(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: FORWARD PROGRESS: Princeton Day School field hockey star Andrea Jenkins slashes the ball last fall. Jenkins’ superb play helped PDS win 11 games in 2010, nearly quadrupling its win total from a 3-12-1 campaign in 2009. Jenkins, a junior, has been moved to forward from midfield this season as the Panthers look to build on last year’s success. PDS opens its 2011 campaign by hosting Morristown-Beard on September 9.

After Making Huge Strides Last Season, PDS Field Hockey Aims to Take Next Step

Bill Alden

Last fall, the Princeton Day School field hockey team emerged as one of the feel-good stories of the season.

The Panthers posted 11 wins under rookie head coach MC Heller, nearly quadrupling their win total from a 3-12-1 campaign in 2009.

But PDS’s sweet turnaround ended on a sour note as the team dropped its last two games, losing 2-1 to Hun in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals and then falling 4-1 to Stuart in the state Prep B semis.

In the view of head coach Heller, those losses have fueled the fire of her returning players.

“We had a good season; we were a top-ranked team coming into the MCT and the Prep B but we didn’t do anything in the tournaments,” said Heller, whose team posted an 11-4-1 final record. “Having that taste has made the girls hungry.”

That hunger translated into hard work over the off season. “Everybody came back improved; everyone worked hard over the summer,” asserted Heller, whose team opens its 2011 season by hosting Morristown-Beard on September 9. “They want to win.”

A key to posting a lot of wins this fall could be the move of junior star Andrea Jenkins to forward from the midfield.

“I am expecting Andrea to have a fantastic year; we moved her up to forward to give her more freedom and be more creative,” explained Heller.

“We want to do a lot of fast breaks. When Andrea gets challenged on a break, that is when you see her true personality. She is a fighter.”

Diminutive sophomore Emma Quigley also brings a fighting spirit to the PDS forward line.

“I am really impressed with Emma; it is like night and day, she has improved so much,” said Heller, who will also be using senior Jenna Fritz and sophomore Emily Goldman at forward. “She put in the work since end of season with training and private lessons.”

Another sophomore, Mary Travers, should provide PDS with some excellent work in the midfield.

“Mary Travers is in center mid role; she sees the field well and is a good distributor,” said Heller.

“She is a really smart player; she is always asking questions. It is important for a center mid to be inquisitive and know the game since she plays a big role offensively and defensively.”

The trio of senior co-captain Charlotte Williams, freshman Morgan Foster, and sophomore Julia Christen, round out the PDS midfield.

“Charlotte Williams is a very versatile player; she tends to be defensive minded but has great skills for attacking so we want her to play higher,” added Heller.

“Morgan Foster has really stepped up in her skills; we just need to introduce her to varsity field hockey. Julia is doing well. She was on JV last year; she has worked hard and wants to play. She is a great role player she does what she is supposed to do on the field.”

In Heller’s view, the Panther defensive unit is stocked with some great athletes in junior Zeeza Cole, sophomore Sarah Brennan, junior Cameron McNeely, junior Corinne Urisko, and senior co-captain Carly Ozarowski.

“I think your best attack starts with defense,” said Heller. “Zeeza Cole came over from soccer; she understands positioning and we are working with her on her stick skills. Sarah and Cami play good defense but are also good attackers so we have them at halfback. We have Carly and Connie at fullback. Carly is a very patient defender; she is very technical and tactical. She does nothing sporadic; she doesn’t take risks which is good for defense.”

As for the last line of defense, PDS will feature junior Sarah Trigg at starting goalie with freshman Katie Alden [this reporter’s daughter] serving as the back up.

“Sarah has definitely improved from last year; she was very aggressive but didn’t have the all the skills to go with her personality,” said Heller, a former star goalie for the University of Louisville field hockey program.

“She has worked really hard over the summer and has stepped up and added to her skills. Her clearing is much better. Katie gives us the element of youth; she has good natural reactions but needs to add more skills.”

After last year’s progress, the Panthers are looking to take the next step. “The girls have shown that they really want to do well; my job as a coach is to motivate them to fulfill those goals,” said Heller, whose coaching staff includes Kiki Johnson and new arrival Pervez Siddiqui.

“They have to challenge each other at practice; they can’t take the easy road. They also have to stick together because things aren’t always going to go perfectly. There will be ups and downs. They need to focus on the process, not the result.”

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