RISING TO THE OCCASION: Princeton Day School girls’ soccer player Madison Coyne, right, goes up for a header in recent action. Last Sunday, freshman standout Coyne tallied the lone goal as top-seeded PDS edged No. 2 Morristown-Beard 1-0 in the state Prep B championship game. The Panthers ended the fall with a 12-4-3 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Abby Atkeson acknowledges that the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team wasn’t on the same page early this fall.

“In the beginning of the season, we had a hard time being positive,” said sophomore midfielder Atkeson, reflecting on PDS’s shaky 2-2-1 start.

But after PDS topped Robbinsville 2-1 in a Mercer County Tournament consolation game last week, Atkeson believed the Panthers were poised to make a run for the state Prep B title.

“This is exactly what we needed,” said Atkeson, who scored a goal in the October 28 contest with the Ravens. “I definitely think we will carry this energy over into the rest of the week.”

After top-seeded PDS defeated No. 5 Newark Academy 3-0 last Thursday in the Prep B semis, the Panthers earned a title game rematch with second-seeded Morristown-Beard last Sunday.

With Mo-Beard having topped PDS 2-0 in the 2013 Prep B final, Atkeson and her teammates were determined to turn the tables on the Crimson.

“As our coach [Pat Trombetta] said, they rained on our parade last year so there was a little bit of a grudge,” said Atkeson, noting that the prep game last year came less than 24 hours after PDS had won the Mercer County Tournament championship. “I think we can do it.”

Playing with energy and a chip on its shoulder, PDS avenged that loss, edging Mo-Beard 1-0 to earn its third Prep B title in the last seven years and finish the fall with a 12-4-3 record.

But in a microcosm of the fall, things didn’t come easily for the Panthers. “Alexa Soltesz went down with a concussion in the semis,” said head coach Trombetta, referring to his star senior striker.

“It was hard to regroup. We had a walk-through on Friday to go through our game plan.”

Part of the plan involved giving sophomore Allison Klei more of a role in the attack.

“We pushed Allison Klei up top, she became the offensive threat,” said Trombetta.

“She created a number of opportunities, one of them hit the post and another went wide.”

Although the teams were locked in a scoreless tie at the half in the title showdown, Trombetta liked his team’s chances.

“The message at half was that we were playing well and keep it up,” recalled Trombetta.

“Mo-Beard had the wind in the first half and that was a big advantage. We thought that since we held them scoreless with the wind, we were in good shape.”

A key factor in shutting down the Crimson was the play of freshman goalie Grace Barbara.

“Grace played out of her mind,” said Trombetta of Barbara, who made 12 saves in earning the shutout. “She made some elite saves, three times she leaped and punched balls out over the bar.”

Another freshman standout, Madison Coyne, provided the margin of victory for PDS with a second half goal.

“We moved Madison to defense and she attacked from the back,” said Trombetta.

“From playing on an elite club (YMS) she has a good understanding of the game. She saw space and made a run through seam and Kirsten [Kuzmicz] got her a through ball and she stuck it from 25-30 yards.”

The pair of Atkeson and freshman Rebecca Kuzmicz, made a vital contribution along the back line.

“Going into game, they had big offensive threats we were concerned about,” said Trombetta.

“Kristy Cotter had 24 goals and is an All-American and Dani Kabat, who is getting recruited by D-1 teams. We put Abby on Dani and she did a great job. Rebecca Kuzmicz ended up playing the All-American and she really stepped up.”

Two key seniors, Stef Soltesz and Kirsten Kuzmicz, also stepped up big time in their final appearance for the Panthers.

“Stef did her job in the back, sometimes you take her for granted but she was the savior several times,” said Trombetta. “We pushed Kirsten up to attacking midfielder and she got the assist on the goal.”

Once PDS took the lead, it was determined to hold on and avenge last year’s title game loss to Mo-Beard.

“It was a great defensive effort,” said Trombetta. “After we got the goal, we turned it up a couple of notches. We knew what happened last year, we were coming off of the MCT win and we lost. You never want to lose a game like that at home. We didn’t want that to happen again.”

Trombetta was thrilled to see his group of seniors prevail in their final game. “I am so happy for the seniors,” said Trombetta, whose Class of 2015 includes Erin Hogan, Kirsten Kuzmicz, Erin Murray, Kelly Tarcza, Jamie Thomas, and the Soltesz twins, Alexa and Stef.

“The group gave us an unbelievable effort over the last four years. Erin Hogan, Kirsten Kuzmicz, and the Solteszs got quality experience as freshmen and things got progressively better. The MCT win was historic. For the seniors to go out with the MCT and a state title on their resume is great.”

In order to make history in the finale, the PDS players had to get on the same page.

“I think what happened is that we came together as a team,” said Trombetta. “The training sessions got more competitive. Girls had to step up with the injuries that we had.”

Atkeson, for her part, saw a tight bond develop as the fall unfolded. “As the season went on, the team chemistry went up,” said Atkeson. “The positivity has improved over the season.”

In Trombetta’s view, the squad’s ability to come together when it counted most is a testament to PDS’s improvement over the years.

“I think the program has grown to be one of the most competitive in the area,” said Trombetta.

“We didn’t lose to a Prep B team this year. We played a lot of Prep A teams and that helped prepare us for the tournaments. As I told the girls afterward, it is not where you start, it is where you finish.”