FAST START: Princeton Day School girls’ soccer player Ava Katz dribbles the ball upfield in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior stat midfielder/forward Katz scored two goals to help PDS defeat Robbinsville 3-1. The Panthers, who edged the Lawrenceville School 1-0 on Monday to move to 3-0, play at WW/P-North on September 17 before hosting Newark Academy on September 19 and Allentown High on September 22. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
As the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team undergoes a youth movement by necessity this fall, Ava Katz knows that she needs to speak up on the pitch.
After making plenty of noise over the last three years with her scoring prowess, senior midfielder/forward Katz feels a responsibility to guide the young squad which features a number of freshman starters.
“I think it is just being a strong leader and a voice out there,” said Katz. “You forget sometimes, they have never played high school soccer. Obviously they are all good club players, but it is different in high school. Size, age, it is a big difference.”
Last Wednesday as PDS hosted Robbinsville, Katz proved to be the difference for the Panthers as she scored the first two goals of the contest and they never looked back in the way to a 3-1 win.
On her first goal which came with 9:58 left in the half, Katz got some space and fired the ball into the top of the net.
“I just saw the goalie out and I might as well take it,” said Katz, who tallied her second goal five minutes later as PDS jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead.
In building that advantage, PDS displayed its possession game.
“Even though we have a brand new group, we don’t want to lose how we play,” said Katz. “It is looking great. They are talented enough to play possession so it is great.”
Katz, for her part, is looking to use her offensive talent to either score goals or make assists, depending on the situation.
“I am surrounded by a good amount of talent,” said Katz, who is heading to American University next year to join its women’s soccer program. “I think it could go either way. I am just going to do what the game says so we will see.”
Coming off a brilliant 20-1-1 campaign in 2025, PDS knows that its foes are primed to knock it off.
“Definitely winning the CVC (Colonial Valley Conference) and the CVC tournament last year, it feels like we have a target on our backs,” said Katz. “But we are a completely new team so it is like a surprise every time we play someone. They don’t know who they are playing against.
In Katz’s view, the Panthers have the talent to pull off some surprises once the new faces get in synch with the team’s veterans.
“I think the effort is definitely there and you can’t teach that,” said Katz. “We need to figure out how to actually play with each other. The hard work is there.”
Katz has certainly figured out how to play with fellow senior Sophia Vriesendorp, who scored a second half goal against Robbinsville as PDS went on to win 3-1.
“It is our fourth year together and we had a year where we played club together,” said Katz. “We have got a connection, it is great.”
PDS head coach Chris Pettit liked the way his team was connecting in the first half against Robbinsville.
“With 75 percent of a new team, it is not easy,” said Pettit. “I thought in the first half we possessed the ball really well. There were a few times where were a little direct and turned the ball over unnecessarily.”
Having Katz trigger the offense helps make things easier for the Panthers.
“AK is one of those players, that luckily for us, can do everything,” said Pettit. “You saw her defending corners, you saw her linking up the play and making tackles. She can do that as well.”
Pettit believes that Katz could end up doing a lot of finishing for PDS.
“She has been around now, she has got the experience,” said Pettit.
“She really has the talent. I think her adding in additional goals would ease the burden on some of the freshmen which would be nice. The way we play is quite expansive so you could see today there was a whole host of chances with a wide range of different players. We are not really set up to have one player score 30 goals but if AK can chip in and take some of that burden because of how good she is, that would be a huge help.”
A trio of freshmen — Milena “Mango” Najarro, Tyler Ciancia, and Bella Park — are already making an impact.
“Mango and Tyler are figuring it out up top with Bella at the back,” said Pettit. “I think we started five or six freshmen today. They are trying to figure out how you play against kids who are three years older and that bit faster and stronger. I have said to the girls it is going to take the first five or six games of the year before they start to figure that out. They are probably ahead of the curve in the sense of what their strengths are and how to play.”
Having the skilled Vriesendorp roaming in the midfield puts PDS ahead of the curve.
“It was a phenomenal solo goal with great skill to beat three or four players and then the composure to roll it into the net,” said Pettit.
“She played wide in the freshman year, the last couple of year she has been more inside. This year because we have Eva [Najarro] who naturally sits a bit more, Sophia has a bit more license to move around a bit more when we have the ball which is working. You saw her today in different kinds of spots.”
On defense, sophomore center back Jess Dieng and junior goalie Mae Braswell are leading the way.
“Jess is a natural leader back there, Bella who plays alongside her is a phenomenal foil for her,” said Pettit, whose team edged the Lawrenceville School 1-0 on Monday to move to 3-0. “Mae and Jess are directing them. That is their role. Jess is only a sophomore but she knows the game very well and she has the size and presence and the understanding to shepherd those around her. She has been phenomenal in that role and quite honestly is playing beyond her years which we need.”
Going forward, Pettit is looking for the team’s new faces to develop a greater understanding of the PDS tactical style.
“I think a lot of it is the continuation with the freshman trying to figure out how to play,” said Pettit, whose team plays at WW/P-North on September 17 before hosting Newark Academy on September 19 and Allentown High on September 22. “You are starting to see that. We are essentially a brand new team so they need to figure out their passing patterns and what everybody on our team’s strengths and weaknesses are, who wants it to space and who wants to feet. We have to just keep going with those things. The final part is to stay disciplined into our game and don’t lose sight of what makes us succeed.”
Katz is confident that things will come together for the squad as the fall unfolds.
“We just need to look at film and see what we can work on since we have never played with each other,” said Katz. “It is a brand new group. There are some tactical things we can work on but the effort is there.”