(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) CENTER STAGE: Princeton Day School field hockey senior star Sydney Jenkins prepares to blast the ball last Saturday in PDS’s 3-0 win over visiting Hamilton High. Center midfielder Jenkins fueled the Panther offense in the victory, scoring two first half goals.

Senior Star Jenkins Taking Center Stage For Vastly Improved PDS Field Hockey

Bill Alden

Sydney Jenkins felt a bit out of place as the Princeton Day School field hockey team got its 2010 campaign underway.

“I started the season off at halfback and then I talked to my coaches and it was a mutual decision to move me to center midfield,” said senior star Jenkins.

“I could be more involved in the plays there and have more of a voice on the field and be in more of a leadership position on the field.”

Last Saturday against visiting Hamilton, Jenkins took a leadership role, scoring two first-half goals from her midfield spot to help power PDS to a 3-0 win over the Hornets.

While Jenkins’ two goals came on blasts that rattled the back of the cage, she credited her teammates with making the scores possible as the Panthers improved to 4-0.

“My teammates helped me create some space; they pulled it out and created a lane,” said Jenkins. “I really owe my goals to them because they are the ones who helped. It was just a good day for shooting.”

Jenkins and her teammates hit the field on Saturday determined to set the tone early.

“We just wanted to come out strong,” said Jenkins. “We didn’t go into it acting cocky or anything. We knew we just needed to play PDS field hockey and play our game and we would progress from there.”

In Jenkins’ view, the team has made progress in developing the PDS brand of field hockey.

“We are extremely dedicated; we give 100 percent effort even if we are down,” explained Jenkins. “We support each other. It is always thumb, not finger. It was me, you don’t point at the others.”

Jenkins has a special source of support on the field in her younger sister, Andrea, a sophomore star for the Panthers.

“I love playing with her; we don’t even need to look at each other,” said Jenkins. “I always know she is there; she always knows I am there. We always try to be options for each other.”

As she goes through her last season for PDS, Jenkins is trying to make the most of every game.

“The coaches say things like this is the last game on September 25 that you are going to play in your high school life so that is what I always go into the game thinking,” said Jenkins.

“All the captains, we remind each other of that and say just give it all you got because in a year you will be playing someplace different.”

With PDS having already exceeded its 2009 win total when it went 3-12-1, Jenkins sees some major differences in this year’s squad.

“Over the summer we all made a commitment to practice field hockey and stay in it so when we came back for the season we would already be in shape,” said Jenkins.

“We would have already done stuff over the summer so we wouldn’t be starting from ground zero. I think that really helps. We also have some awesome freshmen who just contribute so much.”

PDS rookie head coach M.C. Heller is certainly pleased with the contribution she is getting from Jenkins.

“Undeniably, she is a coach’s dream, not only as a good player but as a great leader,” asserted Heller. “She is fantastic with the girls and leading by example. She keeps them motivated.”

The PDS squad is showing a collective motivation in the way the players have responded to new direction.

“They are picking up stuff the coaching staff is giving them so quickly, things like tactics,” said Heller, a former star goalie for the University of Louisville.

“They really are trying to apply it. Even when they try and they miss, it is still a good idea so it works. You practice how you play; the games are just a showcase for what you have been doing at practice. You only play for an hour but you practice 8-10 hours a week. The game is the fun stuff.”

While Heller was happy with the outcome Saturday, she is looking for her players to give more during the hour on game day.

“I don’t think we played our best hockey,” said Heller, who got a second-half goal from sophomore Cameron McNeely in the win over Hamilton.

“We are really trying to focus on the team and developing as a team and being supportive. We didn’t exactly play PDS hockey. The second half was better. After halftime, the girls came out really strong and focused on spreading out. We are just working on playing 60 minutes of good hockey instead of 30-45.”

For Heller, the team’s 4-0 start is secondary to making daily improvement over the course of the fall.

“I don’t think about the record; it is about being in the moment,” asserted Heller, whose team plays at South Hunterdon High on October 1 and at Pennington on October 4.

“Each game matters, it doesn’t matter who we are playing. My biggest concern is that I don’t want the girls to zone in on the record. It’s something to look at after the season. We just need to work on being smarter and reading the opposition.”

Jenkins, for her part, believes the Panthers are going to pose a lot of problems for their foes.

“I think we have made great strides in the beginning of the season,” asserted Jenkins. “People who haven’t played before, it’s astounding how great they have become. The new coach is bringing a lot of her college experience into the high school game so she is giving us a leg up. Even in practice, we are really intense.”

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