By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
The Princeton High girls soccer team prepped for its Central Jersey Group IV opener by playing a game against Old Bridge.
It didn’t go well.
“We hit rock bottom,” Princeton coach Val Rodriguez said. “We were self-destructing and not playing well.”
But the game did serve a purpose in getting the Little Tigers ready for their first round game against South Brunswick.
“We did everything wrong that game and then improved this game,” Princeton junior Gracia DiBinco said after the Little Tigers’ 4-1 win over the Vikings on Tuesday.
With the win, eighth-seeded Princeton advanced to face top-seeded Hunterdon Central in the CJ IV quarterfinals today. Isabella Giglio, Devon Lis, Colette Marciano and Zoe Tesone scored goals in the win.
“The mentality changes because this could have been our last game of the season,” DiBianco said. “We believed in ourselves and knew we could beat this team. They were a very good team but we pulled it through.”
Princeton led, 1-0, at halftime and then pulled away with three goals in the second half.
“For us it is about believing in ourselves,” Rodriguez said. “It’s about understanding we’re fielding 11 players. We’re not fielding stars. The games where we believe in each other and we play 11 v 11 is when we play the best. We play possession. We attack with numbers up. We defend as a team. We had a big theme going into this game about believing and having fun and inspiring one another and we did that today.”
Princeton, which improved to 11-7, has continued to come together as a team throughout the season and was able to rebound from a rough game against Old Bridge to play at its best against South Brunswick.
In the end, it’s all about playing as a unit for the Little Tigers.
“I think Devon Lis and Colette Marciano work very well in the middle and connect well with the back line,” DiBianco said. “We really connected well in the back. We’ve worked on that the whole season and it really showed today.
“I think we work a lot better together and we connect more on the field. We know each other better because it is closer to the end of the season.”
DiBianco, a junior, is one of those players who has come along over the course of this season, which is her first as a full-time starter.
“I think I am more of a leader on the team now.,” she said “Most of the freshmen are good and take advice really well.”
The Little Tigers were the only Packet-area team to win their opener in the state tournament. Montgomery, the 15th seed in CJ IV, dropped a 5-0 decision at second-seeded Freehold Township. Eighth-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro North fell to ninth-seeded Rahway, 4-3. Grace Carulli, Sierra Counts and Jillian Pelosi scored goals in the loss for the Knights.
