The Princeton Day School girls soccer team’s motto this season was to play for the person next to your and not yourself. The Panthers executed that selfless mindset to perfection in 2025 as they made one of the biggest jumps of any team in New Jersey. PDS improved by 12 wins this fall, going from eight victories to a 20-1-1 campaign in which it won the Colonial Valley Conference double as division and tournament champion and reached the Non-Public B South sectional final. That 12-win improvement was the biggest one-year leap by any team in the state. As the man in charge of the dramatic turnaround, Chris Pettit is our CVC Coach of the Year. “We won two of the three trophies we were in and lost one game all season in the sectional final,” said Pettit, who is now a two-time Coach of the Year recipient. “It was really the power of the collective.” The last three seasons have been quite the roller-coaster on the Great Road. The Panthers won the Non-Public A state title in 2023, but were plagued with inconsistency during an 8-9-1 campaign in 2024. That meant a different approach in 2025. Pettit brought in two new assistants in Kira Dudeck and Kelly Severini and the returning players, many of whom were part of both the high of a state title and low of a sub-.500 season, were still on the roster. The messaging resonated and PDS came flying out of the gates. It won its first 14 games before a 1-all draw from Allentown that actually did the job in clinching the outright CVC Colonial Division crown. The Panthers then bested the Redbirds, 1-0, in the CVC Tournament final. In total, six players scored seven or more goals; a diversity that made PDS difficult to stop. “If you look at our stats, out of 25 field players, I think 20 scored or got assists,” Pettit said. “We had five or six players who scored game-winning goals. It was one of those where everybody chipped in, and they had to. That’s what it was about. Then defensively, we ended up with 13 cleansheets and that doesn’t happen by accident.” Allentown’s Kim Maurer was runner-up for Coach of the Year after guiding a side with just one senior in the starting lineup to a 21-4-1 record and runner-up finish in Group II. Lawrence’s Emily Palombo gets honorable mention for a 14-8 campaign and second straight appearance in the Central Group III sectional final despite losing 2024 CVC Player of the Year Becca Boggs to a knee injury eight games into the season. Meet our First Team All-CVC Best XI selections: West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Riley Duguay, left, tries to shield the ball from Allentown’s Molly Malovich, center, and Chelsea Faulkner, right, during a CVC girls soccer game on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in Princeton Jct. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Steinert’s Ava Prosdocimo, right, shoots the ball as Lawrence’s Scarlet Potter, left, defends during a Central Group III quarterfinal girls soccer game on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Notre Dame’s Avery Whittle, right, kicks the ball ahead as Lawrence’s Ayden Anderson, left, defends during a CVC Colonial Division girls soccer game on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Princeton Day’s Ava Katz, left, tries to move the ball away from Rutgers Prep’s Brenna Buraszeski, right, during the Non-Public B South girls soccer final on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in Franklin Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Lawrence’s Caelyn LaFlamme controls the ball against Northern Burlington during the Central Group III girls soccer final on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Columbus. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Maya Montemayor, left, and Allentown’s Camryn Rossi, right challenge for the ball during a CVC girls soccer game on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in Princeton Jct. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Allentown’s Gabby Tate knocks the ball forward against Point Pleasant Boro during the Central Group II girls soccer final on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Point Pleasant. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Notre Dame’s Isabella Daley moves with the ball against Lawrence during a CVC Colonial Division girls soccer game on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Princeton Day’s Ella McLaren yells to teammates against Allentown during a CVC Colonial Division girls soccer game on Thursday afternoon at Jan Baker Field in Princeton. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Allentown’s Chelsea Faulkner, 18, goes to play the ball against Ramsey during the Group II girls soccer final on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025 at Franklin High in Somerset. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Princeton High goalkeeper Julia Zaldarriaga looks on against Princeton Day during a CVC Colonial Division girls soccer game on Thursday afternoon in Princeton. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Princeton Day coach Chris Pettit talks to his team on the sideline against Allentown during the CVC Tournament championship girls soccer game on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 at Ackerson Field in Hopewell Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Show Caption1 of 12West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Riley Duguay, left, tries to shield the ball from Allentown’s Molly Malovich, center, and Chelsea Faulkner, right, during a CVC girls soccer game on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in Princeton Jct. