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Vol. LXI, No. 43
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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Vol. LXI, No. 43
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
SUDDEN SAM: Princeton High junior striker Sam Kotowski races past a defender in a game earlier this season. Last Monday, Kotowski tallied two goals to help top-seeded and undefeated PHS beat ninth seeded Hightstown 4-0 in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals. The Little Tigers, now 15-0, will face fourth-seeded and defending champion Hun School this Wednesday evening in the semifinals at Mercer County Community College. |
It’s the boys’ soccer matchup that many Princeton-area fans have been hoping for all fall.
In a clash of an irresistible force versus an immovable object, top-seeded and undefeated Princeton High faces fourth-seeded and defending champion Hun School this Wednesday evening in the semifinals of the Mercer County Tournament.
PHS, currently 15-0, rolled past ninth-seeded Hightstown 4-0 last Monday on the strength of two goals from Sam Kotowski and one apiece from Kyle DeBlois and Evan Gershkovich.
The Raiders, meanwhile, routed upset-minded No. 12 Notre Dame 5-1 with Steve Norman scoring two goals and Steve Giannacio, Jelani Rooks and Connor Choi chipping in one apiece as Hun improved to 13-3 on the season.
The game is a rematch of last year’s heated semifinal which saw Hun edge the Little Tigers 1-0 on the way to winning the program’s first-ever county crown.
While both sides lost some key players to graduation, there will be plenty of firepower on the field at Mercer County Community College.
High-flying PHS, which started its MCT run with a 9-0 thrashing of No. 16 Ewing last Saturday, boasts a potent partnership up front in junior Kotowksi and rugged senior DeBlois.
While it took some time for Kotowski and DeBlois to get on the same page this fall, the two are clicking at the right time for head coach Wayne Sutcliffe. Kotowski comes into the Hun game with 21 goals and five assists while DeBlois has tallied 18 goals and nine assists.
In the midfield, PHS is led by duo of athletic junior Corey Marsh and slick senior Diego Reinero.
The PHS defense is spearheaded by senior Peter McInerney, whose cool-headed play and superb skills make him one of the best defenders in the area. The Little Tiger defense is bolstered by juniors Will Slade and Chris Bechler together with the versatile senior Ari Silver, who can slide up to midfield, if necessary.
In goal, PHS features sophomore Steven Hellstern who has smoothly stepped into the big shoes left by graduated star Jason Barber.
Hun head coach Chris Kingston has plenty of weapons at his disposal even in the absence of post-graduate striker John Gianis, who can’t participate in the MCT as a fifth-year player.
The Raiders’ linchpin is multi-talented senior Matt Florio, who can play anywhere on the field for the Raiders. Coming into Wednesday’s game, Florio has eight goals and five assists on the season.
With Gianis ineligible for Wednesday’s showdown, flashy junior striker Rooks could emerge as a pivotal figure for the Raiders. Rooks scored two goals to help Hun edge 13th-seeded Nottingham 3-2 last Saturday in overtime in its MCT opener.
The Raider midfield is paced by the gritty Giannacio (seven goals and eight assists), Norman (seven goals and two assists), and Connor Choi, who features a dazzling long throw-in where he does a series of flips to get maximum power on the ball.
Thomas Nicholas has distinguished himself along the Hun backline with his toughness and superb ball skills.
In goal, Hun’s last line of defense is standout goalie David Putman, who starred in last year’s MCT final as he held Notre Dame scoreless through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime before making two key saves in the penalty kick shootout to secure the win.
While PHS’ undefeated record may indicate that it has the upper hand, two of Hun’s losses came in one-goal nailbiters against state powers St. Benedict’s and Delbarton that could have gone either way.
The Little Tigers will be aching to post a win over Hun to prove that they belong in the class of those other powers while the Raiders would dearly love to topple its crosstown rival on the way to successfully defending its crown.
No matter who comes out on top this Wednesday, the local soccer fans figure to be the winner when these titans clash.
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