ON A ROLL: Princeton High boys’ soccer goalie Patrick Jacobs rolls the ball up the field in a game earlier this season. Last Monday, junior Jacobs made eight saves as PHS edged Trenton 1-0 in a key Colonial Valley Conference showdown. The Little Tigers, now 14-1, are starting play in the Mercer County Tournament this week where they are seeded second and host a first round contest on October 20 against the victor of the MCT play-in game between Hightstown and Nottingham. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Over the years, a long line of top flight goalies has helped form the foundation of the highly successful Princeton High boys’ soccer program.

Such standout keepers as Owen Lindenfeldar, Laurenz Reimitz, and Steve Hellstern have starred as PHS has won two state titles along with a slew of sectional, MCT, and CVC crowns under head coach Wayne Sutcliffe.

This fall, junior Patrick Jacobs has assumed the mantle of PHS goalie and is enjoying making his mark for the Little Tigers.

“It has been good, it has been fun so far,” said Jacobs. “It is good because we are a young team and there is a new challenge every game, we are still getting used to each other.”

PHS was up to the challenge last week as it topped visiting Ewing 4-1, playing on Farmview Fields due to a scheduling conflict for the turf field and drainage and turf issues with the Valley Road field.

“We like to keep possession to start with, and then because of how the pitch played, we wanted to get it out first, and then in the front half we try to keep possession,” said Jacobs, reflecting on the win which saw him record three saves. “Then we just tried to finalize and score off some set pieces, which we did well today.”

Jacobs was happy with how the defense did on the day. “I think as a defense we pressured well; we got the ball back quickly and that led to some more offense for us,” said Jacobs.

“I was pretty happy with the effort, I think we should have done better at the end. We have a lot more to improve on. Going into the postseason, we need to touch up a few things.”

Playing with twin brother Ian, a starting defender, has helped things go smoother for Jacobs this fall.

“I know what he is going to do sometimes on the ball,” said Jacobs. “I do think we play well together.”

Playing behind Lindenfeldar last fall was a valuable learning experience for Jacobs.

“Owen helped me a lot, I was playing under him all last year, he taught me a lot along with coach (Carlos) Salazar and the rest of the staff,” said Jacobs, who made eight saves in a 1-0 win over Trenton last Monday as the Little Tigers improved to 14-1.

“He was a big help for me. It is simply getting used to the starting role and just being in that position.”

PHS head coach Sutcliffe likes the progress he is seeing from Jacobs as he adjusts to the starting goalie role.

“Pat is doing great, he is focusing, he is improving,” said Sutcliffe, who recently passed the 300-win mark in his tenure guiding the Little Tigers. “We have total confidence in him.”

In the win over Ewing, Jacobs and the defensive unit displayed some confident play.

“I was very happy with the back four and Pat, credit to them for their work,” said Sutcliffe.

“Ewing didn’t put a tremendous amount of pressure on us but I am very happy with their performance today. The key to it all going forward is that our back four have to become more greedy at not relinquishing goals.”

The PHS midfield, on the other hand, put the pressure on Ewing as senior star Andrew Goldsmith tallied three  with junior Remy Hebert adding the fourth.

“It was one of our best games from our midfield in terms of keeping the ball and finding one another,” said Sutcliffe.

“Drew Beamer was really sharp and then Andrew Goldsmith was really good. He converts three; it was a big day for him.”

It was another big performance for senior defender Sam Serxner, who had two assists and bedeviled Ewing with his long, looping throw-ins and soaring corner kicks.

“Sam has been incredibly consistent on his set pieces, his corners, and his throws,” added Sutcliffe. “He has been just deadly.”

With PHS starting play in the Mercer County Tournament this week where they are seeded second and host a first round contest on October 20 against the victor of the MCT play-in game between Hightstown and Nottingham, Sutcliffe believes the team’s collective consistency will serve it well in postseason action.

“We are really happy with our goal production, we are finding ways to score,” said Sutcliffe.

“The chemistry of the group has been building and we have been working pretty hard on trying to find ourselves in the best emotional state going into this and being resilient; working for one another and working with one another harder. It is tournament time, this is the business end of the season and with all the preparation, I think we are in a good spot but it is just one game at a time.”

Jacobs, for his part, believes the Little Tigers are ready to take care of business in the postseason.

“We have to keep up what we have been doing all year, keeping it simple, getting possession, and then scoring off the set pieces and defending well,” said Jacobs.

“We are pretty confident going in. We would like to win the MCTs, that would be great for us. We feel good about the other competitions too.”