IN THE NICK OF TIME: Princeton High boys’ soccer player Nick Halliday chases down a ball in recent action. Last Friday, junior midfielder Halliday assisted on the game-winning goals as first-seeded PHS topped No. 9 Hopewell Valley 3-1 in the Central Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals. The Little Tigers, who defeated fourth-seeded Allentown 3-0 in the sectional semis on Monday, will play for the championship when they host sixth-seeded Red Bank Regional on November 13. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Zach and Kevin Halliday played prominent roles as the Princeton High boys’ soccer won Group 3 state titles in 2009 and 2012.

Oldest brother, Zach, a 2013 PHS alum, was a key reserve on the 2009 team and then was a star midfielder for the 2012 squad.

Kevin, a 2014 PHS grad and standout striker, was the leading scorer in 2012 as he tallied 23 goals.

Both of the Halliday brothers are now competing for the Tufts University men’s soccer program, which finished first in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) regular season standings this fall and has earned a spot in the upcoming NCAA Division III tournament.

Their younger brother, Nick, now a junior midfielder for the Little Tigers, absorbed some valuable lessons from seeing his older brothers in action on the pitch.

“I definitely watched them play many big games and I saw how they reacted,” said the youngest Halliday. “They always kept a calm head so that is what I try to do.”

Last Friday as top-seeded PHS hosted No. 9 Hopewell Valley in the Central Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals, Halliday took a page out of his brothers’ book.

With PHS locked in a 1-1 tie with HoVal late in the second half, Halliday coolly lobbed a corner kick into the box which was converted into a goal by Dwight Donis as the Little Tigers went on to a 3-1 victory.

“In the Allentown game, I assisted Dwight,” said Halliday, referring to the regulation goal tallied in PHS’s victory in the Mercer County Tournament championship game on November 1.

“I always look for him. I put it right around the six and hope he gets it and today he got it. It was nice.”

While PHS got off to a nice start against HoVal as Chase Ealy converted a penalty kick early in the first half, things got a little dicey when the Bulldogs knotted the game at 1-1 with 37:34 remaining in the second half.

“We were concerned but we have been in close games over the past few weeks and we knew we could pull out the win,” said Halliday. “It has given us confidence.”

Halliday and his classmates have gained confidence through lessons learned last fall from their first varsity campaign.

“A lot of players were sophomores last year and we had a lot of experience,” said Halliday. “Now we keep going in the big games and we get it done.”

This fall, Halliday has been getting it done as he has learned a new position on the field.

“Coming into the season I didn’t play outside mid,” said Halliday. “On my club team I play center mid so playing outside mid was a new place for me. I am finally getting comfortable with the whole situation. As long as I put in a good ball on the corners and work hard on defense and don’t let people get by my side, that is what I have got to do.”

PHS head coach Wayne Sutcliffe likes the work he is getting from Halliday. “Nick has been great,” said Sutcliffe. “He is so industrious, he works so hard. He’s right there with his brothers, no doubt.”

Sutcliffe was proud of how his squad made the right plays down the stretch in the win over HoVal.

“It is just a matter of advancing, that is the mindset,” said Sutcliffe. “That is what we did and that is what we are pleased with.”

In Sutcliffe’s view, PHS has developed an extra layer of toughness from its run to the Mercer County Tournament championship, which saw it prevail in penalty kick shootouts in the semis and title game.

“I think our guys throughout the experience of the last three weeks, being in one-goal games and going into overtime, are pretty battle tested,” said Sutcliffe.

Junior defender Dwight Donis showed the value of that experience as he tallied another key goal for the Little Tigers.

“It is just a matter of whoever can contribute,” said Sutcliffe. “Dwight was great, he scores the game winner and he had his hands full on defense.”

Another defender, junior co-captain Chris Harla, made a huge play in the HoVal game as he cleared a ball off the line late in the first half.

“Chris made a fantastic save prior to them going level,” said Sutcliffe. “I can’t say enough about his improvement throughout the campaign to get better and read things like that and be in the right spot at the right time. He was fantastic today.”

PHS’s improvement collectively through the fall has Sutcliffe believing that the program can earn another state crown.

“We have already won two championships this fall and now we find ourselves in the sectional semis and we are at home,” said Sutcliffe, whose team topped fourth-seeded Allentown 3-0 in the semis on Monday on goals by Alex Ratsen, Cole Snyder, and Luis Lazo to improve to 16-2-2 and will host No. 6 Red Bank Regional in the championship game on November 13. “We have what it takes, no doubt about it.”

Halliday, for his part, is confident that he can add to his family’s tradition of tournament success.

“As long as we work hard and make no mistakes, we can definitely get another title,” said Halliday.