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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Sparked by Special Senior Group, Hun Boys Soccer Finishes 16-4
By Bill Alden
Matt Miller and his fellow seniors on the Hun School boys' soccer team were fired up as they took the field last Wednesday for the final home game of their careers.
Hosting arch-rival Lawrenceville in the Prep A semifinals, the Raiders had all kinds of incentive to produce a winning effort for the senior day crowd on hand.
Perhaps showing some lingering fatigue from its 1-0 overtime loss to Steinert in the Mercer County Tournament (MCT) championship game a few days earlier, Hun was a little out of sync in the early stages of the clash with the Big Red.
A goal by Hun senior Kevin Michel in the 14th minute, however, got the Raiders in rhythm. Hun gradually gained control of the contest and posted a 1-0 victory that wasn't as close as the score.
Senior star Miller, whose corner kick led to Michel's goal, had no doubt that the team would rebound from its bitter loss in the MCT.
"We came back like I would expect," said Miller. "All season heart has been the main part of us. We've been undefeated all year at home and we wanted to keep that going. Lawrenceville is our biggest rival and there is nothing better than to keep that going against them."
Hun's season ultimately ended in disappointment as the Raiders fell 7-0 to St. Benedict's last Sunday at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the Prep A title game.
That setback, however, can't take away from the bond created between the Hun seniors as they went 16-4 in their final campaign.
"We've been playing together for three or four years and that's what made the team so successful this year," explained Miller, whose classmates on the team include Michel, Matt Care, Jon D'Angelo, Scott Loesser, Adam Kotchin, Josh Harris, Pete DiOrio, and Matthew Kreger.
"We've been helped by the chemistry created by the seniors and the new kids that have come in. We all have the same role; we just try to be leaders for everybody."
When considering what the seniors have meant to the program, Hun head coach Chris Kingston turned emotional with tears welling in his eyes.
"The talent is obviously there but it is more than that," said Kingston with his voice cracking. "It is the dedication, hard work, and leadership. They just get it. They understand what it takes to win and they want to get better everyday. This year was a product of that."
In Kingston's view, it was fitting for his seniors to get one last crack at St. Benedict's, which has now won 13 straight Prep A crowns.
"It's a fun way to go out," said Kingston. "We'll just take our chances. The guys are competitors and this is what they want."
For Kingston, the versatile Matt Care stood out as a special competitor among his senior group. "He is the reason we can do what we do," said Kingston referring to Care who had four assists on the season from his midfield spot.
"He is a midfielder by choice and a defender by necessity. He's making every right decision with the ball but he is also defending and winning the ball. He is like a quarterback and a safety at the same time. His heart is second to nobody's."
Hun's Class of 2005 has established itself as without peer in the program's recent history. "I was a post graduate here in 1993-94 and I think it's safe to say that there hasn't been a senior class better than this one since then," said Kingston, who has now completed three years as the program's head coach. "They have such a desire to win; it starts in practice. This year has definitely been fun."
For Miller, playing with his classmates over the last four years has been fun. "I think we're the strongest class I've seen since I've been here," said Miller, who hopes to get the chance to continue his soccer career at Dartmouth.
"Not only do we have skilled
players but we have people who work hard in the practices and
the games. That combination has helped us to be so successful."
