(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) ON THE BALL: Hun School senior star Matt Florio chases down a ball in action this fall. Florio’s versatility was a major asset for the Raiders as they tied for the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) title with Hill and Lawrenceville.

Hun Boys’ Soccer Tied for MAPL Title but Rues Near Misses in MCT, Prep A

Bill Alden

The Hun School boys’ soccer team’s season finale against St. Benedict’s in the state Prep A final was a microcosm of an uneven fall.

Battling the 18-time Prep champion Gray Bees, Hun showed flashes of brilliance and never stopped fighting. Yet in the end, Hun came up just short, losing 2-0.

The loss left the Raiders with a 14-6 final record and ruing what might’ve been in a fall of near misses.

Hun lost to Princeton High on a penalty kick shoot-out in the semifinals of the Mercer County Tournament in the most agonizing close call.

In addition, Hun fell 2-1 to highly-regarded Delbarton, 2-1 to St. Benedict’s in the teams’ regular season meeting, and came up flat in a 3-1 loss to Hill.

Hun head coach Chris Kingston acknowledged that this fall was a bit of a bumpy ride.

“We started the season with high expectations; we had talent with experience,” said Kingston, whose team did tie Hill and Lawrenceville for the Mid-Atlantic Prep League title as each team went 4-1 in league play.

“We did face a lot of adversity in the field with injuries and other issues. You make your own breaks and we need to analyze why we were on the wrong side of the breaks.”

In analyzing his team’s loss to St. Benedict’s in the season finale, Kingston has no qualms with his team’s intensity.

“It was a great effort; we were playing them at the New Jersey Institute of Technology which is a huge 120 yard by 80 turf field,” said Kingston.

“It would probably be my last choice of a place to play a team like St. Benedict’s. Our guys played great, we had a lot of chances. Their goal came out of nowhere on a corner ball. Right after that, we had a flurry but their goalie came up big. Our guys were not going to quit that day.”

In Kingston’s view, that battling spirit was attributable to the large number of seniors in the lineup.

The Hun core of seniors included David Putman, Matt Florio, John Gianis, Steve Giannacio, Mike Azzara, Jake O’Donnell, Campbell Stevenson, Connor Choi, and Tucker Barth.

“We started 10 seniors in the St. Benedict’s game,” said Kingston. “It was a great group of guys; they all got along well. They weren’t the most vocal guys but they led by example. They practiced hard, they cared.”

While those departing seniors will leave a void, Kingston hopes that their legacy will inspire his returning players.

“We are losing good players in every area, goalkeeper, defense, midfield, and forward,” said Kingston.

“I think the returning guys have learned how important every day is for them and for the seniors. We have guys like Thomas Nicholas, Jelani Rooks, Steve Norman, and Ryan Kreger coming back, that is a good nucleus.”

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