Wonnell, Knights encouraged by close win
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
This was a game that would have gotten away from the West Windsor-Plainsboro North boys’ soccer team the last couple of years.
But not this year.
Nursing a 1-0 lead midway through the second half on Tuesday, the Knights saw Lawrence score to tie the game. But instead of surrendering a late goal or settling for a tie, it was North that went on the offensive and finished with a 3-1 victory.
”It was a very good win,” said WW-P North coach Trevor Warner, whose team improved to 4-2 heading into tonight’s game at Ewing. “Not only was it good because we won and now we’re 4-2, but it was the way we won. We were up 1-0 and I think, subconsciously, we thought we just had to defend the last 16 minutes. But that didn’t work out too well.
”Lawrence put one away and it was 1-1. We got back on the attack and not only did we score the goal to go ahead, but we got another one.”
The last two years, this was the kind of game that slipped away from the Knights during sub-par starts. They opened the season with four straight losses, three by a single goal, last year. The prior year they started 0-9, with four of the losses coming by a goal.
”It was a good win for us,” said Alex Wonnell, a senior midfielder for the Knights. “We fought back after they scored and tied the game. It was good for us because that was something (Warner) was emphasizing, scoring goals and finishing, especially at the end of the game.
”We’ve been down like that before and it’s tough to come back from. Last year we started the season 0-4 and we came back and got to where we were two feet away from making the states. We were losing to Steinert by a goal and had a free kick. I was a couple feet away from scoring on the rebound and if we had tied that game we would have made the states.”
This year, North picked up a win in its first game of the season and already has won four times. But Warner doesn’t try to erase the tough starts his team has had the last couple years. Instead, he uses it as a point of comparison.
”I refer to that as a reminder,” Warner said. “We know we can’t have lapses on the field or take opportunities for granted. This game showed that mentally we made a big step.”
Added Wonnell: “It’s nice this year because we got off to a good start. We had a game against North Hunterdon that we won, 1-0. That was probably our biggest win this year. Last year we lost to them, 1-0. But this year we won and it was a big win for us. We’ve been taking steps forward, but we still have work to do.”
In Tuesday’s win, Scott Kelly scored twice and Justin Kaminsky added a goal for the Knights. Wonnell has helped provide North with a steadying influence in the midfield. He wasn’t around for the 0-9 start two years ago, but did play last year after making the transition from football to soccer.
”I played freshman football and it was a lot of fun,” Wonnell said. “I wanted to switch (to soccer), but I played football as a sophomore. I had really wanted to try football and it went well. But soccer has always been my main sport and even when I was playing football I was still playing for my club team (Princeton Union ‘89). I switched back to soccer last year.”
And now he’s helping the Knights get off to a much better start than they are used to.
”He’s a tough kid,” Warner said. “He’s not the fastest kid out there, but he’s strong and he works real hard.”
And he wants to win. Wonnell knows that in order for that to happen, the Knights can’t let up.
”We have to keep it going,” he said. “We’re 4-2 right now and if we lose our next game, we’re 4-3 and then we’re in danger of not making it to the states. We just have to play our best every day and win as much as we can to build a cushion.
”I think playing on the turf field has helped us. We have a lot more space. With Scotty and Drew (Eccelston) up top, they don’t stop. They’re quick and always moving. They use a lot more space.”
And they’ve used it well, helping the Knights get off to a much better start than they had grown accustomed to.

