ON THE BALL: Princeton Day School field hockey player Olivia Herscovici, right, controls the ball in recent action. Last Friday, junior star Herscovici tallied two goals and one assist to help PDS defeat Lawrence High 5-2. The Panthers, now 3-2, play at Nottingham on September 23 and then host Notre Dame on September 28. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
With the Princeton Day School field hockey team missing leading scorer Sammy Dandy and down to one substitute as it played at Lawrence High last Friday, things looked bleak.
But PDS junior star Olivia Herscovici and her teammates were undaunted by those challenges.
“We really just ride on team spirit and everything like that,” said Herscovici. “The support is the biggest thing. When we are all in as a team that is when the biggest moments happen.”
Herscovici produced several big moments against Lawrence, tallying two goals and one assist to help the Panthers prevail 5-2 over the Cardinals.
“I felt like I needed to take over that role for Sammy because she always scores the goals,” said Herscovici, referring to senior standout Dandy who was away at a club ice hockey tournament.
PDS got a big lift when it jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Layla Sosner with 5:30 left in the first quarter.
“It was honestly just great, I felt like the momentum just got up from there,” said Herscovici. “When we got that first goal we just felt like we really could go up from there. Layla really set the pace for us.”
In the second quarter, Herscovici added to the momentum, assisting on a goal by Ashlin Brady and then scoring a goal herself as PDS built a 3-0 halftime lead.
“I pulled up for it and I wasn’t thinking, I just ripped the shot and hopefully she’s there and she was,” said Herscovici, reflecting on her assist.
On her goal, Herscovici ripped the ball into the back of the cage.
“I just like to not hesitate,” said Herscovici. “As soon as I get the shot, I just take it no matter where it goes.”
In the third quarter, Herscovici fired in another shot to stretch the PDS lead to 5-1.
“I didn’t see anyone around me at the moment so I just knew I had to take it myself,” said Herscovici. “In my head I was move, move and you have got to go. As soon as I saw it hit the backboard, I was just ecstatic.”
Down the stretch, the shorthanded Panthers valiantly held off a number of Lawrence forays into the circle to close the deal.
“We weren’t really nervous but I think we were a bit tired coming of off two other games,” said Herscovici. “We all knew that we had it in us to end it on a good note. It was a very good win. Ending the week off undefeated is very nice.”
Utilizing her experience, Herscovici used her stick and voice to help the Panthers pull through with the victory.
“I just wanted to keep encouraging everybody, making sure that we were all ready at the end,” said Herscovici, who plays for the Total Dutch club. “I am playing outside of school and playing inside of school. I felt like I needed to take on that role. I have the capabilities to tell people what to do and things like that because I have the IQ.”
PDS head coach Heather Farlow believed her squad more than capable of playing well despite its lack of depth.
“We just really emphasized small but mighty,” said Farlow.
“It was just working together and just understanding that we have to be efficient.”
In Farlow’s view, getting the first goal was key. “It was critical, it was great,” said Farlow. “We knew that we wanted to get on the board first and kind of control the tempo of the game so it was important.”
The play of Herscovici helped the Panthers maintain control against the Cardinals.
“Olivia works so hard, especially in the offseason,” said Farlow.
“She is passionate about field hockey. She has been willing to play in different spots. I just asked today if she would play up front and she said yes. She has such a high field hockey IQ. She really sees the game. She is a student of the game. She went to the World Cup this summer. She is great.”
Junior Sosner, who ended up with two goals in the win, has been making great strides this fall.
“Her stick skills have just gotten so much better in the last two weeks,” said Farlow of Sosner, who also stars for the PDS girls’ ice hockey team. “It is just the confidence, once you score one goal, it breaks the ice. She knows she can do it.”
A pair of seniors, Lili Flink and Reagan Falconi, have been doing some big things for the Panthers.
“Lili is a real playmaker,” said Farlow. “Reagan has been a great leader for us. She is really positive and connecting with everyone on the team. She controls the tempo.”
The PDS defense held the fort when it counted against Lawrence.
“We are pretty young back there — sophomore, sophomore, freshman, freshman,” said Farlow. “It is just learning some things tactically, having composure on the ball and not panicking. They did hang in there today, that was good.”
With PDS having won three straight games after starting 0-2, Farlow believes her squad is headed in the right direction.
“It is just playing for a full 60 minutes and having that perseverance,” said Farlow. “We have talked about it, just how we don’t really have a lot of subs so I can’t reset someone. So others are having to do that for each other in the moment. They are taking on more responsibility there. Now that we have got some wins under our belt, it is just realizing that we can compete with anybody in the CVC (Colonial Valley Conference). We are setting our goals high. When we are playing together as a team, then we do well.”
In Herscovici’s view, things are coming together for the Panthers.
“The positivity is just great,” said Herscovici. “We are not doing captains any more, we choose captains every week. I think that has helped us become more of a team and not have those separate groups.”