(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: RAZZAMATAZZ: Princeton Day School girls’ soccer senior star Laila Razzaghi, left, celebrates last Sunday after helping the top-seeded Panthers to a 4-0 win over No. 4 Wardlaw-Hartridge in the state Prep B championship game. Razzaghi’s move to sweeper was a key factor the Panthers’ success this fall as they finished with a 13-5-1 record.

With Razzaghi Leading From the Back, PDS Girls’ Soccer Rolls to Prep B Crown

Bill Alden

Coming into this fall, Laila Razzaghi had visions of triggering the offense of the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team from the forward spot.

But after some preseason injuries hit PDS, senior star Razzaghi was moved to the sweeper position along the Panther backline.

As it turned out, Razzaghi was able to have just as much influence leading from the back.

“As far as emotion, I kind of carry the team in the sense that if I am upset, then they are upset,” said Razzaghi.

“I like to stay positive and keep them going. I see the whole field from back there. I get to direct the midfield and then go up there and do things offensively which help us on the scoreboard.”

Last Sunday in the state Prep B championship game against visiting Wardlaw-Hartridge, Razzaghi displayed her versatility, holding the fort on defense and then curling in free kicks and corner kicks to get the PDS offense going.

The top-seeded Panthers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the fourth-seeded Rams on goals by Kelsey Scarlett and Janie Smukler and never looked back as they cruised to a 4-0 triumph.

PDS hit its home turf at Smoyer Field determined to regain the title that it won in 2008 in an overtime thriller over Montclair Kimberley but relinquished to MKA in a semifinal defeat last fall.

“We knew that going against MKA in the semis was going to be be a battle and we decided that if we made it through that game, we were just going to go all the way through,” said Razzaghi, who helped the Panthers blank MKA 4-0 last Wednesday in the semis.

“The captains [Jess Frieder and Jacqui Stevens] played a huge part in how pumped up we got and setting a tone. They were sending us text messages. We got here early and hung out in the locker room.”

Razzaghi was pumped up by how the PDS defense performed in posting the title game shutout and finishing the season with a 13-5-1 record.

“We had a clean sheet today which means that we averaged letting in one goal every game the whole season which was a huge triumph for us,” said Razzaghi.

“Especially since we had lost Erin Cook after my sophomore year and then we lost Marissa [Davila], Tara [Glancey] and Courtland [Lackey] after last year. We were really hurting on defense; I think a lot of girls stepped up and helped to make us even stronger than we have been previously.”

The Panthers knew that they needed to produce a strong effort to overcome Wardlaw-Hartridge.

“They have a very impressive record,” said Razzaghi. “They have won 18 games this year which is incredibly respectable.”

PDS head coach Pat Trombetta is certainly impressed by the work he has gotten from Razzaghi this fall as she has spearheaded the Panther backline.

“Laila is unbelievable back there; she sweeps everything up,” asserted Trombetta, who also tipped his hat to defenders Britanny Murray and Kerry Dillon.

“In the beginning of the year she was our third option back there; we had her up top originally. She came in and we didn’t miss a beat when we put her back there. She has a great game sense. We went through the preps without giving up a goal so that says something about our back four and our keeper [Frieder] as well.”

The Panthers were looking to make an early statement on Sunday. “We knew that we wanted to set the tone early and come out in the first 10 minutes and score; we didn’t take this team lightly because they came in 18-2,” said Trombetta.

“They had outscored their opponents by a 4-1 margin so we knew we had to get to them early which we were successful in doing by getting two goals on the board in the first half. Our mission in the second half was to score a goal in the first 10 minutes and we were successful there. We knew if there was a three-goal deficit, that would take the wind out of their sails.”

After having won the Prep B title in 2008 and then falling in the semis last year, PDS was on a mission.

“We tasted victory two years ago on this field when we won the finals and then last year we lost in the semis on this field against MKA,” recalled Trombetta. “Our mission was to get by MKA, which is a solid team, and when we did that, win this game. We wanted to put some pressure on them.”

The offensive skills of junior star Smukler puts pressure on PDS’s foes. The multi-talented Smukler, who also stars in basketball, ended up with two goals and two assists in the win Sunday.

“Janie is tremendous; she is so strong on the ball,” said Trombetta of Smukler who ended the fall with 21 goals.

“As you can see on her second goal, she had a quick turn and just let a rocket off and hit the back of the net. There are not many players who can do that; she just pulls the trigger real quick. At the beginning of the year, I told her to take more control of the offense. She started to become more unselfish as the year went on.”

The control exerted by PDS’s group of seniors helped the program regain the Prep B title.

“It has been a great core of seniors,” said Trombetta, whose senior class included Razzaghi, Stevens, Dillon, Katie Gibson, Emily Jaeckel, Carly Kliment, Carly O’Brien, and the Frieder twins, Jess and Ali.

“When I came here, I actually took over the middle school program so I started with these kids six years ago. I knew good things would come with this core group; the senior leadership has been tremendous.”

Razzaghi, for her part, is not surprised by the things she and her classmates have accomplished.

“The group of girls that is here is naturally close,” said Razzaghi. “We hang out outside of school. Playing together is just really nice. There is a familiarity; we have gotten comfortable with each other. Having that number of girls over four years consistently is just great.”

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