BRIGHT STAR: Princeton High boys’ soccer player Azariah Breitman, left, gets ready to boot the ball against Steinert in the Mercer County Tournament semis last Wednesday. Junior Breitman scored the lone goal in the contest as PHS prevailed 1-0. The second-seeded Tigers went on lose 2-1 to undefeated and top-seeded Pennington in the final last Saturday as they moved to 16-2 in the season. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Azariah Breitman and the rest of the attack on the Princeton High boys’ soccer team struggled to find a rhythm in the early going against Steinert in Mercer County Tournament semis last Wednesday.

Second-seeded PHS found itself knotted in a scoreless stalemate with the third-seeded Spartans at halftime of the contest played at Hopewell Valley.

“The first half was really a struggle,” said junior midfielder/forward Breitman. “We had a few chances but we were just lacking all of the composure. Every time we got the ball we just booted it.”

Heading into the second half, the Tigers made a key adjustment.

“At halftime, we switched formations, props to our coach (Ryan Walsh) for spotting that and changing the formation,” sacked Breitman. “We went from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2, it just completely changed the game.”

Two minutes into the second half, Breitman made a game-changing play, taking a feed from Connor Hewitt and blasting the ball into the back of the net.

“I was playing right mid and I was tracking back the whole time so when I switched to striker I needed to score,” said Breitman. “I needed to change the game so when I saw the ball, I knew what I had to do. I just got a ball on the chest first time and just hit it. That feeling it was incredible.”

The Tiger defense held the fort from there as PHS prevailed 1-0.

“We said at halftime, the only way they are going to score was if we give them a goal,” said Breitman. “There was no way they were getting through us. I love my defense and I trust them.”

Tiger head coach Ryan Walsh trusts Breitman to come up big when it counts.

“He has scored some really big goals for us this year, he does all of the dirty work that doesn’t always show up on that stat sheet,” said Walsh of Breitman, who has tallied six goals and three assists so far this season. “He makes great runs to open things up for Pasquale [Carusone] and Archie [Smith] and Harvey [Smith]. It is great to see him score some timely goals for us.

For Breitman, having senior star Carusone join the squad this year has opened things up for him.

“It is all about confidence,” said Breitman. “Pasquale came into the team and changed everything. He gave me more confidence, he gave the team more confidence. It took a weight off my shoulders so I can just really focus on playing.”

The Tigers were bringing confidence into the final against undefeated and top-seeded Pennington and fought hard before succumbing 2-1 to the nationally-ranked Red Hawks.

“We won the CVC for the first time since 2016, it feels incredible to be on a team that is making history for the high school,” said Breitman, who will look to help 16-2 PHS make history as it starts play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 sectional where it is seeded first and will host 16th-seeded Montgomery in a first round contest on October 25. “I am ready for a battle.”