PDS blanks WW-PN to reach MCT semis
Lexi’s Panthers knock off Lauren’s Knights to reach semifinals
PRINCETON >> The Hausheer sisters, Lauren and Lexi, both played well and Princeton Day used an inspired second half to advance to the Mercer County Tournament semifinals over West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
While the two sisters battled on opposite ends of the field, the final 30 minutes were mostly played in the Panthers’ half of the turf.
After holding a slim onegoal lead at halftime, PDS erupted in the second half to take a 5-0 win over the Knights in a MCT quarterfinal game at the Panthers’ Smoyer Field.
The win sends No. 2 PDS (13-3) to the Thursday’s semifinals at Mercer County College against defending champion and No. 3 seed Allentown (5:30 p.m.). The Final Four trip will be PDS’ first since 2012 and its last county championship came in 1998.
Allentown advanced to the semifinals with a 2-0 win over Hun.
No. 4 Princeton, which defeated Ewing, 6-0, faces No. 8 Lawrenceville, which knocked out No. 1 Robbinsville.
“This feels really great and it’s amazing to finally get somewhere in this tournament,” said PDS’ Sasha Sindhwani, who had two goals. “We came out and we played our game and this is a great feeling to have.”
After a tight first half, the Panthers, who unleashed 29 shots, continued to put the pressure on the North (108) cage and finally were able to wear down Lauren Hausheer.
Hausheer, who is headed to Virginia in the fall, finished with a season-high 24 saves.
Despite some heroic efforts by Lauren, it was her sister Lexi, the PDS freshman goalie, getting family bragging rights.
“We are really competitive, but we are best friends,” said Lexi, of facing her sister. “It was exciting and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. She played really well and I’m so proud of her.”
Besides the pair from Sindhwani, Princeton Day saw Julia Lach, Gretchen Lindenfeldar and Val Radvany all cage goals. Lach, Lindenfeldar, Elizabeth Brennan, Madison Mundenar and Eva Petschnigg all had assists. Lexi Hausheer had three saves.
North’s best chance came when it was awarded a stoke with 7:40 left in the game, but the attempt was wide.
“This is a good prep for us as we get ready for the states,” said North coach Paula Tessein. “PDS is strong and they pass the ball well. We came out hard and we came out quick and we were able to put pressure on them.”
Overall, the pressure belonged to the Panthers, especially in the second half.
“We have been talking about playing a full 60 minutes,” said PDS coach Heather Farlow. “We knew that Lauren (Hausheer) was going to be a tough goalie. We needed to continue to move the ball as a unit. If we continued to do that we were going to have opportunities.”
When the opportunities came, the Panthers took full advantage.
“In the second half we really upped our game and played the way we should,” said Sindhwani.