Klein knows wins will come for young Knights’ soccer squad
By: Justin Feil
The wins don’t come as easily or as frequently as a year ago, but Gregg Klein knows that they will come, if not this year, then next.
Klein, a junior forward for the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North boys’ soccer team, believes he and his teammates have the skill. It’s just a matter of time before the Knights, who were 2-4 going into Monday’s matchup with 1-7 Allentown, make that translate into more wins. The four losses are four more than Klein dealt with a year ago, before WW-PN split from West Windsor-Plainsboro High South.
"We went undefeated last year on JV," Klein said. "The size didn’t matter as much then. We really out-skilled teams. We used to be able to work it around and almost dribble it into the net. It’s a little tougher this year.
"It’s pretty frustrating," he added. "I don’t know why they did the split this year. I thought they should have waited until both schools had senior classes."
Numbers are down just a bit for the soccer team – several sophomores decided to play football – but the biggest result of the split is a WW-PN squad that isn’t as big or as fast as many of its competitors without a senior group.
"It’s a good bunch," said Knight head coach Trevor Warner. "I think deep down they have some doubts about this, but the biggest quality we have is their work ethic.
"In (Thursday’s 4-0 loss to Hightstown) we had trouble scoring. We also have some difficulty marking guys. What it comes down to is that other teams are physically and athletically stronger and faster. It’s difficult because we’ve been overmatched."
To counteract its size and speed disadvantage, Warner is emphasizing two things – keeping the ball on the ground to utilize the Knights’ skill and setting realistic goals. The team has begun to look more at how it plays rather than the overall result and is beginning to play that offensive style that relies on precise passing mixed with an occasional long ball. The wins will come. After opening the season with wins in its first two contests, over Ewing and Hamilton, WW-PN has dropped four games in a row.
"It makes working for the wins so much better when we get them," said Klein, who leads the Knights with four goals and three assists. "It’s pretty special to be part of the first program. It makes the wins better. I think it’s a realistic goal that we might be able to win a few games and go about. 500 to sneak into the playoffs.
"I think teams are already surprised at us. I saw the Ewing goalie, and he told me, ‘I thought you guys would be a joke. We actually respect you now.’ If we put a few more wins together, even if we don’t, if we stay competitive, they’ll recognize us as a competitive team."
Klein is just one of the talented players that has the ability to make WW-PN competitive. He has made the area pool of players considered for the Olympic Development team, and maintains his soccer skills by playing year-round for the Princeton Union, an under-17 squad. While he usually plays forward for the Knights, he moves all the way to the back line of defense for the Union.
"He’s been real versatile for us," Warner said. "He predominantly plays up front and he’s done a great job there. I think the word’s out and some other teams are marking him tighter. And, when some of the midfielders need a break, he drops back to do that. He’s been willing to do whatever he can."
Klein, a tri-captain along with Scott Kay and Eric Natelson, is trying to keep the team positive and focused on its potential.
"We look forward, but we’re trying to stay focused for this year," Klein said. "When we do look forward, we see that other teams will lose people. We’ll get more powerful. That’s basically what’s happening. We don’t have that much to generate a lot of chances. We don’t have a lot of chances and it’s difficult to score."
Still, the Knights are just two games below .500, and there are plenty of games left to grow with and develop the ball-control offense and pressure-defense styles that Warner is coaching. In games like Monday’s against Allentown, that may be enough to beat a more evenly matched team. In Wednesday’s game at Nottingham, a team still undefeated in Colonial Valley Conference play, it may just be enough to keep the Knights close.
"We look to stick in it for all 80 minutes," Klein said. "Hopefully we’ll put it together and look for some chances. We don’t go in expecting to lose, but we don’t go in expecting to score 40 goals. Our goal is more to stick in the game and see what we can do."
Down the line, it means that Klein and his Knight teammates can expect wins – more frequently and more easily.