TAYLOR-MADE: Princeton High girls’ soccer player Taylor Hamerschlag dribbles upfield in a game this season. Last Wednesday, junior forward Hamerschlag scored a goal to help eighth-seeded PHS defeat ninth-seeded East Brunswick 2-0 in the opening round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 sectional. The Tigers went on to lose 3-0 to top-seeded Manalapan in a quarterfinal round contest last Saturday to end the season with a 13-7 record. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Taylor Hamerschlag helped the Princeton High girls’ soccer team pull off a shocker in the first round of last year’s state tournament as the 16th-seeded Tigers upset top-seeded Freehold on penalty kicks.
So last Wednesday when eighth-seeded PHS hosted ninth-seeded East Brunswick in the first round of this year’s New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 sectional, Hamerschlag and her teammates knew they were in for a battle.
“Everyone was just thinking, nine against eight, it is a very competitive seeding,” said Tiger junior forward Hamerschlag. “We remembered last year, the Freehold game, and that anything can happen.”
PHS made things happen against the Bears, jumping out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by freshman standout Lavinia Lord.
“We were focusing on keeping it down to touches and playing around them,” said Hamerschlag. “It was playing wing balls and then crossing it in. Everyone just did their job amazing today. I think we definitely had the momentum.”
In the second half, Hamerschlag displayed her finishing touch as she found the back of the net with 16:57 left in regulation to give PHS a 2-0 lead in what proved to be the final score, “My job was just to stay on the keeper,” said Hamerschlag. “Emily [Walden], our center back, had a great header. It just came off the girl and I just kneed it in basically.”
On Saturday, the Tigers came up short as they lost 3-0 to top-seeded Manalapan in a quarterfinal round contest to end the season with a 13-7 record Hamerschlag thrived this season as she moved to forward from midfield.
“During preseason we were trying out different positions and it just so happened that I played forward for club and we needed a spot there,” said Hamerschlag, who scored a team-high 11 goals and added six assists. “We have a great team this year. We have been playing great balls in allowing scoring opportunities for everyone. It is just like a team combination.
PHS head coach Meghan Brennan credited Hamerschlag with making a big impact in her new spot on the field.
“Taylor has been great; coming from a center mid to a target forward is not an easy transition but she has done super well with it,” said Brennan. She is also very composed and very hard working. She is super strong on the ball physically and that is what you need in a target forward to hold those defenders off.”
Freshman Lord has emerged as a key target around goal for the Tigers, ending up with nine goals in her debut campaign.
“I don’t think it is surprising having seen her in preseason and throughout,” said Brennan, reflecting on Lord’s tally against East Brunswick. “She scored her first big goal against Hopewell, which was the third game of the season. But just having seen her before that, this is a starter, this is an 80-minute player. She is a phenomenal player, she reads the game so well. She is really talented, she has a nose for the goal. It is not surprising, but it is also harder for a freshman to come in and fill that role and do it consistently.”
The Tigers came out hard against the Bears, controlling possession for much of the first half.
“This year, it was nice to have home field advantage but given our experience last year, we are always saying it was an eight-nine game and anything can happen,” said Brennan. “We have seen bigger upsets than that. We had to come today super focused and we did, and I am proud of them for that. We wanted to come out offensively strong, knowing that they also have a strong offensive presence. So if we let them set the tone we were going to be chasing. We wanted to make sure that we set that tone early on and we did a good job with that.”
At the defensive end, PHS also did a good job in the win, spearheaded by junior goalie Julia Zaladarriaga and sophomore defender Malia Yates Burnett.
“I think we did really well,” said Brennan. “Julia is super clutch. I thought Malia had a great game today. Their No. 7 (Jacqueline Goldovsky) could get super dangerous but with Malia on her that was really awesome. Malia was able to handle her well and shut her down. Malia is so athletic and so smart.”
While PHS ended up falling to undefeated powerhouse Manalapan (19-0), Brennan was proud to see her squad advance again in the state tourney.
“It is nice to go into the second round at states, it is only our second time doing this in Group 4,” said Brennan. “It has been this team back-to-back years. They have a lot of heart, they have a lot of grit.”
Hamerschlag, for her part, likes the heart PHS displayed this fall as it battled some formidable foes.
“We played some amazing teams, like Immaculata, Westfield, and PDS,” said Hamerschlag. “I just think that playing those good teams and knowing that we can compete with them is good.”