By Bill Alden

As the Princeton High boys’ soccer team faced Washington Township in the state Group 4 semifinals last week, Atticus Lynch found himself in the right place at the right time while goalie Patrick Jacobs came up with some timely saves.

That combination proved decisive as junior reserve midfielder Lynch tallied a second half goal and senior goalie Jacobs’ heroics in net helped PHS prevail 1-0 in the November 14 contest played at Rowan University.

In reflecting on his goal which came with 27:34 left in regulation, Lynch seized the opportunity.

“The ball came across and Nick [Petruso] just took a great crack and it hit the kid and landed right at my feet,” said Lynch. “It was just there for the shot. I was just kicking and hoping it would go in.”

For  Lynch, the moment was particularly meaningful as his older brother, Michael, a former PHS soccer and lacrosse star, was in the stands to provide support.

“He came to the game today from New York; it was everything for me,” said Lynch, who embraced Michael in a long bear hug during the postgame celebration. “I have always looked up to him playing and wanted to live up to him.”

Coming off the bench, Lynch looks to give the Little Tigers a spark. “It is just energy; that is important,” said Lynch. “I think the team starts with a lot of energy and keeping it going throughout the game is the most important thing.”

PHS head coach Wayne Sutcliffe credits Lynch with consistently giving the squad a lift.

“He is a spark; he just brings an industry, passion, and work rate to the team every day, that is why he is one of the most improved players on this team,” said Sutcliffe. “He has done so well in that respect.”

Noting that he was only called up to the varsity for postseason last fall, Lynch believes that working with the team on a daily basis this year has made a big difference for him.

“I think it is from overall good practices and good coaching,” said Lynch. “It is a whole team effort to get us here; everyone pushing each other to make each other better.”

In assessing the defensive effort in the win over Washington, netminder Jacobs cited the unit’s vast experience.

“We are a group mostly of seniors, with a few juniors,” said Jacobs. “The whole defense held up really well. We battle every game and we are one of the best defenses out there.”

After PHS took the lead, it was under the gun as a desperate Washington squad repeatedly pushed forward in the waning moments of the game, looking for the tying goal.

“That was tough; that was nerve-wracking,” said Jacobs. “The final 10 minutes always go by the slowest; every time you look at the clock, it looks like it doesn’t move.”

Jacobs came up big down the stretch, making a number of key saves on corner kicks and a dazzling stop on a curling free kick that darted past the PHS defensive wall.

“They brought all of their big guys in, they packed the six-yard box. That was really tough for us to handle but we prepared for that all week,” said Jacobs, who ended up with seven saves on the evening.

“We matched up well in the game and then on that free kick, we had a five-man wall and luckily it didn’t go high. I am glad I held on to it.”

Sutcliffe was certainly glad to have Jacobs in net. “Patrick was man of the match for us, he didn’t drop any of those close ones,” said Sutcliffe.

In the view of Jacobs, the team’s run of superb matches in the state tourney, which came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Kearny in the state final on Sunday, was triggered, in part, by having a chip on its shoulder.

“These teams are all ranked in the top 20 in New Jersey which we haven’t been for a while,” said Jacobs, referring to PHS’s wins over ranked foes Monroe, Hunterdon Central, and Washington, on the way to the title game. “In every game we have been the underdog and that has helped us a lot.”

Lynch, for his part, points to special intensity and unity as keys to the team’s late surge.

“There is so much energy and so much cooperation to bring it to the end; every guy is coming out with 110 percent,” said Lynch.