RISE TO THE OCCASION: Princeton Day School girls soccer player Ella McLaren, left, heads the ball as PDS took on St. John Vianney in the New Jersey Non-Public A South tournament State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The Panthers won the South tournament and last Friday won the Non-Public A title by beating Mount St. Dominic 2-0 in the state final at Franklin High. This was the first-ever non-public state title for the program. The Panthers finished the fall with a 17-2-3 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
For Mackenzie Brodel, it was an answered prayer and a dream come true, while Ella McLaren was left speechless.
Sophomores Brodel and McLaren played key roles last Friday night as the Princeton Day School girls soccer team defeated Mount St. Dominic 2-0 in the N.J. Non-Public A final State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) at Franklin High. Brodel scored a goal early in the second half to give PDS a 1-0 lead and McLaren helped anchor a stingy PDS defense that stifled the Lion’s potent attack.
With the opponents locked in a scoreless draw heading into the second half, PDS were determined to break through.
“We were just doing the same thing we always do,” Brodel said. “We were just looking to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Brodel put the ball in the back of the net at 1:16 of the half, launching a volley over the Mont St. Dominic goalkeeper.
“I saw the ball coming towards me, I just touched it and I prayed,” Brodel said while reflecting on his tally. “I was just hoping it was somewhere close to the goal.”
Midway through the second half, the Panthers struck again as sophomore Juliana Hartman placed the ball in the back of the net to give PDS a 2-0 lead.
“I feel like we really stuck together and just wanted it a lot more,” Brodel said. “The second goal really set it up and cemented it. It was good.”
For Brodel, this breakthrough in the title match was a very good moment.
“I’ve been dreaming about this night since I started,” Brodel said. “I dreamed about it last night. I made up scenarios in my head before falling asleep. I really wanted it – I was hungry for it.
At the other end of the field, McLaren and the PDS defenders focused on containing Mount St. Dominic stars Gianna Camporeale and Lena Tusche, who entered the match having scored 29 and 19 goals, respectively.
“We knew they were going to be very good; Tochi (Owunna) and I were going to have to cover each other and communicate with each other,” McLaren said. “They were technically very good and very fast. I think we played well against them. We were able to throw a sliding tackle or intervene at the right moment or simply cover ourselves with the long balls and their speed.
In the second half, the Panthers held the fort while the Lions advanced furiously after the PDS took the lead.
“It’s something we’ve been working on all season, there have been a few games where teams have scored against us in the final minutes,” McLaren said. “We were just trying to stay calm, play our own game and take it out, go to the corners and give it our all until the last minute.”
During the fall, McLaren developed a special partnership at center back with senior star Owunna.
“Tochi and I work so well together; our chemistry is really great there,” McLaren said.
“We just know what everyone is going to do. It’s like we have twin telepathy.
By the end of the non-public tournament, the Panthers had their best work of the season.
“I think every match was very good. I feel like we gave it our all in this game,” said McLaren, who kissed the state championship trophy during the postgame celebration. “We really wanted this win, I think it paid off with the score. I don’t even know how to put it into words. I’m so happy we won, I don’t know what to say.
At halftime, PDS head coach Chris Pettit implored his team to stick to their game.
“If we want to win this game, we will have to win it ourselves by playing our style,” Pettit said. “When we have the ball we have to be aware of their players but we must not be afraid of them. If we have the ball, then we control our own destiny. I think you saw more in the second half.
Brodel’s goal set the tone of the second half for the Panthers.
“It gave us a big boost and calmed us down; I feel like in the second half you’re always going to get nervous, it’s always going to be frantic,” Pettit said. “There was a noisy crowd here shouting and such. It was tough in that sense, but I thought we did a lot better in the second half moving the ball around and doing more.
The play of McLaren and Owunna spearheaded a superb defensive effort from PDS.
“The defensive stone of the whole season was built on them,” said Pettit, whose goalkeeper Shelby Ruf made four saves in the victory. “We have a lot of great individual defenders, but when you put them all together, collectively, they are even better than the sum of their individual parts. Ella is phenomenal in the air, phenomenal in the tackles and reads the play. Tochi reads the play very well and covers the ground for Ella. These guys individually love to defend. For them, not giving up a goal, making that tackle, getting that block, that’s their goal. They’re really proud of it, so it’s huge.
Pettit was proud of how his players rose to the occasion during the championship run.
“I don’t know what it was, we had a couple tough losses and that really sharpened our focus,” Pettit said. “I think coming to the States we were struggling even when we were winning. We struggled to play 80 minutes from start to finish. We take the foot off the pedal for 20 minutes. We arrived in the United States and everything changed. It was win or go home and we’re not done yet. It lasted 80 minutes, 80 minutes, 80 minutes, which was phenomenal.
Guiding the Panthers to their first-ever non-public state title was a phenomenal experience for Pettit.
” It is enormous ; we’ve only been here three years and we’re definitely ahead of schedule,” said Pettit, whose team finished the fall with a 17-2-3 record. “It was obviously a goal for us. When we arrived we had 17 kids and only eight or nine of them were playing in clubs. I think we had nine wins the first year, so to go from that to that in three years is definitely ahead of schedule. Now we are here and we have to continue and build from there. That’s exciting.”
According to Pettit, building strong unity within the team has been a big factor in the team’s success this fall.
“We focused a lot on chemistry and culture and I give a lot of credit to the seniors,” Pettit says. “High school kids spend a lot of time thinking, ‘Oh, it’s my senior year. It’s my this, it’s my that. This group of seniors didn’t do that at all, they actually took a step back and said it’s about us, it’s about us. As a result, all the young players were given the opportunity to feel like they owned it and they really flourished because of it.
Pettit credited senior star Adriana Salzano with playing a key role in creating that positive environment.
“For someone like that to win, it’s fitting because she’s scored 50 career goals for us and plays wherever we need her,” Pettit said of Salzano. “She leads and is one of those seniors who allowed everyone to grow. In pre-season, even though she was in better shape than everyone, she was slowing down and pushing everyone. This was huge for her. It’s a nice goodbye for all the seniors.
Brodel, for his part, feels the team has become a family over the fall.
“It’s our team bond, we have a great bond, there are no groups or cliques,” Brodel said. “It’s just a big family and it brought us together on the field.”
