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Senior-laden PHS Girls' Soccer Maturely Focused on Success
By Bill Alden
There were plenty of tears in the eyes of the players on the Princeton High girls' soccer team last November after the squad fell in overtime to Ridge in the Central Jersey Group 3 Sectional championship game.
As PHS head coach Greg Hand looks ahead to the upcoming campaign, he believes that the accomplishments that preceded that sad moment will help fuel this year's team.
"Last year was no disappointment, it was a great source of pride to make it into a sectional final," said Hand, who is in his 13th year guiding the Little Tigers and led his 2002 squad to a sparkling 17-2-1 mark.
"It was nice to get a taste of what it is like to play in that sort of game. The kids now have a vision of what it takes to get that far. They know how good it feels to get to that point."
With 11 returning seniors, six of whom were starters last year, Hand senses that this squad possesses a special wisdom that could take them far. "It's not often that the membership of a team falls this way where you have such a mature team," explained Hand.
"They have a sense of what they want to do and how to do it. They are real good at observing their training session and knowing what it takes to improve. They feel responsible for keeping each other focused and the work rate up. It is a very mature and cohesive unit."
It is also a unit with veteran talent all over the pitch. Up front, the Little Tigers will be led by seniors Claire Marchetta and Lisa Hayes. Hand is confident about his strike force. "Lisa and Claire are very hard workers and their finishing keeps getting better and better," maintained Hand.
Playing just behind Hayes and Marchetta in the PHS formation will be potent midfielders, senior Kia Anderson and junior Zoe Sarnak.
"Zoe gives us great vision and finesse at the top of the midfield," added Hand. "Kia will be playing on the outside, she is a very fast and savvy player. The attack will be balanced. We are looking to bring people forward and overload things up front."
Other veterans who should help the Little Tigers in the midfield include seniors Caitlin Davis, Emily Hansen, junior Stephanie Covello together with sophomore Jackie Young. New faces are junior Kate McClure, sophomore Kim Deblois, and promising freshman Danielle Vildostegui should also prove support in the middle of the field.
On defense, Hand will have the considerable task of replacing two of his key graduating stars, sweeper Danielle DiMeglio and goalie Samantha Doyle.
In senior Val Davison, plagued by a foot injury last year, Hand feels he has the kind of sweeper who can anchor his back line. "Val has started there before," said Hand. "We are very confident in her ability to do the job. Her foot is solid right now."
Other veterans that will join Davison on the back line include seniors Kate Denny, Meghan Gerard, and Amanda Sustak together with junior Melissa Carduner. Freshman Merle Redding may also see action on defense.
The goalkeeping duties will be in the hands of seniors Katie Mann and Cory Rosenthal. While Hand acknowledges that his goalie duo is green, he is not unduly concerned about the team's overall defensive ability.
"Katie and Cory have some experience but they have a lot to learn," said Hand, whose club opens the season with a game at Lawrence High on September 12.
"We need to get the best effort we can out of them. The backline and defensive midfielders will have to work with them. They did that very well with Samantha last year."
Hand believes his squad is ready to work together collectively to achieve the most of its considerable potential. "I think coming into last year we felt pressure to exceed or surpass what the previous team had done," observed Hand. "There isn't that pressure this year. The team is just trying to do all the things it can each day to make the team experience special."
With that live-for-the moment philosophy, PHS could end this season with shouts of joy rather than tears.
