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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Loesser's Last Minute Heroics Lead Hun Boys' Soccer Past Hill
By Bill Alden
Scott Loesser took the field last Saturday for the Hun School boys' soccer team in its season opener against visiting Hill wearing a t-shirt under his jersey inscribed "Kill Hill."
With a minute left in a tense, physical 1-1 contest, Loesser did just that. Taking off down the field with the ball, Loesser sprinted through the heart of the Hill defense and ended his run with a diving shot that landed in the back of the net to give Hun a 2-1 win.
In the wake of his dramatic goal, Loesser sprinted across the field, pulling up his jersey to reveal his message.
As Loesser reflected on his goal afterward, the cold rain falling couldn't dampen his joy at the win.
"Last year, Hill beat us and we have been pumped up for the game for the last three weeks," said Loesser, who had an assist on Hun's other goal which was scored by Kevin Michel.
"When I was coming up the field, I saw Matt Miller on the side. I knew there was less than a minute to go so I decided to take it. I tried to beat my guy and I just did it. I didn't actually see the ball go in."
In Loesser's view, his effort was the by-product of the work ethic the Hun team is putting in as it aims to produce a special season.
"Our whole team is just training and training," added Loesser, who was a key performer last fall as Hun went 11-8-1 and made it to the state Prep A championship game.
"We're looking to be really good this year. Our team is amazing; you can't pick out a best player on the team. We have a bunch of good players. I was just lucky that I scored the winning goal today."
Hun head coach Chris Kingston knew he was lucky to get a moment of brilliance like that from Loesser.
"It was an incredible individual effort," said Kingston, referring to Loesser's game-winner. "In the first half he came in on the defense twice. The first time it resulted in a goal. The second time he had an open net and missed. The funny thing is that the winning goal was much tougher than the one he missed."
In Kingston's view, it was the toughness of his crew of seniors that helped Hun overcome Hill last Saturday.
"They are a tough bunch of guys with experience," said Kingston, referring to his core of seniors which includes Matt Care, Jon D'Angelo, Adam Kotchin, and John Rankin in addition to Loesser, Miller, and Michel. "That's what won it for us in the end. It was a matter of who wanted it more." With Hun facing a busy stretch of games that includes a clash at Peddie on September 23 and home games against Mercersburg on September 26 and Trenton on September 27, Loesser believes team unity will help the Raiders excel.
"We're just trying to play like a team," said Loesser, who added an assist to help Hun top Hightstown 2-1 in overtime last Monday.
"This year it is all about the team. Last year, some of us were focusing on who had the better stats. This year we are all focused on winning."
Based on the focus that Loesser and Hun showed last Saturday, the Raiders could pile up a lot of wins this fall.
