Martinez goals lift PHS boys’ soccer

Senior scores hat trick in preparation for Hopewell challenge

By: Justin Feil
   The red straps on his soccer cleats gave Angel Martinez a bit of flare Wednesday, but the Princeton High senior doesn’t need any more. His skills on the soccer field made him stand out enough.
   Normally content to look for his teammates, Martinez had to use all facets of his game as he scored three goals, including the last two as the PHS boys’ soccer team rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat Steinert, 4-3.
   "I like to create," the senior midfielder said. "I don’t look to score any goals, but if I can, I’ll look for them. I had the chance today and I had to put them away."
   Martinez even helped preserve the win by clearing a ball that had bounced around the 18-yard line following a Steinert corner kick with less than five minutes to play. The win pushed the Little Tigers to 8-2 heading into today’s 4 p.m. showdown at 11-1 Hopewell Valley. PHS will need all of Martinez’s skill to claim their ninth win as they open the second half of the season.
   "He’s a guy who can score," said PHS head coach Wayne Sutcliffe. "His primary role is as a creating midfielder, but the best players can do both. I just hope he can keep it up. He’s really doing a great job. The question will be: ‘Can he take it to the next level?’ "
   A bigger question is where that next level is for Martinez, who has played varsity soccer the last four years, the last three as a starter.
   "His next level is doing what he did (Wednesday) to a degree every day," Sutcliffe said. "Now, that doesn’t mean scoring three goals every game, but he’s got to score or help other guys do it. He needs to score big goals in big games. I hope he saved some for Friday."
   Martinez’s three goals pushed him to nine goals and six assists on the season, one goal behind team leader Ryan Morgan, who added three assists in a strong effort against Steinert.
   "I knew I had to take a shot," Martinez said of his game-winner that came off a touch pass from Morgan with 7:14 to play. "It was the same on the second goal. We were down. The first one (he scored), it was a mistake and they didn’t clear the ball and I came through and put it in."
   Martinez expects to have to work even harder against Hopewell, but believes the Little Tigers will be ready.
   "They’re going to come out strong," he said of the Bulldogs. "All the games we’ve played with Hopewell have been intense. It will be a tough challenge. They haven’t let up a goal in like five games. It’s always fun to have a challenge like that. For Notre Dame, they have a goalie Nick Hoover who’s one of the best and no one had scored five goals against them until us.
   "Whoever wins, I think it will decide the (Colonial Valley Conference Valley Division) championship. It’s always like that."
   Sutcliffe agreed that the Hopewell game has huge implications for a championship, though he noted that it is usually the teams’ second meeting of the year that ultimately decides who wins the crown. But this one will go a long way in painting the picture.
   "The team that wins this one has a decided advantage," Sutcliffe said. "You can’t even put it into words how emotional it will be. It will be a great character test in addition to today. Today was a good test, so hopefully we’re ready."
   It didn’t always look good for Princeton. The Little Tigers were tied at halftime, 2-2, after they had difficulty clearing the ball in their final line. It factored in again as Steinert scored on a bang-bang sort of play on a break to take a 3-2 lead before Martinez’s last two goals. It is the biggest concern for the Little Tigers as they face Hopewell and the second half of league play.
   "I’m concerned that we gave up three goals," Sutcliffe said. "My big concern is not how many we score, but how many can we not relinquish. In big games, that’s what’s really going to help you. The guys in the back, they have to be able to play better than they did (Wednesday). They’re going to have to (today). That’s the major goal for the second half of the season. We have to give up at most one goal."
   There is still time for that improvement, though today’s contest will be a huge test, one that Martinez expects the Little Tigers to pass.
   "We’re coming together more," he said. "We’re clicking together. We’ve played pretty well and we’re doing well overall. We just have to keep it up."
   Keep it up. They are words that Princeton hopes the speaker will take to heart. Martinez doesn’t have to be real flashy, just enough to stick out a little in the biggest moments like those red straps on his soccer cleats did Wednesday.