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Expand Riley Duguay, WW-PS — What did the sophomore have in store after a breakout rookie campaign? How about back-to-back First Team All-CVC selections as the Pirates’ forward won the league’s Golden Boot with 22 goals. Duguay and Maya Montemayor, another First Team pick, were quite a 1-2 punch for the Valley Division champ. Duguay also proved it wasn’t just against Valley Division opposition in which she was lethal in front of goal as she also scored against Allentown and Princeton Day, the two best teams in the CVC. Ava Prosdocimo, Steinert — Prosdocimo is one of two freshmen on the First Team and earned every bit of her selection. It didn’t matter which wing she was playing on, this Baby Spartan was a handful for the opposition to deal with. She finished tied for second in the CVC with 17 goals. Expect Steinert to make a big leap next fall. Avery Whittle, Notre Dame — The UMBC-bound senior ended up as one of three players to record a double-double (12 goals, 10 assists) for an Irish side that reached the semifinals of both the CVC Tournament and Non-Public A South section. Whittle is at her best in transition when running with the ball at the opposition. She earned a call-up to Finland’s U18 National Team in November. Ava Katz, PDS — The Panthers had six players record seven or more goals, which is what made them so difficult to stop, but Katz was the best player on the best team. Deployed as both an attacking midfielder and center forward, the junior delivered 11 goals and 11 assists for a side that won the CVC Colonial and CVC Tournament championships. PDS also reached the Non-Public B South sectional final before running into powerhouse Rutgers Prep. Caelyn LaFlamme, Lawrence — You’d be hard-pressed to find a tougher player in the CVC than the Cardinals’ senior. LaFlamme battled through an injury to help Lawrence reach the Central Group III sectional final for a second straight season. Her box-to-box energy yielded eight goals and four assists. LaFlamme is committed to Division III powerhouse Christopher Newport. Maya Montemayor, WW-PS — The other half of the Pirates’ potent 1-2 punch was the third CVC player to finish with a double-double. Montemayor scored 13 goals and dished out a league-high 12 assists to finish her senior campaign with 38 points. Together, Montemayor and Duguay combined to score 35 of South’s 49 goals this season on the way to back-to-back Valley Division titles. Gabby Tate, Allentown — The CVC’s Rookie of the Year hit the ground running and never looked back in a fantastic freshman season. She led the Redbirds in goals (14), assists (9) and points (37). Tate plays with composure and rarely gives the ball away in the center of the park. She scored the goal that sent Allentown to the CVC Tournament final and kept the team’s playoff run alive with a late equalizer in the Central Group II semifinals. The sky is the limit for a player who could break all of Allentown’s program records. Isabella Daley, Notre Dame — The CVC Player of the Year was a stalwart in the back for the Irish as they made a surprise run to the Non-Public A South semifinals. Headed to one of the top Division III schools in TCNJ, the senior was lauded not only for her excellent play — she rarely put a foot wrong in defending some of the CVC’s top attackers — but for her leadership over the course of her four-year career. She’s a two-time First Team pick. Ella McLaren, PDS — The senior wasn’t sure she would even play this season after suffering an off-season injury, but once she was cleared to play she picked up right where she left off. Now a three-time First Team selection, McLaren anchored the back four for the Panthers to a CVC double. She added four goals to the mix as a threat inside the box on set pieces. Chelsea Faulkner, Allentown — The best defense in the CVC had to be represented on the First Team and it comes in the form of a player who made a huge leap in her sophomore season. Faulkner’s defending helped Allentown set a single-season record with 16 shutouts. The Redbirds had a stretch of eight consecutive cleansheets in the middle of the season. Julia Zaldarriaga, Princeton — The junior goalkeeper has already committed to Rutgers University and lands on the First Team for a second consecutive season. She’s an excellent shot stopper and serves as a pressure release with her ability to play out of the back. Zaldarriaga kept a cleansheet in 12 of the Tigers’ 13 victories, including six straight to begin the season. Princeton improved from seven wins to 13. All-CVC Girls Soccer First Team Forward: Riley Duguay, So., WW-PS Forward: Ava Prosdocimo, Fr., Steinert Forward: Avery Whittle, Sr., Notre Dame Midfield: Ava Katz, Jr., PDS Midfield: Caelyn LaFlamme, Sr., Lawrence Midfield: Maya Montemayor, Sr., WW-PS Midfield: Gabby Tate, Fr., Allentown Defense: Isabella Daley, Sr., Notre Dame Defense: Ella McLaren, Sr., PDS Defense: Chelsea Faulkner, So., Allentown Goalkeeper: Julia Zaldarriaga, Jr., Princeton Player of the Year — Isabella Daley (Notre Dame) Coach of the Year — Chris Pettit (Princeton Day) Second Team Forward: Mackenzie Brodel, Sr., PDS Forward: Kaylee Feldman, So., Allentown Midfield: Ava Donnelly, Jr., Lawrence Midfield: Juliana Hartman, Sr., PDS Midfield: Elizabeth O’Mara, Jr., Notre Dame Midfield: Delainey Ross, Sr., Hopewell Valley Defense: Meadow Boateng, Sr., WW-PS Defense: Emma Burns, Sr., PDS Defense: Sara Pallitto, Jr., Allentown Defense: Emma Skinner, Jr., Lawrence Goalkeeper: Daniella DeCarlo, So., Allentown Third Team Forward: Kyara Castro Gamboa, Jr., Hamilton West Forward: Prema Budhiraja, Sr., WW-PN Forward: Taylor Hamerschlag, Jr., Princeton Midfield: Giada DelRe, So., Allentown Midfield: Kate Grescek, So., WW-PS Midfield: Anna Guido, Sr., Notre Dame Midfield: Ava Szalabofka, Sr., PDS Defense: Jessenia Dieng, Fr., PDS Defense: Keira Reilly, So., Steinert Defense: Katherine Reinhart, Sr., Hopewell Valley Goalkeeper: Mia Petracca, Jr., Steinert Honorable Mention Allentown: Julia Ciodyk (Sr.), Molly Malovich (Jr.); Ewing: Eva Mastroianni (Sr.); Hamilton West: Paola Herrera Lugo (Fr.); Hightstown: Taylor Sweeney (So.), Gracie Klim (Jr.); Hopewell Valley: Elizabeth Buchert (Jr.), Megan Kurian (So.); Lawrence: Becca Boggs (Sr.); Vlada Kachurak (Jr.); Caitlyn Jones (Sr.); Notre Dame: Kate Moog (Jr.); Ava Sevinsky (Fr.); Madeline Kinney (Jr.); Nottingham: Maggie Cutty (Jr.); PDS: Mae Braswell (So.), Sophia Vriesendorp (Jr.); Princeton: Kacey Howes (Sr.), Malia Yates Burnett (So.), Lavinia Lord (Fr.); Robbinsville: Katie Andrus (Sr.), Kaitlyn Franke (So.); Steinert: Ella Tamagno (Jr.); Trenton: Angelie Pacheco (Sr.); WW-PN: Ginny Choi (Sr.), Julia Eckel (Sr.); WW-PS: Deana Hu (Sr.), Antonella DeGregorio (Jr.). ...read more read less