Hopewell boys await high seed

Boys SoccerThe beat goes on for the Hopewell Valley boys soccer team.

By: Mike Basford
   Princeton and Hightstown became the latest victims of the Bulldog express, as Hopewell Valley moved to 13-1 following a pair of convincing victories.
   With seedings at stake for the upcoming NJSIAA state tournament, Hopewell figures to earn no lower then a No. 2 seed in the Central Jersey Group III.
   "Our whole focus right now is to get ready for the state tournament," said head coach Tony Suozzo. "It’s pushed us to play the best we can possibly play. We’ve put ourselves in pretty favorable position, and now it’s time to see if we can take advantage of it."
   The Bulldogs (13-1 overall, 11-1 Colonial Valley Conference Valley Division) took care of a pesky Princeton (8-3 overall, 8-2 Valley Division) squad on Friday, 3-1.
   After falling behind 1-0, Dave Johnson tied the game late in the first half. Junior Brandon Rust put the Bulldogs ahead for good 10:10 into the second half, and Tom Gillespie provided an insurance goal with 23:22 remaining.
   The two teams are primed for a rematch on Oct. 29 at Princeton, and could meet again in the state tournament.
   Five different players got into the scoring column in Monday’s 5-0 rout of Hightstown, including Jason Pall, Tom Goodban, Steve Berei, Adam Davis and Gillespie.
   "That’s been the key for us," said Suozzo. "When teams prepare for us, they can’t just key on one guy. We have a lot of different players who can score. That’s exactly what happened today [Monday]. It was a perfect example of how we’ve played all year."
   While the offense for Suozzo’s team has produced, so has the defense. Monday’s shutout against Hightstown was the team’s 10th of the year, which is easily the best mark in the CVC.
   "Our backs and goalie play in sync," said Suozzo. "The defense is what gets things started for us. It’s been a total team effort. We feel like if we don’t give up any goals, we won’t lose. It’s been a pretty successful formula thus far."
   With the return of 10 seniors, eight of whom start, the Bulldogs knew they’d be good this season, but even Suozzo is surprised by the rapid rate of success.
   "We had a lot of guys coming back this year with experience," said Suozzo. "So far the strength of our team has been the leadership. We have kids that really want to win. They’ve been focused all year, and now it’s paying off."