Peddie boys’ soccer team advances to Prep A semis

By: Sean Moylan
   A 2-1 loss to Lawrenceville on Friday the 13th was like a never-ending Horror Show for the Peddie boys’ varsity soccer team, which felt it had the more talented squad that day.
   But luckily there are often second chances in life. And sometimes they even come in the playoffs. This past Wednesday Peddie (seeded 5th) got some sweet revenge by beating Lawrenceville 4-2 in a Prep A Tournament quarterfinal game.
   "We redeemed ourselves," noted Peddie Coach Pete McClellan.
   Hightstown’s own Dan Garfing got Peddie on the board with a goal, which was assisted by Mark Stanton. But after Lawrenceville quickly knotted the score at 1-1, the Falcons’ Billy Schuler took over and scored the next two goals to give his club the lead for good. On his first tally, Schuler made a steal and beat two more kids on his way to the goal.
   "He hit a lightning bolt of a shot from the 18," added McClellan, who seems amazed by everything his star does on a soccer field. "It was pretty goal."
   At the beginning of the second half Schuler scored another, but when Lawrenceville answered with a goal to get back in the game, Schuler simply dished off a perfect pass to his junior classmate Tim Lee, who knocked in a goal and knocked out Lawrenceville in the process.
   "Billy Schuler played it into a corner and beat his man and crossed it to Tim (Lee) who finished it," said McClellan. Schuler now has 19 goals for the season. Meanwhile Tyler Cabot had a solid game in goal and made six saves for the victors.
   "It was a nice win. It means we get another shot at Saint Benedict’s (the top seed)," said McClellan, whose team will play Saint Benedict’s in the semifinals next Wednesday. Last time around, the Falcons lost a close 4-3 decision to Saint Benedict’s.
   Peddie (7-6-1) is scheduled to host Mercersburg Academy this Saturday in a regular season game. This past Saturday, Peddie’s road game versus the Hun School was rained out. It will be rescheduled.
   HHS

   Two minutes and fifty-six seconds into the first half, Tommy Fallon scored the only goal his Hightstown High boys’ soccer team would need to defeat Lawrence 1-0 in this past Wednesday’s MCT consolation game played at Lawrence.
   "Tommy (Fallon) stole it from about 30 yards out and then took it inside the 18 and scored," said Hightstown Coach Dominic Mastroianni, who was very pleased with the quality win versus a quality opponent. "Today (Wednesday) we controlled it. We had 13 shots and they had eight. They only had two shots in the second half while we had nine."
   Adam Henry made eight saves for Hightstown to record the shutout. Midfielder Josh Cullen came back from an injury and played well.
   Things had not gone nearly as well for Hightstown in Monday’s 4-0 loss at Princeton, which had sent the Rams into the loser’s bracket of the tourney.
   "They just took it to us. We went out there and you could tell before it even started that we were flat," said Mastroianni. Princeton peppered 23 shots at Hightstown’s net while the Rams got off just seven shots. Henry made 13 saves to keep the score down.
   This past Saturday Hightstown (seeded 11) opened the MCT with a 2-1 road win over Pennington (a 6th seed). Strangely enough, the Rams gained confidence from the way they played in the first half, although they were actually down a goal at intermission.
   "From the beginning we controlled it but we couldn’t really put it in. At halftime they were up 1-0. We had controlled it, but they got one run," noted Mastroianni, whose team outshot Pennington, 17-10, in the contest. But in the second half, Hightstown wasn’t about to let all of its hard work go to waste and consequently Kyle Thornley knocked in a couple of goals to send his team home happy.
   "We got two direct kicks from 30 yards and 35 yards out that Kyle (Thornley) scored on," added Mastroianni. On his first tally Thornley hit a dribbler past the Pennington goalie, which boosted the Rams’ confidence. Then with the Pennington goalie screened, Thornley netted the game-winner. Henry, who has been a rock for Hightstown in goal, made eight saves in the contest.
   Last Thursday, Alan Joseph, assisted by Matt Nolan, scored a goal to give Hightstown a 1-0 lead at home versus Allentown. But Allentown stormed back to beat Hightstown, 2-1.
   "The talent is there, but we just need to find that one key that that turns it on," said Mastroianni, who knows his team is very good when it plays ball-control soccer. "If ‘Hyde’ shows up and all they do is play kick and run, then we’re going to get beat."
   But as bad as the Allentown game was, that’s how good the Lawrence game was. When they pass, the Rams are so good. Hightstown’s (10-9) next game will be a playoff game.