By: Bob Nuse
No matter what the records, a field hockey matchup between Stuart Country Day School and Princeton Day School is always going to be a battle.
That’s why, despite the fact Stuart entered Friday’s state Prep field hockey tournament quarterfinal game with a 8-1-4 record and PDS was 5-7-1, it was bound to be a tight game. The fact the teams had already played two tight games this season, was all the more reason to expect a tight contest.
As expected, the Tartans and Panthers played another exciting game before Stuart emerged the winner for the third time this season, topping PDS, 2-0, to advance to Wednesday’s 2 p.m. semifinal at Lawrenceville. In the other semifinal, top-seeded Peddie will host fourth-seeded Hun. The Raiders advanced with a 2-1 win over Newark Academy Friday.
"When we play PDS we know they’re going to put up a good fight," said Stuart midfielder Shioban McCarty. "We were really focused today and ready right from the beginning. Our whole team has been focused the whole season. We went down to Baltimore for some scrimmages and did very well and we’ve been playing well the whole season."
The Tartans will take their near-unbeaten record to Lawrenceville Wednesday with a chance to avenge their only defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss to the Big Red in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals. Stuart will certainly go into the game on a roll. The Tartans have won three straight since that MCT loss, all by shutout. In fact, Friday’s shutout of PDS was their eighth of the season.
So far this year the Tartans have outscored their opponents 33-10, allowing more than one goal in a game just three times.
"I think to be a successful team you have to have a solid defense," Stuart coach Missy Bruvick said. "Since I’ve been here we’ve always had a good defense. It’s a tough job because you’re always going up against kids with great stick skills."
Stuart has also been a solid team in the midfield, which has helped account for the solid defense, as well as an offense that scores more than two goals a game on average.
"I think our midfield has improved tremendously since the beginning of the season," Bruvick said. "When we practice we have a lot of talented players and they have to face each other. With a good offense and a good defense you really challenge each other."
In the win over PDS, Sarah Driscoll and Claire Miller took care of the scoring, while Hannah Murnen posted yet another shutout in goal. It was another balanced effort from the Tartans.
"I think we have a good defense and a good offense," McCarty said. "And our midfield has been able to score some, too. We get a lot of assists from the midfield. We feel like we’ve helped with the offense and the defense."
PDS, which was scheduled to conclude its season Monday with a game against Eastern, the top team in the state, has had trouble scoring this year. The defense has been solid, but goals have sometimes been tough to come by.
"We have to put the ball in the net, that’s the bottom line," said PDS coach Jill Thomas, whose team has scored 17 goals in 14 games this season. "We can play with anybody on the field. But we have to put the ball in the net.
"We came into the season with key holes to fill. We’re a real young team. We start five sophomores and our goalie is back next year. We’ll work in the off-season and we’ll be back next year."
