TITLE CHASE: Princeton High boys’ soccer player Chase Ealy controls the ball during PHS’s 4-1 win over Red Bank Regional in the Central Jersey Group 3 sectional title game. Last Sunday in Group 3 state championship game against South Plainfield, senior star and co-captain Ealy scored a goal but it wasn’t enough as PHS fell 4-3. The loss left the Little Tigers with a final record of 18-3-2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

In the fall of 2012, Chase Ealy joined the Princeton High boys’ soccer team as a sophomore and helped the squad win a Group 3 state title.

Last Sunday, senior striker and co-captain Ealy had PHS on track to another state crown as he scored a goal late in the first half to give the Little Tigers a 2-1 lead over South Plainfield in this year’s Group 3 championship game at Kean University.

“I saw the open space, I took it and got a fantastic ball from Nick Kapp,” said Ealy, recalling his tally.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better. It floated right between me and the goalie; their goalie is good but I expect to win those and I did.”

Having rallied from an early 1-0 deficit in the title game, Ealy was expecting the team to build on its 2-1 advantage.

“I thought it was great, the momentum was definitely with us,” said Ealy. “Honestly I thought all we had to do was to get to halftime and we were going to take it into the second half.”

But South Plainfield answered with a goal in the waning seconds of the half to make it a 2-2 game at intermission and change the tone of the contest.

“Credit to the guy who hit the ball for them, it was a fantastic shot,” said Ealy. “They took the momentum right back at the end there.”

The momentum continued to go South Plainfield’s way in the second half as they added two goals to take a 4-2 lead. PHS added a late tally by Kapp but it wasn’t enough as the team went down to a 4-3 defeat.

While Ealy and his teammates were disappointed with the outcome, they were greeted by a standing ovation from the PHS supporters at the end of the game.

“The guys came into it with the right attitude, they fought hard,” said Ealy. “The competition was great, you couldn’t ask for better. The other team was just ready for us, they got a couple of bounces on their shots and in the end they pulled it out.”

Ealy was proud of how the Little Tigers competed all fall. “It was a young team that people didn’t expect much from,” said Ealy. “They took it as far as they could. I will remember the MCT, the sectionals, and all three games versus Allentown and how hard these guys fought.”

PHS head coach Wayne Sutcliffe lauded his team’s fighting spirit. “We were persistent in our cause, which is not surprising,” said Sutcliffe. “The way we pressed on, I just couldn’t be more proud of our mentality and our resilience in the game. It just wasn’t quite our day, but that is soccer.”

When the Little Tigers took the 2-1 lead, Sutcliffe was thinking that the day could turn out well for the Little Tigers.

“We thought we were in a good position to go ahead and actually win it but credit to them,” said Sutcliffe.

“We weren’t finding one another quite well enough. They are a good team on the counter and we knew that. They have a good goalkeeper but we still put up three and really could have won the game.”

Exceeding expectations, PHS proved itself to be a very good team this fall, posting a final record of 18-3-2 on the way to division, county, and sectional titles.

“They are just fantastic; we are a such a young team,” said Sutcliffe. “I am so proud of the senior class that fought through a lot of adversity for four years. Three championships is fantastic. The success of the team was beyond some people’s expectations.”

Sutcliffe sees more championships on the horizon. “So many players, due to  the hard work and improvement, just got so much better as the whole campaign went on,” said Sutcliffe, crediting his coaching staff of Carlos Salazar, Salvi Baldino, Ward Ingersoll, and Brian Ruddy with helping to accelerate that progress. “We just can’t wait until next season. We have such a young team and we are going to be in great shape.”

Ealy, for his part, believes the program is poised to keep rolling. “In future years, this team is going to continue winning,” said Ealy. “They have a fantastic core of young players. These guys are going to be really good.”

In reflecting on his PHS experience, Ealy leaves with some fantastic memories.

“It is everything; I came into a team that was full of legacy,” said Ealy. “You are always in the title games, you are always fighting for them. It is exactly what I wanted to get back to my senior year and we did it. We got there. I would have loved to win but we continued the legacy. We won as much as we could.”