GOAL-ORIENTED: Princeton High field hockey player Mia Ramirez dribbles the ball last Friday as PHS hosted Notre Dame in its season opener. Senior star Ramirez scored all three goals for PHS as it fell 5-3 to the Irish. The Tigers, who lost 8-1 to Agnes Irwin (Pa.) last Monday as Ramirez scored the lone goal for the Tigers, play at Princeton Day School on September 18, at Robbinsville on September 21, and at Hightstown on September 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Mia Ramirez started her senior season for the Princeton High field hockey team with a bang last Friday.

With PHS hosting Notre Dame in its season opener, star forward/midfielder and co-captain Ramirez blasted in a goal three minutes into the contest.

“I really just wanted to bring the energy,” said Ramirez. “We have a lot of new faces out here. I just wanted to set the tone, stay consistent and bring out what we brought last year.”

Ramirez kept bringing the energy and offense, tallying a goal late in the second period to give PHS a 2-1 lead and then added a third score in the third quarter as the Tigers forged ahead 3-2.

But a feisty Notre Dame squad seized momentum after that, scoring three answered goals to defeat PHS 5-3.

While Ramirez was disappointed with the result, she saw defeat as a good learning experience.

“We were definitely excited, we have been practicing for so long,” said Ramirez. “They really tested us. It was great to start out with them because now we have a great game under our belt for the rest of the season.”

While Ramirez was excited to start the season with a hat trick, she would have preferred a victory.

“It feels great,” said Ramirez reflecting on her three-goal outburst. “But all I want is for the team to win. It is unfortunate but we have so many games ahead of us. I am just looking forward to the next one.”

Ramirez is looking to do whatever she can to help the Tigers get on the winning track.

“I definitely came into the program as a forward,” said Ramirez, who scored the lone goal for PHS last Monday as it fell 8-1 to Agnes Irwin (Pa.). “As the years have gone on I have come back to help with the midfield and be more of a presence for the entire team.”

In order to be a more of a presence, Ramirez has focused on her conditioning.

“For me it has really been fitness, I feel like I have been working on skills ever since I started playing,” said Ramirez, who also competes for the Princeton Field Hockey Club. “This year for me I really just wanted to get stronger and faster and build up my endurance.”

PHS head coach Heather Serverson credited Ramirez with producing a strong effort against Notre Dame.

“Mia is just awesome, both of her calves were completely cramped up, she could hardly run any more in the second half; I said let me know if you need a sub but she didn’t,” said Serverson. “She fights to the end. She will do everything possible until the very last second of the game to make sure that she is in it to win it.”

Although the Tigers didn’t get the win, Serverson thought her squad gained a lot from the opener.

“In the beginning, we did some nice things and we also got a little bit lucky,” said Serverson. “Once Notre Dame cleaned up their defense, it was much more difficult to get in there. But overall, I think they really pointed out some of the stuff that we need to clean up which is a good thing. We wanted that.”

With PHS working in several new faces, it will take time for everyone to get on the same page.

“We still aren’t used to playing with each other just yet, we have quite a few young players out there,” said Serverson. “We got flustered, we weren’t able to maintain our composure because we are used to being so strong. We are not used to struggling and that is what we are going to have to learn to do better this year.”

The Tigers got some superb play from senior defender/midfielder and co-captain Sophie Gono who used her speed to race all over the field.

“Sophie is our center back, center mid, center forward,” said Serverson. “She somehow has these amazing runs down the field and just goes around all of these players like they are cones. We have to remind her of that. She stays back and we tell to feel free to go all the way up the field. She is getting more confident with her offensive skills. We are just working on finishing with her so hopefully she can be more of a threat from the backfield.”

Sophomore Lila Casto is emerging as a threat in the midfield for the Tigers.

“Lila did an amazing job as well, she is very feisty,” said Serverson. “She is great energy for the team too. She has improved from last year. She plays offset with Mia so they have been doing a good job trying to get used to each other.”

With PHS playing at Princeton Day School on September 18, at Robbinsville on September 21 and at Hightstown on September 23, Serverson is looking for her squad to do a better job of playing as a unit and dealing with adversity.

“We need to be moving as a team, we didn’t play team defense down the field or team offense,” said Serverson. “We kind of played in segments. It is just that composure, we are going to get scored on. It is what you do next that matters. We need to fight back consistently the entire time.”

Ramirez, for her part, is confident that the Tigers will get moving in the right direction.

“I think it is a great game to start out with, they exposed the little things that we need to work on,” said Ramirez. “I think anyone can take any mistake that they made today and use it to get better. It is mainly just focusing on the basics and really putting in all of that effort the entire way through. definitely think we will be successful.”