GOING FOR IT: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player -Connor Fletcher, left, goes to goal in recent action. Last Saturday, senior star and co-captain Fletcher tallied two goals and three assists as PDS defeated South Brunswick 16-4 and improved to 9-1. The Panthers will start action in the Mercer County Tournament where they are seeded first and will host a quarterfinal contest on May 7 with the semis slated for May 10. PDS is also seeded first in the state Prep B tournament and will host a semifinal contest on May 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Over the last three years, Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse star Connor Fletcher has established himself as one of the top midfielders in the area.

But this spring, the Cornell-bound Fletcher has assumed a different role for the PDS offense.

“I like to be a facilitator; now I am playing attack a little bit,” said Fletcher.

“I am running it from behind the net and Jonah (Tuckman) is running from the top. We are just working together, the chemistry is great this year. We have been playing together for four or five years now and we are trying to be multidimensional in the way we play.”

Last Thursday against Peddie, the multitalented Fletcher showed his skills, tallying three goals and an assist in the first half as PDS pulled away to a 12-2 victory.

“Every one on the schedule is a big one for us moving forward,” said Fletcher, reflecting on the Panthers’ effort in the win over Peddie. “So it is just keeping the tempo going throughout the season and ultimately just ride that until we get to MCTs and Preps.”

While Fletcher had scored four goals in a  9-4 win over Hill School (Pa.) on April 20 before the hat trick against Peddie, he is not focusing on his stats.

“I try not to think too much about myself,” said Fletcher,  who tallied two goals and three assists as PDS defeated South Brunswick 16-4 last Saturday and improved to 9-1.

“The offense is working well. We have Coby Auslander coming in as a freshman, moving into a big dodging role. Will Brossman is scoring goals all over the place, so everything is kind of clicking for us right now.”

PDS hopes to keep clicking as it is seeded first in both the state Prep B tourney and the Mercer County Tournament with MCT action starting this week and the Panthers slated to host a quarterfinal contest on May 7.

“What has happened in the past is in the past,” said Fletcher. “We are trying to play our best lacrosse at the end of May and hopefully hang up two banners at the end of the season.”

In order to enjoy a banner finish, the Panthers need to keep sharp at both ends of the field.

“The biggest thing that we need to do is what we are doing right now, keeping chemistry going on offense, being unselfish,” asserted Fletcher.

“The defense is playing lock down, never letting in more than six goals in a game. We are doing great out there on defense which is taking pressure off the offense. All around we are doing great.”

The team’s 10-6 win over nationally-ranked Hun on April 11 was a great confidence builder.

“Playing Hun, a crosstown rival,  is always a big one for us,” said Fletcher. “Everyone was ready for the game. We were a little nervous but that faded away. It is a huge win for us in terms of making a statement in this area and in the state and even in the country. We are proud of the boys for that.”

PDS head coach Rich D’Andrea was proud of the way his team performed in the win over Peddie.

“All the Prep A teams have good athletes so we knew when we came into this one, we would have to take care of business,” said D’Andrea, a former star goalie at Peddie who went on the play at Georgetown. “Our guys came out and executed as best we could.”

In D’Andrea’s view, Fletcher’s execution in his modified role on offense has been a plus for the Panthers.

“We have been running him on attack a little this year and at middie as well,” said D’Andrea.

“He is one of those guys that just commands so much respect out there, he just has a presence. We have been dodging him from the wing and from behind the net. He just has great vision and he is one of the best athletes to come through PDS.”

Sophomore attackman Elon Tuckman was a presence against Peddie, tallying a goal and three assists.

“He has been such a key part of us being able to control pace in these games,” said D’Andrea.

“Our defenseman and middies work hard to clear the ball and the attackmen have done a really great job of handling pressure this year. When you can control pace like that, it lends itself to being able to execute in other areas.”

The Panthers produced some excellent work against the Falcons, shutting them out in the second half.

“These guys are really dialed in,” said D’Andrea, noting that freshman Connor Green and senior Chris Chai have given PDS a nice rotation at goalie.

“They have done a great job, they have applied pressure on hands; they carry the ball when they are clearing, they are communicating.”

With PDS getting into action this week in the MCT and then hosting a Prep B semifinal on May 16, D’Andrea is looking for his players to stay dialed in.

“We are trying to extract the positives from each of these games and look at the negatives and learn to make the adjustments,” said D’Andrea.

“That happens pretty quickly in tournaments so we are trying to ingrain that in those guys. I think one of the things that the program had gained over the last few years is the big game presence. They have played in semifinal games, they have played in final games. We won Prep B two years ago.”

Fletcher, for his part, is savoring his final run with the Panthers. “It is crazy; you hang out with those guys on the weekend, you go to class with all of them, we are all over the place together,” said Fletcher.

“There is no one I would rather be playing out there with. We are best friends. It is really special and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”