Princeton reaches final with upset of Allentown
WEST WINDSOR » Isabel Kinney changed the direction of the ball to give the Princeton field hockey team a thrilling overtime win in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals.
But it was a change in the attitude of the team after a sluggish start to the season that brought the Little Tigers to this point.
Kinney’s goal off a hit by Mariana Lopez-Ona gave No. 6 Princeton a stunning 2-1 overtime win over No. 2 Allentown on an autumn Thursday night on the turf at Mercer County Community College.
“We started the season with a losing streak,” said Kinney, referencing her team’s 1-3-1 start. “Then we changed our tone in practice. We decided that we were going to practice how we play and that brought us all together and now we are a family.”
It’s that mentality that got the Tigers the game winner.
“It was amazing, Mariana had a really hard hit,” said Kinney. “I was standing in front of the goalie and I tipped it in. But, we all got it down there as a team.”
Princeton advances to Saturday’s final for the first time since 2014 where it fell to Lawrenceville, 3-1. The last time the Little Tigers won the MCT was in 1987 when they shared the crown with, yes, Lawrenceville.
Right from the start it was obvious this was going to be an intense contest as neither team was shying away from any ball and the defense of both teams was up to the challenge.
Princeton got the first goal off a laser from LopezOna at the 23:30 mark of the first half. The Redbirds answered with 7:31 left in the initial half when Sierra Wojcik scored off a pass from Mary Bellotti.
“The key was that we were able to maintain our intensity and we were resilient,” said Princeton coach Heather Serverson. “We didn’t let their goal defeat us and it really inspired us to play harder.”
The Redbirds played hard, too, and kept the pressure on the Princeton cage. They just couldn’t find a crease.
“I’m really proud of my kids,” said Allentown coach Mary Ellen McCarthy. “We peppered the goal and their goalie (Kate Rogers) made some great saves. Both teams played well and that is what a semifinal should be.”
Rogers had nine saves for Princeton and Kate White had eight for Allentown. Defense players like Princeton’s Lily Leonard, Eleanor Wilkerson and Morgan Mavoides and Allentown’s Carleigh Delaney and Dara Ziobro rose to the occasion.
“It was very intense on the field,” said Kinney. “You could tell everyone on the team wanted it. You could tell it in the way we were playing.”
The Tigers are avenging previous losses in the MCT as they defeated Robbinsville in the quarterfinals, who had beaten them 5-0 to start the season, and now Allentown, which won 2-1 in the regular season.
Princeton (10-5-2) Allentown (13-3) Goals —
(A). Lopez-Ona, Kinney (P). Wojcik
Assists — Shots — Saves — 1 1 0 0 1 — 0 —
Lopez-Ona (P). Bellotti (A). 9 (P). 10 (A).
Rogers 9 (P). White 8 (A).
2 1