PK puts Hopewell behind

BOYS SOCCER

By: Tim Falls
   A Princeton penalty kick forced the Hopewell Valley Central High School boys varsity soccer team to change its plans.
   Princeton broke a scoreless tie as Javier Ramirez scored on a penalty kick in the second half of a NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Sectional quarterfinal game. That goal threw the Bulldogs off their game-plan and helped Princeton add another in the 2-0 victory last Friday.
   The loss ended Hopewell’s season with a 12-6-3 record.
   "We tried to keep it 0-0 as long as possible," said Hopewell coach Ed Gola. "They got a break. They got the PK."
   Hopewell, the sixth-seed in the Central Group III bracket, couldn’t afford to give second-seeded Princeton (14-3) any opportunities.
   "Princeton is a very good team," said Gola. "They’re technically sound and they moved the ball around well."
   Prior to the penalty kick, Gola said his team was holding its own against Princeton.
   "Our system was affective," said Gola. "It was working. The PK forced us to move more guys forward and that made us become more vulnerable."
   Hopewell tried to become more aggressive and get the advantage with more players on offense, but that strategy took away from the defense and Princeton’s Ramirez managed to get a second goal in the final 10 minutes of play.
   "It was just one of those things," said Gola. "Sometimes the team that gets the break is the team that moves on."
   Princeton advanced to face Long Branch in the Central Jersey Group III semifinals.
   Hopewell’s Aaron Utman made 18 saves in the loss, while the Bulldog’s offense failed to find the net.
   Hopewell advanced to the quarterfinal with a shootout victory after a 2-2 in regulation play and overtime against Allentown in the opening round.
   The postseason performance was impressive for a Hopewell team which was still pretty raw when it started the season. The Bulldogs also had a setback when they lost goalie Kris Ryan to an injury suffered while playing Robbinsville early in the season.
   "We had a very positive year," said Gola. "We had 14 kids who never played varsity before. We lost our goalie. That puts everything in perspective."