Princeton High Field Hockey Thrives with Younger Players

Losing many players from a team that nearly played .500 last season, Princeton High field hockey Coach Heather Serverson was concerned. 

But her concerns have been addressed quickly.

"We have young, but quality players," Serverson said. "We were fortunate to have a great group of girls that came in."

Three freshmen and three sophomores are in the starting lineup. That hasn't slowed the team, which is now 5-3. Serverson thinks her team will ony get better.

"I thought we'd have even more wins by now," Serverson said. "You could see right away that these girls could play. The young players are very talented. We also had a lot of very good players back. They all just clicked."

The girls are handling adversity well. They had lost two games in a row before defeating West Windsor South, 1-0, on Sept. 26.

Mary Campbell-McDonald, assisted by Vivien Bazarko, scored the lone goal of the match. Tobi Afran made three saves to record the shutout.

"That was a big win for us," Serverson said. "We had lost two games in a row (3-1 to Hopewell and 4-1 to Robbinsville). Because we are so young, you have to end that as soon as possible. You want these girls to get a feel for what success is like."

Sydney Watts scored the lone goal for Princeton in the losses to both Hopewell and Robbinsville.

Watts had previously played center midfield. This year, she moved intothe sweeper position. Her quickness and versatility make her an offensive threat.

"She's able to pop up and create plays for the offense," Serverson.

Princeton won 2-0 against Princeton Day School on Sept. 17. Emma Crain and Emilia Lopez-Ona both scored.

"(Lopez-Ona) has done a great job playing midfield for us," Serverson said. "She just never gives up. Constant effort. She will do whatever it takes. She does well in setting up plays."

Princeton will be trying to improve to 6-3 when it hosts Ewing on Friday.

"We got a good team," Serverson said. "I knew that from day one. They were that way from the pre-season.

"The girls have all worked hard. It's showing in the games. They are playing as a unit, working well together.

"We might be young, but that doesn't mean we aren't good."