SUDDEN IMPACT: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player Jake Bennett controls the ball against Hun last Wednesday in the season opener for both teams. Freshman attack man Bennett made a memorable debut for PDS, scoring four goals, including the game-winning tally, as the Panthers prevailed 9-8 in double overtime. PDS, which improved to 2-0 with a 14-5 win over Pennington last Monday, plays at Lawrenceville School on April 5 before hosting Robbinsville on April 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Jake Bennett felt some butterflies in his stomach as he made his debut for the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team last Wednesday against a powerhouse Hun School squad.

“It is a big rivalry,” said freshman attackman Bennett. “I was nervous all day but my teammates helped me out.”

In the early going, PDS looked a little nervous as they fell behind 2-0 five minutes into the contest and trailed 5-2 midway through the second quarter.

The Panthers, though, scored two unanswered goals to bring some momentum into intermission.

“At halftime we had a really good talk,” said Bennett. “I know we have had a lot of emotions the last few days.

With PDS finding itself down 8-6 early in the fourth quarter, Bennett showed how good he can be, scoring two unanswered goals as the Panthers knotted the game at 8-8 and forced overtime.

“I think we just recognized our match ups and my team thought I had the best match ups,” recalled Bennett.

“I was going to the goal and trying to draw a slide and trying to help my team out.”

Bennett ended up scoring the winning tally in second overtime as he got open in the crease and ripped a feed from Peter Shannon into the back of the net.

“We had a dodge down the alley and we drew the rotation so the back side was open and I was in the right place at the right time,” said Bennett, who dove forward on the shot and was mobbed by his teammates after the ball hit the back of the net. “I knew I was in close and I thought I got a good look.”

PDS head coach Rich D’Andrea wasn’t surprised to see Bennett come up big in crunch time.

“Jake did a great job today, he definitely has his best lacrosse in front of him,” said D’Andrea, noting that
Bennett works with Tri-State all-star club and has played in a number of high exposure camps over the summer.

“He is one of those kids who has worked really hard on the nuances of the game. It is rare that you get a kid with that size who can dodge. He just got better and better this fall; he is a guy who you put in that situation and he can come through.”

Senior stalwart Shannon gave the Panthers some good work, scoring their first two goals in addition to assisting on the game-winner.

“Peter is a guy as a senior who has really stepped up to that,” said D’Andrea.

“We didn’t have a whole lot going offensively for us and we tried to preach keep it simple and doing your job. Peter decided to dodge at a good time and pressed to the cage and broke the ice for us which was important. We needed that.”

With his team never leading in regulation, trailing 2-0, 5-2, and 8-6 as the contest went on, D’Andrea credited his players with showing patience and resolve.

“We have to be really methodical as a team,” said D’Andrea. “We had a sense that they were going to go and crank up tempo. I think the majority of their goals were all transition and a couple of extra-man opportunities. Those are the pieces of the game that we need to work on. In terms of riding, we did a better job as the game went on.”

The PDS defense did a great job down the stretch, not allowing a goal after Hun scored to take an 8-6 lead with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter.

“We did a great job in terms of bend, don’t break,” said D’Andrea.

“It is pretty rare that you have that many possessions in overtime, going back and forth like that. The defense came up with a couple of big turnovers. Connor Green really came up with some unbelievable saves in goal.”

In D’Andrea’s view, coming up with such a big win in the opener was a confidence builder for the Panthers.

“We know that Hun is one of the toughest teams on our schedule,” said D’Andrea.

“It has been a one-goal or two-goal game the last five or six years so we anticipated it was going to be a tough game. We were lucky to get the better of them.”

Bennett, for his part, feels lucky to be a part of the PDS squad. “It is huge; it is great playing with these guys even so far and I can’t wait for the rest of the year,” said Bennett.

“I think the most important thing with this team is the chemistry we have built over the last couple of weeks. Over spring break, we went to Florida and played against Salisbury and Westminster, some of the best teams in the northeast, and that was really a good start for us.”