Kuzmicz helps PDS girls soccer to historic finish
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Kirsten Kuzmicz alternated between exhausted and exhilarated during a stretch in which the Princeton Day School girls soccer team played six games in nine days.
”It was honestly such an incredible experience,” said the Panthers junior. “Every game was high intensity. There was no room for lack of focus. Every practice had to be treated like it was a game.”
Each game during the stretch pushed the Panthers closer to the Prep B and Mercer County Tournament finals. Each game, the stakes grew higher as their goals grew closer.
”It was great,” Kuzmicz said. “It was very tiring, but it was also full of adrenaline. It was awesome.”
Kuzmicz was instrumental in the historic run. She had a goal in the Panthers’ 3-0 MCT quarterfinal win over Robbinsville on Oct. 28 when midfield mate Allison Klei had a pair of goals. Two days later, the Panthers trailed Princeton High School, 1-0, at halftime of the semifinal when Kuzmicz started the rally with a long goal to push PDS to a 2-1 comeback win.
”She took things into her own hands against Princeton,” said PDS head coach Patrick Trombetta. “The performance she put on, that’s probably the best I’ve seen since she’s been here.”
The next day, she had an assist in a 3-0 win over Rutgers Prep in the Prep B semifinals, and two days later, she added an insurance goal to Eloise Stanton’s score as the Panthers claimed their first MCT championship in program history, 2-0, over Hopewell Valley. One day later, PDS ended with a 2-0 defeat in the Prep B final against Morristown-Beard, but the Panthers ended their season by tying the best record in program history, 17-2-1, and Kuzmicz was a driving force in helping them attain high goals.
”The big games,” Trombetta said, “she steps it up a couple notches.”
Kirsten Kuzmicz is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”Last year, compared to four wins, this year we ended up 17-2-1,” Kuzmicz said. “The No. 1 thing was our team chemistry. It was 100 percent better. The captains kept it that way. Lilly (Razzaghi) and Brittany (Murray), they were awesome captains. When you think back to it now, we went through five games in a week, and to win the Mercer County Tournament, it was great. It was a great experience to be a part of.”
By the end of the run, the Panthers were wiped out, but they had an unforgettable season to be proud of.
”After we won the MCT finals Saturday, we were so excited and adrenaline was still pumping through us,” Kuzmicz said. “We had to calm down Sunday. It was a lot. At halftime, we talked about we weren’t going to stop fighting. Our bodies shut down, but we weren’t going to stop fighting. That was our whole season.”
The Panthers had many of the same players back from last year’s difficult season, but things were much different.
”Another year older, another year wiser,” Kuzmicz said. “Our junior class stepped it up a lot. Everyone settled down. The upperclassmen took hold and were role models for the underclassmen.”
Kuzmicz took the lead in the middle of the field, and picked her spots at halftime. It was noticeable how much she wanted to win the game against PHS as she was a vocal leader at halftime, then opened the scoring herself in the second half.
”She matured as a player,” Trombetta said. “There were games she would say I’ll put the team on my back. That’s what she’d do at halftime. After the coaches were done, she’d get the team pumped up. She’d say we’re not going to lose. She’s a vocal player, a motivator. A lot of players look up to her. Her work rate is astonishing.”
Said Kuzmicz: “I set very high goals. I wanted to come in in top shape. I went to a couple camps over the summer. I wanted to have another solid year. I know I had to be focused every game. I worked on passing, shooting. Being center mid, I knew I had to step up my game as an upperclassmen.”
Most exciting for the Panthers is that they will have the dynamic midfielder from Columbus for another season. She is looking forward to her final chance to play with PDS.
”As our coach said, we set the bar high,” Kuzmicz said. “It’s going to take a lot for any girls soccer team in the next couple years to live up to that. To make history and be a part of that, it feels incredible. The season overall, and to win that MCT final, we had to make the school proud of us. I know they’re proud of us, and it’s going to take a lot to live up to it.
”Next year, we’re going to try reach even higher. We don’t want to stop. We just want this to challenge us.”