(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: IN GOOD HANDS: Princeton Day School freshman goalie Jess Frieder controls the ball in PDS’ 1-0 win over Rutgers Prep last Thursday. The cool-headed Frieder has made quite a debut for PDS, posting shutouts in each of her first games as the Panthers got off to a 4-1-1 start.

Frosh Goalie Frieder Assuming Lead Role, Putting PDS Girls’ Soccer Ahead of Schedule

Bill Alden

For the first several years she played soccer, Jess Frieder was more than content with her role as a defensive sweeper.

Customarily lining up with her twin sister, Allison, Frieder was a force in the back as she worked her way up the soccer ladder.

In 2003, Frieder’s father, then her youth coach, suggested that she give the goalie position a try.

Despite some initial misgivings, Frieder quickly realized that she had found her home on the pitch.

“I fell in love with it,” said Frieder, who was 10 years old when she made the switch. “Most people think the pressure is hard but I love it; the adrenaline is great.”

This fall, as the freshman keeper for the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team, Frieder has the adrenaline of teammates pumping, having posted five shutouts in her first six appearances to help PDS to a 4-1-1 start.

After making nine saves in PDS’ 0-0 tie at Hun last week, Frieder credited the Panthers’ defensive unit, particularly junior star Erin Cook, with paving the way to her sizzling debut.

“It’s because of my team defense,” asserted Frieder. “As a freshman, you don’t know what to expect from the other teams so you rely on your experienced teammates for input. Erin Cook is really making plays; she’s helped me a lot. I wouldn’t have the shutouts without her.”

With the PDS roster featuring six freshman, including Frieder and her twin, who is seeing time at defender, the team’s hot start has been a bit of a surprise.

“We have only one senior and three juniors, so we are a very young team,” said Frieder. “I am very happy with this start, there were a lot of doubts before the season.”

PDS first-year head coach Pat Trombetta didn’t expect his club to roar out of the gate like it has this fall.

“I thought it would take a little bit longer for the girls to jell together as a team,” said Trombetta, who had coached in the PDS middle school programs since 2003 and is a long-time coach in the WW-P youth program.

“We have committed players, that’s the main thing. They are out here and they are working hard.”

Trombetta certainly likes the work he is getting from his freshman keeper.

“As a coach I can sleep better at night having a goalkeeper like that for the next four years,” said Trombetta with a laugh.

“She’s a big keeper; she’s played a lot of soccer outside of school. She’s an ODP (Olympic Development Program) player. I think her positioning is good and she’s not afraid to take charge back there. She has good leadership qualities for a freshman.”

The youthful PDS side has quickly developed some deep bonds. “We had nine players step up for us today who hadn’t played varsity before this year,” said Trombetta, whose team fell to 4-1-1 after a 2-1 loss to Hightstown last Monday.

“They work well off the field as well as on the field. The team chemistry is there; that’s what has been getting us so far this season.”

Another key factor in the team’s early success is the play of its one senior, cool-headed midfielder Alexa Maher.

“Alexa is a good player,” said Trombetta. “She controls the tempo of the game.”

With a roster that doesn’t have a lot of depth, PDS is relying on fitness to help it keep up the tempo.

“I’m a fitness buff so we did a lot of conditioning in the preseason,” said Trombetta. “We only had two or three players on the bench today so conditioning comes into play and it’s paying dividends now.”

The Panthers’ youth movement looks like it will be paying dividends for seasons to come.

“I think there is a very strong future for this team,” said Trombetta, whose team plays at Pennington on September 27, hosts Nottingham on September 29, and then plays at Timothy Christian on October 2.

“It’s a great group of girls and I am excited to be coaching them. They are all getting an opportunity to play and they are going to grow up fast.”

Frieder, for her part, is excited about the team’s prospects. “I think we have a good road ahead of us, I think we have a lot of potential,” asserted Frieder. “We are getting better every game, every practice.”

And with the precocious Frieder in goal, the Panthers appear to be on the road to a lot of wins over the next few seasons.

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