(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) SENIOR TOUR: Princeton Day School field hockey senior star Sydney Jenkins heads up the field in a game earlier this fall. Jenkins is looking to end her PDS career with a bang as the Panthers compete in both the Mercer County Tournament and the state Prep B tourney. In the MCT, the second-seeded Panthers blanked No. 15 Pennington 9-0 last Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals where they were slated to face No. 7 Hun on October 26 with the winner advancing to the semis two days later. In the Prep B tourney, top-seeded PDS, now 11-2-1, will host the winner of the Stuart/Morristown-Beard opening round contest in the semifinals on November 3.

With Senior Jenkins Providing Clutch Play, PDS Field Hockey on a Postseason Mission

Bill Alden

Sydney Jenkins brought mixed emotions into her Senior Day with the Princeton Day School field hockey team last Wednesday as the Panthers hosted Hun in their regular season finale.

“On one side, it is our last game and we want to put it all out there and have no regrets,” said senior midfielder Jenkins.

“On the other side, we are going to miss field hockey and I am going to miss the team. I have been with my two co-captains [Courtney Klein and Cameron Giles] since I have been in first grade; that brought a more emotional aspect into the entire thing.”

The Panthers got down emotionally as they fell behind 1-0 to an obviously fired up Hun team.

“I was concerned in the beginning; I knew I wasn’t performing at my best,” acknowledged Jenkins. “I knew that every single person on the team could step it up.”

In the second half, Jenkins helped lift the PDS spirits as she set up a goal by Emma Quigley which tied the game at 1-1 with 5:45 remaining in regulation.

“We came out of halftime fired up,” recalled Jenkins. “We knew that we would have to fight back and put it all out there. We refocused; took a deep breath and played our hearts out.”

The game headed into overtime with the teams stalemated at 1-1 and Jenkins provided a heartstopping conclusion, blasting in a shot that rattled the back of the cage with a loud thud.

“I didn’t want to flub it; I just had to rely on my instincts,” said Jenkins, reflecting on her game-winner.

“I knew where the cage was. I had my head down and I took a shoot, praying that it went in. Afterward, I didn’t know if it went in but everyone was cheering and it hit me. It was awesome.”

In Jenkins’ view, the comeback win will give PDS a jolt of confidence as it heads into postseason play, competing in the state Prep B tourney and the Mercer County Tournament .

“I definitely think this is a great way to go into the tournaments because we saw the kind of fright it gave us,” said Jenkins, who scored three goals last Saturday as second-seeded PDS routed No. 15 Pennington 9-0 in the opening round of the MCT.

“In the beginning when were down and we weren’t playing up to our potential, we know how that feels and what that is like. We never want to go back to that first half again.”

PDS first-year head coach MC Heller saw that her players needed to lighten up after their tough first half against Hun.

“It didn’t look like they were having fun so we said you have got to have fun,” said Heller, whose team improved to 11-2-1 with the win over Pennington.

“We do some amazing stuff at practice and you look at the girls and this is having fun. I think that is when we start connecting more and things start happening.”

Heller certainly has fun watching Jenkins produce some amazing stuff. “Sydney is a beautiful player, watching her is pure pleasure,” said Heller. “She is the type of player that if you had never seen the game before, you could watch her and totally appreciate her. She is a selfless player; she wants to do it for the team.”

In Heller’s view, her team could do some beautiful things in the postseason. “We are like fine wine; we get better with age,” said a grinning Heller, whose team was slated to have a rematch with No. 10 Hun in the MCT quarterfinals on October 26 with the winner advancing to the semifinals two days later.

“It has to come down mental preparation. Although Sydney is a fantastic player, she doesn’t make the saves like Sarah Trigg or make the defensive plays that Sarah Brennan and Cami McNeely come up with. If everyone can get on the same level, that would be fantastic.”

The Panther seniors have helped raise the level of the team’s play this fall. “It is such a classy group of girls; they are so mature for their age,” said Heller, whose team will play in the state Prep B tournament where it was seeded No. 1 and will host the victor of the Stuart/Morristown-Beard opening round contest in the semifinals on November 3.

“They are willing to take what you have to offer as a coach and apply it. If it doesn’t work, there is a good relationship and I can ask them ‘guys, what is going on?’ We can work together. They have made my job easier.”

Jenkins, for her part, is willing to do whatever it takes to end her PDS career on an emotional high.

“I just think that we need to believe that we can do it,” added Jenkins. “A lot of this game is mental fitness, that can be our greatest friend and our worst enemy. I think we just need, as we did in this overtime, to focus on what we are doing, and know what our mission is, carry it out, and get it done.”

Return to Previous Sports Story | Return to Top | Go to Next Sports Story