By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
With one booming kick and a big finish at the end, the Allentown High School boys soccer team is back in the Central Jersey Group III championship game.
With just over five minutes left in the opening half, Will Sjaastad let loose a wind-aided free kick that carried nearly the length of the field and found the foot of Kevin Primich, who finished off the score and gave Allentown the only goal it would need in a 1-0 win over Princeton in the CJ III semifinals on Tuesday.
”My coach said to really attack this one so I just ran in from behind and was in the right spot and tapped it in,” Primich said. “I expected it to go near the goal. I saw it coming.”
After losing to Princeton in the sectional finals the last two years, the Redbirds will play again for a title this year, hosting Wall on Friday at 2 p.m. To get there, Allentown needed to get past its nemesis from the past.
”This game felt like the finals to us because we finally got to beat them like we wanted,” Primich said. “Now we have to focus on the next one. We go into every game focused and knowing we need to bring 100 percent.”
Allentown improved to 15-3 and kept alive a season filled with great promise.
”It feels good to finally get by them,” Allentown coach Andrew Plunkett said “It’s been a few years, four or five, where they have beaten us in the post-season. It’s nice to win this one.”
Josh Samuels made six saves in goal for the shutout as the Allentown defense did a good job against a Princeton team that had scored seven goals in its previous two state games.
”That was the best defensive effort we have had all year,” Plunkett said. “We stuffed them out and it is nice to know we’re coming together. We didn’t make any of the mistakes we had made earlier in the year. It’s nice to know we’re coming around now. We’re learning how to win big games.”
And they got a big goal from Primich, who has not scored as much as he has in past seasons but scored when he needed to in a big spot.
”With all our seniors leaving last year it is different this year,” Primich said. “I am trying to orchestrate more. But I really wanted a goal this game.”
