| NEWS |
  
 |
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
caption:
|
Levine's Savvy Coming in Handy As PDS Girls' Soccer Starts 5-1
by Bill Alden
Princeton Day School senior goalie Katie Levine showed the value of her experience in the net last Wednesday as things went awry in the first half against Hun.
With PDS clinging to a 1-0 lead, a ball heading towards Levine bounced off a Panther defender and landed at the feet of Raider freshman Elizabeth Marino who turned the gift into the game-tying goal.
The willowy and intense Levine reacted to the unfortunate turn of events by shutting the door on the Raiders the rest of the afternoon, deftly turning away each Hun challenge.
PDS ended up prevailing as prolific junior forward Lauren Hinkel's second goal of the game gave the Panthers a 2-1 triumph.
While Levine was disappointed by Hun's tally, she wasn't about to let it fluster her. "It was frustrating, I saw her beat my girl and I knew I had to come out and she just hit it over me," recalled Levine, who ended the day with four saves.
"I definitely feel more confident back there than I have in the last few years. I feel more like a leader, verbally and what I can see on the field. I know when I can go out more and get it and when I'm not able to."
Levine, who is in her third year as the Panthers' starting goalie, believes she is saving her best for last. "I think I'm playing pretty well this year," she added. "I think I bring a lot of communication to the defense and I've improved in my distribution of the ball."
With PDS moving up to the state Prep A classification this year after breezing to the state Prep B crown last fall, Panther head coach Ted Harrington knows that he will need his experienced players to take charge when the going gets tough.
"We are going to be in a lot of tight games this year," said Harrington. "We showed some grit today. This was the first one-goal game we've had this season and you've got to find a way to win those games."
Harrington saw Levine's cool head as a key factor in PDS' ability to get it done against Hun. "Katie did a nice job today," said Harrington. "That goal they put in was a tough play. It was a lofted ball and it ricocheted off of one of our player's backs right to the Hun player. It was unlucky for us."
Several other PDS veterans played a key role as well. "There were a lot of people who really stepped up and played well," added Harrington. "Lauren finished the ball well. Carly [Berger] played well in the midfield and Kristina Costa had a great game for us."
While PDS showed plenty of character in edging Hun, the squad does have room for some technical improvements. "We need to show a little bit more composure, sometimes we tried to get a little too cute," added Harrington, whose club improved to 5-1 by topping Hightstown 3-0 last Monday and has key home matches against Peddie on September 24 and Lawrenceville on September 29. "We need to spread the field a little better."
Levine, for her part, thinks the Panthers are right on course to make some noise at the Prep A level. "Things are going to be a lot more competitive this year and that will be better for us," said Levine, a former defender who made the most of a chance to relive her days playing in the field as she scored a goal in an 8-1 romp over Rutgers Prep as she got a break from her goaltending duties after PDS had the game in hand.
"I think that out of the four years I've played, this is the best team I've been on. We have a lot of juniors that are really strong. We look really good, we've been playing really hard. We won a lot of 50/50 balls today, we really wanted it."
And it doesn't hurt to have a senior like Levine as the last line of defense.
