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Phillips shines early for PDS girls’ soccer

Panthers advance to Prep B final

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Raquel Phillips has been a solid role player for the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team this season, except when it comes to playing Rutgers Prep.
   Then she turns into a star.
   The junior did so again with a goal less than two minutes into the top-seeded Panthers’ Prep B semifinal game and they never trailed in a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded Rutgers Prep on Wednesday.
   ”I actually live right down the street from Rutgers Prep,” said the Somerset resident. “I know most of the girls on the team.
   ”It was kind of interesting. Playing against people I knew made me want to play harder. I’ve always had competition with those girls. It’s usually basketball. I’ve played soccer with some of them also.”
   Jacqui Stevens also scored a goal, and Janie Smukler who had assists on the first two goals, added the third for insurance as the Panthers beat Rutgers Prep for a third time this season to advance to host No. 2 seeded Montclair Kimberley in Sunday’s championship.
   ”I think we peaked at the right time,” said PDS head coach Patrick Trombetta after his team won its 10th in its last 12 games to improve to 14-5. “We started getting healthy and are peaking at the right time. We shut down some of the best scorers in the county. We’ve been on a roll. We’re looking forward to the finals. We haven’t played (Montclair Kimberley) at all. I think it should be a good matchup.
   ”That was one of our goals in the preseason to advance in both tournaments,” he added. “In counties last year, we got knocked out in the first round. It was a big win for us on Saturday against Princeton. Princeton was on a roll too. In states, we wanted to make the championship.”
   PDS was knocked out of the Mercer County Tournament by Pennington in Monday’s quarterfinals, and came out a little flat on Wednesday after coming off the hard-fought PHS and Pennington games. Luckily, Phillips showed them the way early.
   ”It actually was a big surprise,” she said. “As soon as I scored the goal, I happened to look up and realized we were only a minute and a half into the game. I came out with a lot of intensity.
   ”We had to find our rhythm. We had to step it up in the second half. We had a nice team talk at halftime and it went from there.”
   Stevens’ goal built a 2-0 cushion, but it was short-lived. Rutgers Prep tightened the game with an answer soon after before Smukler cemented the win and finals appearance with a goal in the final 10 minutes. Jess Frieder finished with 10 saves for the Panthers.
   ”I think it was pretty much a team goal that we set for ourselves early,” Phillips said. “Making it shows the team is developing on and off the field. It shows all the work that all 15 of us and the two coaches put in. I think it’s a big accomplishment for the team and the school.”
   Keeping the state goal in their minds helped the Panthers get through a rough start to the season. They were just 4-3 before they started to gain momentum with a big run that saw them win nine of 10 games before the Pennington loss.
   In many of those games, Phillips had been a role player, sometimes out of the midfield, sometimes as a forward. When PDS had to juggle its lineup against Rutgers Prep, Phillips was up front.
   ”Raquel Phillips had a real solid game up top for her,” Trombetta said. “We played a hunch. She lives right down the street from Rutgers Prep. I think she gets pumped.
   ”She had a goal last time against them, and she had a header off the post and hit a crossbar. She’s been a role player for the most part, but against Rutgers Prep, she takes it to another level when she plays them.”
   It’s a good thing as it helped the Panthers shake off a slow start to reach the Prep B final. Having a big part in the semifinal win was special for Phillips, regardless of the opponent.
   ”It was actually really rewarding,” she said. “I’ve been working really hard all season, like all the other girls. To be able to score in a higher level game, it shows all the work I’ve been putting in finally paying off.”