Lawrence wants another streak

BOYS SOCCER

By: Tim Falls
   A win over Nottingham started an eight game unbeaten streak for the Lawrence High School boys varsity soccer team earlier in the season.
   Coach Keith Fithen hopes the Cardinal’s victory over the Northstars in the opening round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs on Tuesday will start a similar run.
   Lawrence, the seventh seed in Central Jersey Group III, handled 10th seeded Nottingham, in a 5-0 victory and advanced to take on second-seedd Long Branch tomorrow (Friday).
   "With a 15-4 record and the No.2 seed, you know Long Branch ahs to be a quality team," said Fithen.
   The Cardinals may have a challenge ahead of them, but it wouldn’t be the first time Lawrence upset the competition in the state playoffs.
   "Anybody can beat anybody in state play," said Fithen. "In 1992, we won Central Jersey being the 11th seed. We had to play Monroe, the No.1 seed at their place."
   Knowing every team has a chance in the NJSIAA playoffs, Lawrence made sure to get the go-ahead goal early against Nottingham.
   Michael Forker scored on a long lob past the Northstar goalie midway through the first half and Doug Franc knocked in a header off a corner by Steve Sikora in the final seconds to give the Cardinals as 2-0 lead at halftime.
   "We set the tempo right off the start," said Fithen. "We got that first goal, which was key. Then at the end of the half, Steve Sikora put the ball right on Franc’s head to get the 2-0 lead, which was key too."
   Even with the lead, Lawrence didn’t let up in the second half. Jason Zegarski scored twice and Bobby Halloway tallied once.
   "We pretty much out-hustled them," said Franc. "Our main goal was to win, we didn’t care how."
   Lawrence at 9-6-2, knows it can handle these tough playoff games. The Cardinals have had their setbacks this season but those losses and even the narrow victories have helped the team become battletested.
   "We went through a lot in the beginning of the season," said Franc. "Earlier in the season we lost three close games and we got fed up with that. We knew we were a much better team."
   The win over Nottingham during the Colonial Valley Conference regular season started a 6-0-2 run for Lawrence, which lasted long in the Mercer County Tournament.
   The win over Nottingham on Tuesday was the Cardinals’ first victory in a NJSIAA game since a 2-1 win over Neptune in 2001. Lawrence last made an appearance in the state playoffs in 2002.