By Bill Alden

Heather Farlow could have been disappointed after her Princeton Day School field hockey team lost 3-0 to crosstown rival Princeton High last Friday.

Instead, PDS head coach Farlow was all smiles as she assessed the effort she got from her young squad.

“We played the passing game that we wanted to play; we had possession,” said Farlow, whose team dropped to 1-1.

“I think we are only going to get better, A.B. [assistant coach Annabeth Donovan] and I are really excited about where we are. It is only September 6 and we lost five starters from last year.”

Farlow saw some better play at the defensive end of the field as PDS battled a high-powered PHS attack.

“Compared to Tuesday’s game (a 1-0 win Mount Saint Mary Academy), our defense improved; we were reading lanes and stuff,” said Farlow.

“We just haven’t gone over stuff yet because they are so young. They are just going to continue to move forward. With more veteran players, you don’t have to cover everything because they already know it.”

One of the team’s battle-tested veterans, senior goalkeeper and four-year starter Lexie Hausheer made several superb saves to help keep PDS in the game.

“Lexie come up big, she reads the play well and is just such a smart goalie,” said Farlow. “She saved us lot, she gives the other players confidence.”

Going forward, Farlow is looking for her young squad to develop more confidence at the offensive end.

“We just need to work on our short game, like in golf,” said Farlow, whose team plays at Stuart Country Day on September 12 before hosting Robbinsville on September 16.

“We just have to finish. We knew that was something that we were going to have to work on because we lost our finishers from last year.”