ALL IN: Princeton Day School boys’ soccer player Jack Amaral controls the ball in 2015 action. Last Sunday, senior defender Amaral helped the second-seeded Panthers edge fifth-seeded Newark Academy 1-0 in the state Prep B championship game. PDS, which last won the Prep B tourney in 2010, ended the fall with a 12-5-3 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Jack Amaral and the Princeton Day School boys’ soccer team brought a sense of urgency to the field as they hosted Morristown-Beard in the state Prep B semifinals last Wednesday.

Senior defender Amaral and classmate David Cedeno assisted on a Ricardo Martinez goal 1:30 into the contest, triggering a torrent of goals that saw second-seeded PDS leading sixth-seeded Crimson 5-0 midway through the first half.

“It was something we were trying to do, start off fast paced and get a goal early,” said Amaral.

“I think breaking the ice and getting a goal right off the bat really helps and sets the pace for the rest of the game. It is our job to keep going off of that and not be content with a 1-0 lead. We kept going.”

In the second half, the Panthers kept rolling, adding three more unanswered goals to post an 8-0 victory and earn a second straight trip to the Prep B
championship game.

For Amaral, going back to the championship game was special. “It means a lot, especially as a senior,” said Amaral, who helped the PDS boys’ lacrosse team win a Prep B title last spring. “I am in the position of a lot of my senior friends last year. This is my last soccer game that I will play so it is nostalgia.”

Amaral made his last game meaningful, helping the Panthers to a 1-0 win over fifth-seeded Newark Academy as the program won its first Prep B crown since 2010.

Coming into the title contest, Amaral had the feeling the Panthers could break through after falling 2-1 to Gill St. Bernard’s in last year’s Prep B finals.

“I think we have a great defense, we have a great goalie, our forwards are able to finish the ball, and we do a good job controlling the ball in the midfield,” said Amaral. “Everyone seems to be jelling together nicely, there is a good chemistry.”

PDS head coach Ollie Hilliker believed that his squad had steeled itself for a championship run by facing some formidable foes in regular season play.

“We played a very strong schedule,” said Hilliker. “At the end of the day you’re record doesn’t really matter. It matters that it helped us finish strong. We played Pennington, Peddie, and Hill. A lot of strong schools.”

In the title game, a first half goal by sophomore Martinez helped propel PDS to its big day against Newark Academy.

“I think they played nervous a lot,” said Hilliker. “That goal did help and in the end it was the decisive moment in the game.”

Another decisive sequence came early in the second half when PDS senior goalie Ryan Sparks made a save on a penalty kick.

“I think that helped push us to the end,” said Hilliker, reflecting on Sparks’ critical stop.

“We’ve been working on penalties the last few practices just to make sure we’re comfortable and calm with them. Luckily that paid off and Ryan made a big save.”

Over the waning moments of the game, the Panthers had to hold off a surge by Newark.

“They started putting more players forward and put a lot of pressure on us,” said Hilliker.

“Defensively, the boys stayed organized and that made the difference in the end and they couldn’t get to us.”

In the final analysis, PDS proved it could handle playoff pressure.  “We’ve had a good season; it’s had its ups and downs, but we have persevered and gotten stronger every game through that,” said Hilliker.

“I always believed we had a chance. Our aim was to be here in this game. Obviously, the last two weeks we have really concentrated and focused on what we’ve been doing. We worked hard and played our game today.”

In Amaral’s view, the Panthers saved their best for last. “We talked about it in the beginning of the season, hitting our stride as we worked up to the playoffs,” said Amaral.

“We played some tough competition so I think we were ready for this and knew what we had to do.”