|
|
Vol. LXI, No. 19
|
|
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
|
|
|
|
Vol. LXI, No. 19
|
|
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
|
(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith)
NATIVE SON: Princeton University senior midfielder Whitney Hayes heads up the field in recent action. Hayes, a Princeton native and former Princeton High star, is looking to make the most out of his final games with the Tigers. Hayes has scored four goals in the last five games for Princeton (10-3 overall, 5-1 Ivy), which plays at sixth-seeded Georgetown (11-2) this Sunday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of that game will take on the victor of the clash between third-seeded Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame in the quarterfinals at Princeton Stadium on May 19. |
As a kid growing up on Hodge Road in Princeton Borough, Whitney Hayes often dreamed of stepping on the field across town for the Princeton University men's lacrosse team.
"I remember all those national championship teams," said Hayes. "I would play around in the backyard pretending to be on the field for one of those national championships."
After a record-breaking lacrosse career at Princeton High and a post-graduate year at Phillips Academy, Hayes achieved that dream as he joined the Tigers in the 2004 season and scored 26 points in helping Princeton get to the NCAA Final Four.
It was an emotional rollercoaster for Kathleen Miller last Sunday as she played in her last home game for the Princeton University women's lacrosse team.
In the pregame ceremony before Princeton's clash with No. 8 Georgetown, the demonstrative Miller laughed and smiled at some points but then wiped away tears as game time approached.
Just over two hours later, senior attacker Miller was shrieking with joy along with her teammates after scoring with 57 seconds left in regulation to provide the margin of victory as Princeton outlasted Georgetown 12-11.
Even though the Princeton High girls' lacrosse team won six of its first nine games, PHS senior star Allegra Formento recognized that the squad has been plagued by lapses in focus.
"We have had some rough games where we wound up winning but the intensity wasn't totally there," said Formento.
Formento and her teammates were determined to produce a solid 50-minute effort as they played at Peddie last Thursday.
It has often been said that lacrosse is a game of runs with goals coming in bunches but the Princeton High boys' lacrosse team and Moorestown took that adage to extremes in their clash last Wednesday.
PHS got off to a hot start, coming out of the gate with a 5-1 burst. Moorestown, though, responded with aplomb as it put together a 9-1 run to seemingly seize control of the contest.
The Little Tigers clawed back into the game, putting together a 3-0 streak to narrow the deficit to 10-9. PHS had some chances to tie the game but weren't able to cash them in as they fell by that 10-9 margin.
It was one of the few down moments in what has turned out to be an uplifting spring for the Princeton Day School baseball team.
Playing at the Pennington School on a chilly day in early April, PDS made critical errors and failed to cash in on two bases-loaded situations as it dropped a 3-0 decision to the Red Raiders.
Senior pitcher Bam Miller took the loss on the mound that day, despite giving up just four hits.