Two years ago, Princeton Day School Girls’ Varsity Soccer was on top of the world. After a 17-2 record in the regular season, the girls’ team lifted the state trophy in a historic game. The next year, Girls’ Soccer returned with a target on their backs. Every soccer team in New Jersey knew about them. Partly due to that pressure, the team fell short, finishing with an 8-9-1 record and no titles. 

This year, the team started September with one goal: to maximize their senior talent, a group of 11 girls disappointed by the results of the previous season. By the end of the first week of the season, the team was already 2-0, having defeated Peddie and Hun. On September 9, the team faced West Windsor Plainsboro-North. Last year, WPPN beat PDS on Senior Night. “It was definitely tough losing to them,” senior Nica Martin reflects. “So although we started out rough, we conceded a goal pretty early on… we did a very good job just working together as a team.” PDS came out on top, winning 4-1 to be 3-0 overall.

Similarly, when the team played at Steinert later that week, they gave up a goal in the first couple of minutes and then successfully rallied to come back. At Robbinsville, Martin netted two goals against her previous team. “It was great,” she said. That win brought the team’s record to 5-0.

Next were two wins against Nottingham and Lawrence. These were lighter games, but the team was haunted by last year. “We struggled sometimes because we underestimated our opponents… Now, we start [even the easier] games with hunger and want to just put the game away early,” Martin stated. 

At the end of the Lawrenceville game, PDS won 5-2, an impressive feat against a tough opponent like L’ville. Instead of celebrating the win, players focused on their shortcomings, even though their record was perfect: 8-0. 

PDS faced Princeton High School next. At this point in the season, PHS’s girls’ team was also undefeated. Further, they had never conceded a goal. Team morale was high going into the game. Sophomore goalie Mae Braswell started a chant in the team huddle. “WHOSE TOWN IS THIS?” she yelled, and the team shouted back, “OURS!” Late in the match, junior Ava Katz netted a goal with seven minutes to go. With that 1-0 win, Princeton Day beat Princeton’s streak, and the girls continued 9-0.

Next were two comfortable games, wins against Delran and Hamilton West High School. Despite the impressive 11-0 record, Head Coach Chris Pettit noted that “there were obvious areas for improvement in our style of play and mental preparation.” He wishes the girls had been more successful in open play during the Hamilton West game. He wanted to keep the girls hungry for their next win, not focused on their success. Especially leading into a week of two games against the Panthers’ best opponents, Hopewell Valley and Notre Dame. 

“Pressure is a privilege,” Assistant Coach Kira Dudeck often says. She means that the girls have worked hard for their success, and they deserve the pressure that comes with being unbeaten. 

The next week was perhaps the hardest test that the girls had faced all season: two games against Hopewell Valley and Notre Dame. Princeton Day scored first in the Hopewell Valley game, before the opponent tied it up. A late goal from PDS, however, kept the winning streak going. At Notre Dame, the Panthers barely squeezed in the win, scoring near the end of the game. After playing Trenton and adding a Senior Night win, the girls were at the peak of their season, heading into the last few games with an unbelievable 14-0 record.

Next, the girls played Allentown, who needed to win in order to become co-champs of the CVC. PDS only needed a tie to have the title all to themselves. Once again, the result depended on the final few minutes. Princeton Day scored at about the midway point of the second half, and was met with a goal from Allentown with only three minutes left. After 20 minutes of sudden-death overtime, the game resulted in a tie. With that, Princeton Day Girls’ Varsity Soccer became CVC champions for the first time in school history!

After a non-CVC win against Newark Academy, the team ended the season with a 16-0-1 record.