Allentown boys tie for soccer crown
By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
EWING — Neither team was quite sure how to react.
The Allentown High School boys soccer team battled Northern Highlands and the elements for 100 scoreless minutes on Sunday in the Group III state championship game. The end result was a co-championship, giving the Redbirds their first state title.
”It’s a great accomplishment for the boys,” said Allentown coach Andrew Plunkett, whose team finished the season 17-3-1. “We’d rather have an outright winner. I don’t think either team really knew how to react. But it is nice. It is something this school has never been to before.”
With the wind steadily blowing from one end of the field to the other and the wind chill dropping the temperatures into the teens, there was a distinct advantage to the team having the wind at their backs. But through 100 minutes neither team could score a goal thanks to some good defensive play on both ends of the field.
”It was back and forth all game,” Allentown goalkeeper Josh Samuels said. “The conditions were tough but you have to play in them. It goes both ways. First half they had the wind and second half we had the wind. It came both ways and we knew it was going to be tough.”
Samuels made a couple of big saves in the opening half and a couple more in overtime to help preserve the shutout. The Redbirds had some nice opportunities to score as well, but could not convert. They did appear to score with just under 13 minutes left in regulation, but an apparent goal off an indirect kick was disallowed because no other player touched the ball.
”It was kind of strange,” Plunkett said of the overall game. “It seemed like both teams when they had the wind they were kind of relying on the wind to win them the game. The team that was going against the wind knew they had to play much harder. Both teams didn’t want to give up that lone goal so it was a very good defensive effort for both teams.”
The co-championship caps off quite a season for the Redbirds, who captured their first sectional title and then advanced to their first state final.
”It was amazing to get this far and just have a chance to have an opportunity to win this,” Samuels said. “And we did win this along with them. They are a good team just like we are.”
The conditions made the game less of a soccer match and more of a battle with the elements.
”It was just a matter of which team managed the conditions better,” Plunkett said. “I thought both teams managed it well. I know (Saturday) to get ready we did long balls into the wind to practice. Both teams had the same strategy to just play to win. It wasn’t as much a soccer game today as just managing the conditions.”
In overtime both teams actually had opportunities to score while going into the wind. For Allentown, it was a third straight overtime game in the state tournament.
”We have been in these situations all year,” Plunkett said. “Three of our past four games have gone to overtime. We’re a good overtime team and very resilient. We just couldn’t find that goal today.”
With a roster heavy in players who will be back next year, the Redbirds could very well make a run at a repeat title next year. Although next year Allentown won’t surprise any unsuspecting opponents.
”We saw it coming,” Plunkett said. “A lot of teams didn’t see us coming because we have a lot of juniors. But we have some seniors on the team who have a lot of leadership roles and helped us out throughout the year. And the younger guys really stepped in and it finally gelled toward the end of the season.”

