November 20, 2013

Showing Versatility in Roller-Coaster Fall, PDS Field Hockey Enjoyed Strong Finish

Q-FACTOR: Princeton Day School field hockey player Emma Quigley dribbles the ball in a game this season. Recovering from an early season thumb injury, the Brown-bound Quigley returned to action and helped PDS post a 9-10 record and make the state Prep B semifinals.(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Q-FACTOR: Princeton Day School field hockey player Emma Quigley dribbles the ball in a game this season. Recovering from an early season thumb injury, the Brown-bound Quigley returned to action and helped PDS post a 9-10 record and make the state Prep B semifinals. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

As the Princeton Day School field hockey team faced Morristown-Beard in the state Prep B semifinals, its resolve was severely tested.

“Mo-Beard played a different style; they were very aggressive and there was a little more physicality,” said PDS head coach Tracey Arndt.

“We had to stay with what we know. When you go against an aggressive team like that, you rise up or fall back. We rose up. The girls tried to keep possession; people stepped up. We showed versatility and commitment.”

While the third-seeded Panthers ended up dropping a 2-1 nailbiter to the Crimson, Arndt had no qualms with her team’s intensity.

“They put together a tremendous effort,” said Arndt. “If you give your best effort, you have to be OK with that no matter what the result is. I don’t think we played our best but we tried our hardest.”

Fittingly, senior star and Princeton-bound Sarah Brennan notched the lone tally in the finale as the Panthers finished the fall with a 9-10 record.

“It was great that Sarah got our goal,” said Arndt. “She ended up as our second leading goal scorer. We looked for her to do a lot of things for us. She showed such a dedication to improve individually, to help the team and continue her career at college. She did positive work.”

The team’s core of seniors, which included Tufts-bound Mary Travers, Brown recruit Emma Quigley and Emily Goldman in addition to Brennan, set a positive tone for PDS.

“They had some great leaders before them and they used what they learned from them,” said Arndt. “They brought their own qualities to that. They gave us a great example of hard work, practice, commitment. They have such great passion for the game and three of them are going on to play in college. Emily gave us great balance.”

PDS certainly needed that leadership as it endured a topsy-turvy campaign this fall.

“It was a rollercoaster,” said Arndt, whose team got off to a 2-4 start. “We had a big win early against Stuart, they are always well coached and come out hard against us. We lost Emma in that game and we had  definitely had a lull, figuring out what we were going to do when she was out. The Peddie game was a hard hit. I told them that it is not who we are or who we were going to be. You have to get up or get out.

The Panthers responded by figuring out the combination that worked the best, winning seven games down the stretch and playing well in a pair of 2-1 losses to county champion  Lawrenceville and a 2-1 loss to Princeton High.

“We made some changes,” said Arndt. “We adjusted positions. The girls really showed versatility. We moved Nikki van Manen to center back and she did really well. We moved Morgan back to left back which was a more familiar position for her. Mary Travers moved up front. Rowan Schomburg moved to Mary’s spot in the midfield and was our link at getting the ball from defense to offense and also had to mark some of the other team’s best forwards.”

Arndt is confident going forward about the program’s prospects. “We lose four, which is tough, but we have seven to eight varsity starters coming back,” said Arndt.

“We had three sophomores who saw a lot of varsity action and they know the ropes. Katie Alden [this reporter’s daughter] had a great year at goalie and we have the whole defense coming back.”

The PDS players have shown a great attitude that bodes well for the future. “It is so nice working with a group of kids when it doesn’t matter who is playing where,” said Arndt.

“They are going to give their best wherever they are on the field. We don’t have a lot of numbers and I told them that the more positions you know how to play, the more chance you have to play.”