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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: 50-50 CHANCE: Princeton High freshman defender Natasha Kardassis battles a Lawrence player for possession in recent action. Last Saturday, the Little Tigers fell to Nottingham 2-1 to drop to 1-2 on the season.end of caption

PHS Girls' Soccer Hits Bumps As It Learns to Play Together

By Bill Alden

As the Princeton High girls' soccer team works on fusing its blend of veterans and new talent this fall, it was inevitable that the Little Tigers would hit some bumps in the road.

After starting the season with an impressive 4-0 win over Lawrence, PHS fell to WW/P-S 2-1 on September 14 and then squandered an early 1-0 advantage last Saturday in losing 2-1 to Nottingham.

In the wake of the defeat last Saturday, longtime PHS head coach Greg Hand acknowledged that his club was clearly a work in progress.

"I think the biggest problem we had today was being overanxious on individual defense," explained Hand.

"We need to take responsibility for retaining our marks. At the same time, we were too cautious at times and we should've been stepping in and trying to win 50/50 balls. Part of growing as a team is to learn to play together, to get a sense of how to defend and attack together."

One defensive bright spot for the Little Tigers last Saturday was junior goalie Sue Westock, who made two spectacular saves to keep PHS in the contest with the North Stars.

"I thought our best performance on the field today came from Sue Westock in the goal," asserted Hand of his keeper who recorded eight saves on the afternoon.

"She made terrific judgments and could not have made saves on their goals, those were impossible shots to stop."

PHS showed less than stellar judgment on offense against Nottingham as it failed to make connections up front.

"I think we were somewhat nervous when we were in possession today," said Hand, who got a goal from freshman Hannah Deming early in the first half.

"A lot of first touches were a little sloppy. That made it hard for us to keep the ball moving well and it gave Nottingham time to recover."

Hand is happy with the production he is getting from precocious freshmen Deming and Olivia Johnston up front and Natasha Kardassis in the midfield.

"We're happy with how the kids are working," said Hand, referring to his contingent of freshmen which also includes Christina Covello in the midfield.

"They are doing better than expected considering that this league is 18 and under. We want them to feel confident that they are doing everything right. All they have to do is keep working and they will have a long and terrific career, including this year."

That is the message that Hand wants his squad to collectively understand as it goes forward this fall.

"We worked hard today," said Hand, whose club hosts Hamilton on September 23 before playing at Hightstown on September 28.

"We are working on individual and team issues. It's very important that they keep their heads up and recognize that they put in a good effort. We want to do the things necessary to play better the next time out."