier this season. Senior defender Razzaghi and her teammates survived a major scare in the opening round of the Mercer County Tournament last Saturday as top-seeded PDS edged No. 16 Hamilton 3-2 in overtime. The Panthers came back on Monday and topped ninth-seeded Robbinsville 3-0 in the MCT quarterfinals to improve to 14-1-1 and set up a semifinals clash with fourth-seeded Princeton High on October 30 with the winner advancing to the title game on November 2. PDS is also competing in the state Prep B tournament where it is seeded first and hosting fifth-seeded Rutgers Prep in the semifinals on October 31 with the victor earning a spot in the championship game on November 3. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

With her right thigh heavily taped, Brit Murray struggled as the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team hosted Hamilton last Saturday in the opening round of the Mercer County Tournament.

The PDS senior defender repeatedly misfired as the top-seeded Panthers found themselves in a battle with the upset-minded 16th seeded Hornets.

“I was having a horrible day with my free kicks,” said Murray. “I have a little hamstring injury but it is fine, it is getting better. I didn’t let it bother me.”

The scrappy Hamilton squad certainly bothered PDS, fighting back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to tie the contest 2-2 late in regulation and force overtime.

In the waning moments of the second overtime and the game apparently heading to a penalty-kick shootout, the Iona College-bound Murray had one last chance to find the back of the net as she lined up a free kick from 35 yards out.

“With 38 seconds left, I knew I had to show something,” said Murray. “I was really nervous because they have been really bad all day.”

Harnessing her nerves, Murray launched a soaring volley that flew over the Hamilton goalie into the back of the net, giving PDS the win and triggering a raucous celebration as Murray’s teammates mobbed her.

“Our mantra for the whole game was to never give up,” said a beaming Murray, reflecting on her moment of glory.

“We kept trying to score. I never gave up on that and just kept trying to get it in the net.”

Murray credited the Hornets with trying hard all game long and pushing the Panthers to the limit. “We knew they could come back at any time,” said Murray.

“They were really good on their free kicks and their corner kicks and in the air with the ball. We knew if we gave up any of those, they could come back which they did.”

The Panthers came back on Monday and topped ninth-seeded Robbinsville 3-0 in the MCT quarterfinals to set up a semifinals clash with fourth-seeded Princeton High on October 30 with the winner advancing to the title game on November 2.

PDS head coach Pat Trombetta wasn’t surprised at how hard Hamilton played. “We knew going into this game that they had nothing to lose,” said Trombetta, who got goals from Allison Klei and Erin Murray in regulation in the win over the Hornets.

“Any CVC team on any given day can beat anybody, that is how strong the county soccer is here.”

Trombetta lauded Murray for her display of skill and mental strength. “I give Brittany a lot of credit because her free kicks were off today but it is all about battling back and launching the one that counted the most,” said Trombetta. “That was a beautiful kick.”

The battle was even harder for PDS as two of its key players, Alexa Soltesz and Kirsten Kuzmicz, left the game due to injury.

“I thought we had control of the game but when one of your defensive forces Kirsten is not out on the field the tide starts turning,” said Trombetta.

“On that corner kick where they got the second goal, she is one of our girls that clears it and so we had a void there and they took advantage of it so I give them credit for keeping pressing the whole game.”

With the Panthers also competing in the state Prep B tournament where they are seeded first and hosting fifth-seeded Rutgers Prep in the semifinals on October 31, Trombetta is hoping that the win over Hamilton will spark his squad to a big postseason.

“The way I look at it, the girls know right now that there are no games that are going to be easy to win,” said Trombetta, whose team improved to 14-1-1 with the victory over Robbinsville.

“Each game is going to get more difficult. When you survive a game like this, you can go on a roll. It can be a momentum build-up for us as we go from there.”

Murray, for her part, is confident that PDS can keep rolling. “I feel like if we all work together we can get the job done,” asserted Murray.

“We need to play for each other and play for the people who are injured. We all want to win. There is a lot of pressure because everyone wants to beat us. Honestly, we just have to keep moving forward and keep being strong.”