AHS boys soccer team making playoff push

Redbirds bring 5-4 record into week, need to play .500 over next two weeks.

By: Kyle Moylan
   Like every public high school boys’ soccer team in the state of New Jersey, the Allentown squad entered this season needing to win at least half of its games before the cutoff date of Oct. 19 to qualify for the playoffs.
   Unlike a lot of teams in the state, however, Allentown enters this week in the exact same predicament.
   With a 5-4 record entering action this week, Allentown still needs to play .500 ball over a two-week span in order to qualify for post season play.
   Allentown was scheduled to face off against Hightstown and Nottingham earlier this week. Allentown will face McCorristin on Friday. On the schedule next week are Princeton, Ewing and Hightstown.
   "We’re hoping to do it," noted Allentown Coach Joe Stanzione. "Making the playoffs was definitely one of our goals.
   "It’s doable. Hightstown, Nottingham and Princeton are tough games. Ewing is a decent team, but has had a tough season. The same is true of McCorristin."
   During the course of this season, almost everything has been true about Allentown. It opened the season 3-0. That mark then slipped to 3-4. This past week, however, wins against Steinert and West Windsor North pushed Allentown back over that crucial .500 mark.
   Dave Griffiths scored both goals for Allentown in a 2-1 win against West Windsor North last week. Trevor Provost and Todd Douglas had assists in that contest.
   "It was good for Dave Griffiths to get some goals," Stanzione noted. "He works hard. He needed those."
   So did Allentown.
   "West Windsor North is a new team, but they are a good team," Stanzione noted. "If they were still one high school (with West Windsor South), they would be unbelievable."
   Allentown followed that up with a 1-0 win against Steinert. Douglas scored the lone goal in that match.
   "Nick Painchaud crossed the ball," Stanzione recalled of the start of the game-winning play. "The (Steinert) goalie got his hands on it. Then it hit one of his own guys. Todd Douglas just happened to be in the right place at the right time for him to head it in."
   This goal came early in the first half. It was then up to Allentown defense and its goalie to make that stand up.
   "The kids knew that one goal was about all that was going to come out of that game," Stanzione said.
   And Allentown goalie Matt Vernon wasn’t about to allow a second one to score.
   "He (Vernon) has been really good for us lately," Stanzione noted. "In the second half, (Steinert) really poured it on. In the last few minutes, one kid had a one-on-one break and Vernon stopped it. He came out to smother it. He slid out there, got his feet on it and saved a goal."
   And, possibly, Allentown’s chance at making the state tournament. All Allentown needs to do is just break even for a little over a week.
   "We’re hoping not to have it come into Hightstown the last game for our season," Stanzione said. "We’d like to get it over before that.
   "We’re doing well this season. We started off 3-0, but had that one tough stretch. We have done pretty well since. Our goal was to make the state tournament. We’re getting closer. It doesn’t matter how you get into the state tournament. All you have to be is .500 or better on that day."