Cook, PDS field hockey sizzling

Panthers win sixth straight

By: Justin Feil
   There is every reason to talk confidently, but Emily Cook is much too superstitious to mess up a good thing.
   The junior forward has helped the Princeton Day School field hockey team to a 7-1 start. Of course, as one of the returning starters from a team that went 15-6-1, plenty was expected of the Panthers this year. And so far, they’ve met every expectation.
   "I think we’re improving each year," Cook said. "We had a really good turnout last year. I think this year might even be better."
   Cook doesn’t want to say much more than that. She doesn’t want to jinx the Panthers in the midst of a six-game winning streak. Cook had a goal and an assist in the Panthers’ 4-1 win over Hopewell Valley on Saturday, a win that shows there might be something to this season being even better than last year was.
   Last year, it was the Bulldogs that emerged with a 4-1 victory in the regular season. But by the end of the season, the Panthers had made such improvement that they came away with a 3-2 overtime win in the Mercer County Tournament. PDS has picked up where it left off, as Saturday’s win proved.
   "I was nervous about the game," said Cook, who has seven goals and three assists. "We prepared a lot for it. The one thing we did was we kept it on our right. It was definitely a shock to see a score of 4-1. It was exciting. It was their Homecoming."
   Added PDS head coach Jill Thomas: "The Hopewell game really helped. Our kids know a quality win. Certainly when you beat someone, 5-0, and all five goals are in the first 20 minutes and then you play a passing game, there’s not as much from that. It was certainly different from playing a Hopewell team that could have changed it up at any moment. That game really helped us. And certainly 7-1 sounds a lot better than 6-2 going into a big week."
   PDS puts its winning streak on the line against Lawrenceville on Wednesday. This week the Panthers also face Robbinsville, which handed Allentown its first loss of the season. PDS has not lost since a 3-1 defeat at the hands of unbeaten Stuart Country Day.
   "We’ve made it a goal that fear is not a factor," Thomas said. "That was even before Stuart. We were like deer in headlights in that game. We just froze. We’re a different team than we were three weeks ago. You have to bring you’re A game any time you play Lawrenceville. We have to show up to play and keep moving forward and do what we do."
   Cook is a big part of the move forward on the field. PDS has gone to a new alignment this year, choosing to keep three forwards instead of four. It hasn’t hurt their offensive production, as they’ve managed 20 goals in their last four games.
   "You have to work harder," Cook said. "It’s been paying off. Last year we had the strategy where we had four on the line and I would switch with Allie Crouse on the inside position, either playing right inside or left inside. It’s different. It’s more like ice hockey now. It makes a lot more sense to just have three."
   Added Thomas: "When we had four, we had trouble getting it to the four when both Crouses were there. We moved one of them off the line. We moved Allie. Allie is probably more defensive of the two. But they’re both top point-getters. It spreads the field a little more. And we have speed."
   Cook, who plays ice hockey at PDS, is fast on skates, and looks just as fast without them on the field hockey field. With just three forwards, she has a little more room to use that speed.
   "She’s pain free this year," Thomas said. "She’s had a nagging back injury for two years. She’s pain free. She’s got explosive speed. Our trip Down Under gelled a lot of things for us, as far as where we were going. She fit right into that. She wants to do well. She’s one tough competitor. She’s learned nuances that Allie and Nina (Crouse) have. She’s tough. She moves people out of the way. She’s gotten great touches. That’s focus and hard work. She has a good time doing it. She really, really enjoys the sport. She’s playing well."
   Cook credits some of the Panthers’ improved play to their summer trip to Australia. Playing against the competition from Down Under helped prepare PDS to raise its level of play.
   "The majority of the team went to Australia this summer for about two weeks," Cook said. "Of course, we lost every single game. But we got to see what these amazing players are like. They don’t mess around. They play every game classically. I think we just got better from being there to see that, even if we didn’t win. That was really beneficial to our team. Just playing against it, it sharpened everything."
   PDS continues to fine-tune its game. Stick-to-stick passing is being emphasized in practice, as is sharing the ball even more and staying well conditioned. The dominant win over Hopewell — PDS held a 25-5 shot advantage — was proof of the Panthers’ focus.
   "We’ve been scoring a lot of goals lately," Thomas said. "That was key. We went in with a plan and really stuck with a plan. Things really worked well for us. We outshot them a lot to a little. Their goalie came up with some big stuff. We had a lot of touches in the circle.
   "It was great to play them there. They had just crushed Princeton and we knew they had some firepower. A year ago, we lost to them by the same score. They always play us tough. It was a nice win. For us to finish September 7-1, that was a goal and we reached it."
   There’s cause for confidence, but you won’t hear Emily Cook talking about it. There’s too much at stake as the Panther field hockey team looks to build on a fast start.