FAST START: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse player Tessa Caputo cradles the ball in a game last season. Senior star and Fairfield University commit Caputo will be depended on to trigger the PDS offense this season. The Panthers, who have a new head coach in former Bucknell standout Lucia Marcozzi, edged Robbinsville 11-10 last Monday to improve to 3-0. In upcoming action, the Panthers play at Princeton High on April 12 and then host Hopewell Valley on April 15. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Lucia Marcozzi has taken the helm of the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse team this spring, she is urging her players to take matters into their hands.

Having starred for the Bucknell women’s lacrosse program where she was a two-time All-Patriot League defender and then going on to coach high-level girls’ club lacrosse, Marcozzi is well-versed in the recent evolution of the game.

“The biggest way that I always coach is that they are on the field and I am not,” said Marcozzi, the successor to Tracy Young, who guided the Panthers to a 13-8 record and a spot in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B semis. “At halftime and between quarters, I will say what I want to say, but it is really for them to talk to each other. I see it but they are playing it. It is a style of coaching that comes from younger players who have just finished their tenure playing because the game is changing so much. Now there is a shot clock, now there is quick start. It is so different and I got to see a lot of the changes. I think my style of coaching is much more having the players empower themselves to talk through things to see what is going on, to make adjustments, and to find solutions. I am really there to be the backstop.”

The Panther players are responding well to Marcozzi’s style.

“We had a lot of practices and I think they appreciate it, they are still getting used to it,” said Marcozzi, 29, a 2017 Bucknell grad. “They are very used to a different way of coaching — it has been fun. I think the senior class is a really awesome class. They are doing a really job of balancing it all, getting excited about what this year can mean for them.”

PDS got the 2024 season off to an awesome start, defeating Lawrence High 16-3 in its season opener on April 2.

“It was a great game, it was fun to watch everyone on the  field not at practice but with the excitement of game day,” said Marcozzi, whose team edged Robbinsville 11-10 last Monday to improve to 3-0. “It was fun to watch them have fun; practice can be grueling when you are doing for 10 days in a row. I think it was the boost they needed to prove to themselves that we are actually a really good team so hopefully we just keep rolling.”

Marcozzi has had fun watching senior star and Fairfield University commit Tessa Caputo spark the Panther offense.

“Tessa had a really great preseason, she is s a smart, sneaky player,” said Marcozzi of Caputo, who has tallied 22 points already this season on 15 goals and seven assists. “She is sneaky fast but she has got a brain. That matters more than her skills and shot because she knows what her defender is going to do and by the time the defender does it, she is already in from of them shooting her shot.”

Another senior, Katie Zarish-Yasunas, brings smarts and poise to the attack.

“Katie is just such a great force on the attack, she brings a calming sense when we get chaotic,” said Marcozzi. “Katie is very calm, cool, and collected — you don’t find that in a lot of players. She is going on to play at Muhlenberg and she is definitely ready for the next level. She is that player we look to when things are getting nuts. We are happy to have her.”

Junior Shelby Ruf has been moved up the field this spring into the Panther offense and she has made an immediate impact.

“Shelby has normally been playing defense, I think she is so underutilized,” said Marcozzi of Ruf, who tallied four goals and an assist in the win over Lawrence. “She has an insane shot and she is smart. She has played defense, she knows defense and she knows how to beat defense, so that is what I want her in the offensive end this year. She crushed it in the opener, she had a really great day. Her and Tessa work so well together.”

In the midfield, seniors Kelly Christie and Jesse Hollander, have been crushing it as well.

“Kelly and Jesse are going to be super strong in the midfield; they are both really fast, they are both really smart and they both work so hard on draw controls,” said Marcozzi of Christie, who has tallied 10 goals and three assists so far this season with Hollander contributing 12 goals and three assists. “Kelly can run for days. She is so aggressive, I want her on the defensive end too. She is so great on the inside of the eight, she has a great stick. She will catch 99 percent of the balls thrown at her and get it in the back of the net. She is really just a workhorse for the team. I love watching her get up and down the field. Jesse is the hardest worker you will find, she is incredible in the circle. When she is in her groove, she is impactful.”

On defense, senior Maddy Flory will be running the back line.

“Maddy is our brick wall, she leads,” said Marcozzi. “She really found her voice this year. When I first started I felt like I heard her here or there. I knew she knew what to tell people to do but I didn’t hear it enough. By the end of preseason, you have never not heard her.”

A pair of juniors, Elizabeth Bailey and Cassandra Salas, will be joining Flory on defense.

“They are great, they are a breath of fresh air on the defensive end,” said Marcozzi. “They are very experienced and are also so coachable. They are always looking for ways to get better. They have worked so well with Maddy.”

The Panthers also have a bit of a wild card on defense as senior Adriana Salzano has joined the team after the PDS softball season was canceled due to lack of numbers.

“Dre has never picked up a stick, I saw her in the weight room in the winter and I said you should definitely play lacrosse,” said Marcozzi of Salzano, who also stars in soccer and has committed to play for the Monmouth University women’s soccer program. “Thankfully she wants to stay in shape, so she did it. She has been great. Soccer translates to lacrosse defense so well, the footwork is all the same. Having her be a fourth defender has made it easier for Shelby to shine on the offensive side. She is a great leader and she never stops working hard. She is a really disciplined athlete.”

Marcozzi believes that junior Grace Ulrich will give the Panthers some great work at goalie this spring.

“Grace played at the JV level last year and she is a stud ice hockey player for PDS,” said Marcozzi. “She is awesome, she is so willing to get better every single day. She had a great game against Lawrence. She is learning on Maddy to find her voice. I think she is
going to be really good. She is going to get a few more games under her belt to get her confidence up. I think she is going to be a huge asset in our backfield.”

With PDS playing at Princeton High on April 12 and then hosting Hopewell Valley on April 15, Marcozzi is hoping her squad can keep on a good roll.

“Everyone has to stay healthy with club sports nowadays and the 3,000 other things that they do, staying healthy is hard to do these days,” said Marcozzi, whose team plays at Princeton High on April 12 and then hosts Hopewell Valley on April 15. “It is taking it easy if you feel any strain. I think our biggest thing is going to be draw controls. I think we have a really strong midfield and we need to keep it up with the draw controls and just gain possession. We are good at that.”