NET GAIN: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse goalie Kelly Stevens guards the cage in recent action. Last Friday, senior Stevens made 11 saves in a losing cause as PDS fell 11-4 to Peddie. The Panthers, now 3-11, play at Phillipsburg on May 20 and hosts South Brunswick on May 21 to wrap up regular season play. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

Kelly Stevens has achieved a goalie trifecta in her senior year at the Princeton Day School.

This past fall, Stevens played field hockey for the first time and helped backstop the Panthers to an 11-5 campaign.

Over the winter, Stevens starred between the pipes for the PDS girls’ ice hockey team in her main sport, making 349 saves with a save percentage of .938.

This spring, Stevens made her debut in lacrosse and has emerged as a standout in the cage.

For Stevens, volunteering to step up in goal in a third sport has proven to be a challenging and rewarding experience.

“I got an email again asking if I would be willing to try goalie; I met with coach [Hannah] Lombardo and we just agreed I am going to try,” said Stevens. “I would say it is the hardest position I have played. There is not much padding, they are shooting it really hard and the cutters get me. It is like a different mindset, every save is kind of celebrated. It was changing my mindset to be letting in a lot of goals. I am enjoying it a lot, I don’t want it to end.”

Last Friday as PDS hosted the Peddie School, Stevens displayed her progress as she made a number of saves in the early going as the teams were tied 2-2 through the first 13 minutes of the contest.

“I was definitely seeing the ball really well,” said Stevens. “That was my best quarter I have had through the season. I think the energy from the sideline, just seeing them jump up and cheer for every save, every draw that we won and every ground ball we got, was just really nice. It gave me more energy.”

The Panthers brought some extra energy to the field as the program held its annual Senior Day ceremony before the game.

“The team is really close, we played for each other,” said Stevens.

“The coaches said play for the seniors and they definitely showed it, all of the juniors and the underclassman. It was just nice to feel that emotion that we haven’t necessarily had in previous games. It came from the ceremony.”

For Stevens, going through her third Senior Day ceremony brought a sense of finality.

“It was definitely mixed emotions, I was happy we still had a game to play,” said Stevens, who is heading to the University of Vermont where she is hoping to play for its club ice hockey program. “We knew Peddie was going to be a hard opponent but there was a little bit of sadness like my high school sports career is coming to an end.”

While PDS fell behind 8-2 by halftime, the Panthers ended the game on a high note as they held Peddie scoreless in the fourth quarter on the way to an 11-4 loss.

Stevens credited the trio of senior defenders Arden Reilly, Hartleigh Kragseth, and Zuri Graham with holding the fort in front of her.

“They are always great, I just feel comfortable having them in front of me,” said Stevens, who totaled 11 saves on the day. “They played a great game. The coaches between the third and fourth said, ‘Let’s get a scoreless quarter. Let’s just finish this out stronger than we have any other game.’”

PDS head coach Lombardo credited her senior group with leaving a special legacy.

“I think these seniors have laid the foundation for this program,” said Lombardo, whose Class of 2026 also included Nica Martin, Jillian Flynn, and Emma Burns in addition to Stevens, Reilly, Kragseth, and Graham. “It is a newer team with a lot of young girls on the attacking end. They have really helped build the standard going into next year. Holding their teammates accountable, showing up every day and the energy that they bring to this team will not leave the program even though they will leave.”

The Panthers were fired up to play hard for those seniors.

“That was the most energetic we have come out for a game,” said Lombardo. “I told the team today, I always tell you to play for the person next to you and today I want you guys to play for these seniors. They lead you every day. They played with their hearts on their sleeves for their seniors. It is a great group of girls, everyone really admires them. That was the game changer today.”

The play of Stevens in goal has been a game changer for PDS.

“Kelly is an unbelievable athlete,” said Lombardo. “She is just fearless, that is the best word to describe her. She is quick, she goes in cage and she transferred what’s she learned from ice hockey to lacrosse and she really is just a fearless kid.”

Sophomore attacker/midfielder Cora Schartman showed her athleticism against Peddie, scoring two goals with six draw controls.

“Cora found like level and just ran with it,” said Lombardo. “It is really all clicking with her on the draw. Last year she wasn’t able to play because she had an ankle injury. She came this year and she is like the definition of getting better every day. Everything is really coming together for her. The draw is the biggest part of the game; we need possession to score and she really has done that for us over the past two games.”

Junior midfielder Sammy Dandy also came up big in the loss, tallying two goals and one assist.

“I think when it comes to Sammy and the other attackers, they are playing very selflessly,” said Lombardo. “It is very unselfish play, that is the key to our attack. The team chemistry is really coming together. Sammy plays a huge part in that. She is super-fast, she is explosive. Her and Lena [Wijaya] work a really good two-player game up top.”

Reilly, Kragseth, and Graham put in some good work at the defensive end.

“That is the first quarter we have ever done that,” said Lombardo.

“I gave them a job, whoever is on 18 (Anna Treese), shut her down. They they took that task and they did it.

As the season has unfolded, the Panther squad has been up to the task collectively.

“They have just bought in to getting better every single day,” said Lombardo, whose team moved to 3-11 with the loss to the Falcons. “Their lax IQ has skyrocketed, I think that was their biggest thing. I always knew from the beginning that I had a good group of athletes but they are really, truly starting to understand the game of lacrosse and just have a love for it. I want these girls to just love the sport, love to play it and love to learn.”

With PDS playing at Phillipsburg on May 20 and hosting South Brunswick on May 21 to wrap up regular season play, Lombardo is looking for her team to build on the effort against Peddie.

“Despite the loss, I think that was the best game we have played on each end as units,” said Lombardo. “It is just put that into next week. We have two games and it is just give it everything you have and just keep building off of what we already have.”

Stevens, for her part, is confident that the Panthers will keep giving their all.

“It is playing our hardest and finish out stronger than we started,” said Stevens. “We have gotten better every game.”