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Vol. LXII, No. 37
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 37
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
FIRST STRIKE: Princeton University women’s soccer senior forward Sarah Peteraf boots the ball in action last Friday as Princeton edged visiting Boston University 2-1 in its season opener. Peteraf tallied Princeton’s first goal, making history as she was the first Tiger player to score at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium. Princeton, which fell 1-0 at Hofstra last Sunday, is slated to play at Texas A&M on September 12 and at Rice two days later. |
Sarah Peteraf and her teammates on the Princeton University women’s soccer team were thrilled last Friday as they played the first-ever game at the school’s new soccer complex, Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium.
“It was just wonderful; it’s been two years since we stepped on our own facility,” said Peteraf.
“So it just filled us with pride when we stepped onto the field, coming through the tunnel and seeing the fans. Especially as a senior, knowing this is my last year.”
For the Princeton High football team, reaching the state playoffs last fall turned into a matter of being careful what you ask for.
The eighth-seeded Little Tigers absorbed a 38-3 rout at No. 2 Long Branch in their first playoff appearance since 1993.
Although PHS head coach Steve Everette was disappointed by the result, he believes the experience has been a springboard for the program going into the 2008 season.
In rolling through last fall, the Princeton High boys’ soccer team hit just one roadblock.
Unfortunately, the team’s one bad day of the season came in the quarterfinals of the Central Jersey Group III sections as the top-seeded Little Tigers fell to No. 9 Neptune 3-0 to finish the fall 17-1.
While PHS head coach Wayne Sutcliffe doesn’t want his returning players to focus on the setback, he does see the loss as motivation coming into this fall.
Coming off a disappointing season last fall, Hun School girls’ soccer head coach Ken Stevenson is focusing on the basics as he readies his team for the 2008 campaign.
“It sounds simplistic but we need to learn how to score goals,” said Stevenson, whose team went 6-9-1 in 2007. “We won only two Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) games last year; that was embarrassing.”
Hun will bring new firepower to the task with the addition of post-graduate Arielle Collins, who helped lead Steinert to the Central Jersey Group IV title last fall.
With five of seven players returning from a squad that went 11-4 last fall, Princeton Day School girls’ tennis head coach Patty Headley knows that she will have a solid team in 2008.
But Headley isn’t ready to anoint her team as a surefire championship favorite. “I hope we can keep improving but you don’t know about the other teams and players,” said Headley, whose team hosts Hill on September 10 before playing at George School on September 12 and at Hillsborough on September 15 and then hosting Pennington on September 16.