(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: I CARLY: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse star Carly O’Brien heads to goal in 2010 action. Senior star O’Brien, who scored 76 points last year as PDS won the Mercer County Tournament, will be a key weapon for the Panthers this spring. PDS opens its 2011 season on March 30 by hosting Peddie, which edged the Panthers in the state Prep A title game last May.

Boasting Stellar Contingent of Seniors, PDS Girls’ Lax Shooting for Lofty Goals

Bill Alden

Jill Thomas doesn’t mince words when she assesses the prospects this spring for her talented and battle-tested Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse team.

“We have 10 seniors and five of them have been here since freshman year,” said PDS head coach Thomas, whose team went 14-4 last spring as it won the Mercer County Tournament and finished second in the state Prep A tourney.

“They have lofty goals and they are doing everything to achieve them. The goal is to be playing on May 14 (the MCT title game) and May 16 (the Prep A championship game); if they are playing then they will be there to win.”

The team’s preseason jaunt to Florida proved to be a good first step in that process.

“We had a great trip in Florida,” asserted Thomas. “We had great weather and got the chance to get in a lot of practice. The trio is about team chemistry and bonding. We are working in a lot of young players; we have a rather large roster which is good because we have 10 seniors.”

One of PDS’s top seniors will be Dartmouth-bound goalie Jess Frieder. “Jess has started and played every game for the last three years; that speaks for itself,” said Thomas of Frieder, whose twin sister, Allison, is a key defender for the Panthers.

“When you get someone like that to her senior year, you feel a lot of confidence in her.”

High-scoring senior attacker Carly O’Brien gives the panthers a lot of confidence as well.

“Carly has picked up where she left off,” said Thomas of the prolific O’Brien, who scored 76 points last spring on 63 goals and 13 assists. “She has committed to Dickinson and will be playing in college there.”

O’Brien is hardly the only offensive weapon as the Panthers boast such scoring threats as George Washington-bound Jacqui Stevens, classmates Katie Gibson and Sabrina Deana-Roga together with sophomores Andrea Jenkins and Lauren Paneyko.

Stevens, Zeeza Cole, and Gibson will lead the PDS midfield with Louise Hutter, Emily Jaeckel, and Alicia Mascioli anchoring the defense.

The Panthers face an early litmus test as they start the 2011 season by hosting defending Prep A champion Peddie on March 30.

“We did that last year and they blew us out,” said Thomas who has beefed up the Panther schedule with games against the Hill School (Pa.), Hillsborough, and Holy Cross (Md.).

“Six weeks later, we took them to the limit (in an 11-9 loss in the Prep A title game).”

In order to reach the limit of its potential, PDS needs to have everyone on the same page mentally.

“We need to keep doing everything we have been doing so far,” asserted Thomas.

“We have all the talent; we need to work on the chemistry and teamwork. We need to create the essence of the 2011 team so we stay together through the ups and downs of whatever challenges we face. They need to keep their heads and hearts where they are now.”

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