CLOSING STATEMENT: Princeton High field hockey player Kennedy Corrado sends the ball up the field in a 2015 game. Last Wednesday, senior Corrado scored a goal in a losing cause as second-seeded PHS fell 4-3 to third-seeded Hunterdon Central in the North 2 Group 4 sectional semis. The defeat left the Little Tigers with a final record of 14-6-2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

When the second-seeded Princeton High field hockey team fell behind third-seeded Hunterdon Central 2-0 in the first half of the North 2 Group 4 sectional semis last Wednesday, Kennedy Corrado knew it was a do-or-die moment.

“We realized that it was go time; we had to pick it up and do what we needed to do,” said PHS senior forward Corrado. “We executed that really well.”

The execution by the Little Tigers came in the form of moving the ball deftly all over the field.

“We really played the passing game and that is what we wanted to do,” said Corrado. “That was our goal and we really did a good job.”

The sharp passing got PHS back into the game as Avery Peterson scored with 17:33 left in the first half and then Corrado tallied with about four minutes left, set up by a feed from sophomore Mariana Lopez-Ona.

“I saw Mariana coming down the field, I was OK, this is the moment, I have to get ready; we always set each other up,” recalled Corrado.

“I work together with her so well on the field; I just knew when I saw her coming, it is time. I got my stick down because I heard the coaches yelling keep your stick down so I have to do that. I saw it rolling in and it was a great moment.”

The Little Tigers enjoyed another big moment later in the half, getting a second goal from Peterson to take a 3-2 lead at intermission and seize momentum going into the second half.

“I thought we were in very good shape,” said Corrado. “I was really proud of where we were at but I knew we had to keep it up. More than anything, we couldn’t let one thing slip.”

Hunterdon Central slipped past the Little Tigers, however, scoring two unanswered goals late in the second half to pull out a 4-3 win.

“They really came down hard on us; we knew that they would,” said Corrado. “We were ready for it but at the end, we just didn’t follow through.”

While Corrado was disappointed by the outcome, she liked the way the Little Tigers played hard to the end against the Red Devils.

“It was great hockey, I was so proud,” said Corrado. “I saw everyone doing what they were supposed to do. The defense were the heroes really. Kate Rogers is incredible in goal; she has grown so much and next year she is going to be unstoppable.”

In Corrado’s view, PHS grew a lot collectively this fall as it ended up with a final record of 14-6-2.

“I think we had a great season,” asserted Corrado. “During preseason, we noticed that we had to work on passing and all that simple stuff. Over the course of the season, we really executed what we needed to do. If you could see the first scrimmage of preseason today, you would think it is a completely different team.”

Individually, Corrado has come a long way as a player and a person over the last four years. “I think growth in everything is possible,” said Corrado, reflecting on her progress.

“When I came on this team as a freshman I was very quiet and now everyone can tell you I am not quiet. I have confidence. I think that scoring all comes back to confidence and I owe that 100 percent to my coach (Heather Serverson) because even when I was a freshman, she said I see you can do it. Over the years it came out. In my senior year, it just came out, guns blazing.”

PHS head coach Heather Serverson liked the way her players stuck to their guns after falling behind to Hunterdon Central.

“I am proud of the way they fought back because as a program, we haven’t always been able to do that,” said Serverson.

“It is definitely something we have been working on over the years; I think they did a great job with that today.”

The team’s good work in moving the ball all over the field particularly pleased Serverson.

“Our Princeton game was working well for the first three-quarters of the game,” said Serverson. “I think overall the passing game was great and that we really started clicking.”

Serverson credited Hunterdon Central with clicking when it counted down the stretch of the contest.

“We had some little mistakes, some little errors and kudos to Hunterdon Central, they took advantage of them,” said Serverson.

“At this point of the season, it comes down to those little mistakes. It is the team that is able to make the fewest mistakes and also takes advantage of the mistakes the other team makes.”

Reflecting on the season, Serverson felt that PHS took advantage of opportunities for the most part.

“I think overall we were very successful, we did a lot of things well,” said Serverson.

“We made it to the same point in both tournaments that we did last year; we just didn’t reach our goal of getting one step further. We definitely played well.”

The team’s core of seniors, which includes Jordyn Cane, Anna Cincotta, Madeline Deutsch, Gwen Koehler, Lily Leonard, Georgia McLean, and Jamaica Ponder in addition to Peterson and Corrado, did a lot of things well over the last four years.

“This senior group has been playing together since they were at John Witherspoon so that really helped,” said Serverson.

“They have raised the bat, they have improved the program from when they came in to when they left so you can’t really ask for much more.”

Corrado and her classmates, for their part, are planning to stay involved with the program even though their playing days are over.

“I couldn’t be prouder of everyone with the way the season ended,” said Corrado.

“I am so close to everyone; it is amazing. We are definitely going to try to keep up team bonding over the course of the year because we did that last year after the season.”