ON THE BALL: Princeton Day School boys soccer player Mathias Ramos, right, dribbles the ball during a game last fall. Second-year midfielder Ramos is poised to become a star this season for PDS. The Panthers will host Peddie on September 5 and WW/P-North on September 9 as the 2025 season gets underway. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
This fall, youth are served by the Princeton Day School boys soccer team.
“We’re super young but the group is mature in a collective sense,” said PDS head coach Gary Roberts, who guided the Panthers to an 8-14 record and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B Tournament final last fall with a roster that included nine seniors. “I had a scrimmage the other day and I started six sophomores, two freshmen, a junior and a senior.”
Junior Keegan Fullman (9 goals, 4 assists in 2024) shows maturity on the offensive side.
“Keegan was brilliant, he scored three goals in our scrum,” said Roberts, who hosts Peddie on September 5 and WW/P-North on September 9 as he begins his 2025 season.
“His physique stands out, he’s even thicker than he was. He’s a young man.”
Roberts believes two freshmen, David Li and Nate Mogaka, can stand out this fall.
“David is an MLS NEXT player,” Roberts said. “Nate plays for the Players Development Academy (PDA), he’s a left-handed player. They’re both excellent footballers.”
The PDS midfield features several promising players: sophomore Mathias Ramos (1 assist), sophomore Arnav Sharma (1 assist), junior Aiden George (2 assists), sophomore Kriss Makkar, sophomore Peter Longo, freshman Dylan Ritter and sophomore Nicky Cardona.
“Mathias is a different player this year, he learned what high school football is about,” Roberts said. “He’s a playmaker, he’s a bit like John Stockton. He’s still small but he’s a lot taller than he was. We have Arnav, he’s a verbal leader on the team. We have Aiden, a lot will depend on his physique because he’s 6’2. He’s a defensive midfielder and center back, Kris plays in there. Peter also plays in there. On the outside we have a freshman who will contribute in Dylan. Nicky will contribute.
On the back line, sophomore Grant Burns, sophomore Aiden Luciano, sophomore Robert Wei, sophomore Beckett Dickler, sophomore Enrico Acunto and sophomore Chase Weisel will get minutes.
“We have a lot of feedback as far as the back line goes between now and the end of the year,” Roberts said. “We have Grant and Aiden in central defense. Robert started last year, playing right back. We have a mix of left back between Beckett, Enrico and Chase. The sophomores have come in with a lot more swagger than last year, you can see that. They’re a lot less shy and more confident in themselves. It’s kind of their team.”
The biggest question mark for the Panthers will be at goaltending, where senior Connor Lemole is a newcomer at the position and will take over for Oren Yakoby.
“Connor is a baseball player; he’s extremely raw but he’s athletic enough to make saves,” Roberts said. “He worked all summer on his game. Him and Aiden Luciano spent time together; Aiden took shots at him. Goalie coach Matt (Weigner) worked with him. I can’t believe how much effort he’s trying.”
In Roberts’ opinion, the team has plenty of skills to back up his efforts.
“What I’ve noticed is we’re really good with the ball,” Roberts said. “We can keep the ball tactically and technically because everyone plays real football. Every player is a football player all year round. We are less athletic but more tactical and technical. We have to watch when we lose the ball how we recover. What is really going to be a challenge is how we deal with long balls.”
