Boys team closes year with win

Lawrence boys soccer

By: Jim Green
   If there’s one thing that can be said without question about this year’s Lawrence High School boys soccer team, it’s that it never quit.
   The results might not have been perfect, but the effort always was there, as evidenced by the Cardinals’ 2-1 Mercer County Tournament consolation win over Trenton on Oct. 27 in their season finale at LHS. The victory was a fine way for Lawrence’s hard-working group of seniors to end a frustrating season in which they missed the state tournament by one game.
   "I’m really happy with my seniors," Lawrence coach Keith Fithen said. "They’re great kids. They handled themselves really well this year."
   The Cardinals, who finished the year 7-11-1, jumped ahead 2-0 in the first half on goals by Jose Mediola and Stephen Sikora, with Sikora and Joda Hankins notching the assists. The game got out of hand in the second half, however, as Trenton received two red cards arguing what it perceived to be a poor call by the referees. The referees in turn called the game with 28 minutes left, awarding the win to Lawrence.
   "My kids were under control and playing hard, as were the Trenton players," said Fithen, whose program hasn’t received a red card in 10 years. "A call didn’t go Trenton’s way, and Trenton High blew a gasket.
   "The referee leaves after Trenton High loses it, and the ref tells me to call my players off the field, and I explain to them why it’s finished. It was just a situation where Trenton lost their composure. It was unfortunate.
   "Our guys were under control. I told my players I’ve never seen that happen in 19 years. I wish it wasn’t the way it would end, because we were playing well in the first half."
• NOTE: The Cardinals suffered a 3-0 loss to Princeton in their first consolation game. Lawrence was forced to play the game — which counted as a home game — at Princeton because of the rainy conditions.