(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith) caption: DEFENSE MECHANISM: Princeton High field hockey junior defender Emma Kostenbader controls the ball in a recent game. Kostenbader’s sharp work on the defensive end has helped PHS go 9-7 and earn the program’s first berth in the state tournament in a decade.

With Senior Star Simao Leading Defense PHS Field Hockey Primed for State Run

Bill Alden

In 2008, the Princeton High field hockey team struggled to a 3-13 season while Hopewell Valley rolled to the Mercer County Tournament (MCT) title.

Last Thursday, the two teams met in this year’s MCT quarterfinals and sixth-seeded PHS put up quite a struggle as it played at No. 3 HoVal.

Despite getting outshot by a wide margin and defending more than 10 penalty corners, upset-minded PHS held the Bulldogs scoreless and forced the contest into overtime with the teams knotted at 0-0.

In the early moments of the first extra session, the Little Tigers nearly pulled out the upset as Alyssa Torske fired a shot that went just wide of the cage.

Minutes later, though, HoVal broke through, scoring after it had forced its 16th penalty corner of the day.

As the Little Tiger players trudged off the field with their heads down, PHS senior co-captain and star defender Camilla Simao fired her stick to the ground in frustration.

Afterward, Simao was able to put PHS’s effort in perspective. “We definitely put in a lot of hard work,” said Simao. “We beat them in the beginning of the season and we knew they were coming out to get us. We fought the best we could.”

Playing sweeper right in front of the goalie, Simao was in the middle of the fight most of the game.

“It was really stressful, all I wanted to do was just get it out,” said Simao. “I think we defended really well; it took them until the very end to finally score. I think we held it down pretty well.”

Simao is proud of the way PHS has held things together as it made marked improvement this fall.

“It is amazing; it is a huge difference from last year,” said Simao, who helped the PHS defense stand tall again last Saturday as the Little Tigers edged Hightstown 2-1 in a regular season game to improve to 9-7.

“We work really well together. I think we got a lot of good bonding time at the beginning of the season and that has really translated on the field. We all work well in our little units and we have each other’s back.”

As a team co-captain along with classmate Meg Reilly, Simao has played a big role in the helping the Little Tigers bond.

“It definitely has taught me a lot about responsibility and given me a lot of leadership work,” said Simao. “It definitely shows that I have to be conscious of what I am doing and always put my 110 percent in.”

PHS head coach Heather Serverson likes the total effort she has gotten from Simao this fall.

“Camilla holds it down the most of any of them,” said Serverson. “She is such a consistent player; it is going to be a huge loss for us when she graduates.”

While Serverson was proud of her team’s effort against HoVal, the loss still stung.

“I have to give them credit; it is a major improvement from what Princeton High field hockey has been in the past,” said Serverson.

“But it still isn’t good enough; it is the little things that matter. You have to finish.”

In Serverson’s view, the little thing that held PHS back against HoVal was its footwork.

“I think the biggest issue we had today was our footwork on both ends,” explained Serverson.

“We were getting to where we needed to be. We weren’t keeping in front on defense. We weren’t dropping the stick down to get the interception.”

With PHS looking forward to playing in the state tournament for the first time in a decade, Serverson hopes that the experience gained by her players last Thursday will serve them well down the road.

“I want the girls to learn from this,” said Serverson, whose team is seeded 11th in the Group III North 2 sectional and will play at No. 6 Ocean Township on October 30 in an opening round contest.

“This is the first time they have experienced a high stakes game like that. I am hoping their mental muscle grew a little bit from this experience. My biggest hope is that they pull together and come out of this stronger.”

Simao, for her part, believes that the Little Tigers can do some damage in the states.

“The fire from this game will really push us for the states,” said Simao. “We know we have the potential. It is definitely a great feeling to be in the states. It is a nice change for sure and I think we can do really well. We just have to put our minds into it.”

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