By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
HOPEWELL — The West Windsor-Plainsboro High boys soccer team didn’t go down without a fight in its 3-1 loss to Pennington in the Mercer County Tournament championship game last Thursday night at Hopewell Valley High.
The Pirates, who trailed 2-0 at halftime, got a goal from David Philbin 16 minutes into the second half and pressed the Red Raiders the rest of the way before falling in the final.
“We had some chances early in the game and that was the unfortunate part, that we just couldn’t capitalize and they were able to capitalize on both of theirs,” WW-P South coach Bryan Fisher said. “I thought we had great energy in the second half and a lot of chances on goal. We really pushed them to the limit.
“I told them that second place is something to be proud of. That effort we expended was definitely something to be proud of. I thought we represented our school and our community and our program real well tonight.”
After Philbin scored to draw the Pirates to within 2-1, South kept up the pressure and gave the Red Raiders all they could handle before a late Pennington goal sealed the game.
“It was a fun run through the tournament and memories that they are always going to remember,” Fisher said. “And that is ultimately what is important — that they remember this night and the effort they gave.
“I thought the last 15 minutes of the first half was where we gained a ton of confidence and we brought that into the second half. I thought we had a great effort.”
The Pirates strong season came to a close with a 5-0 loss to Manalapan in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group 4 tournament on Tuesday. WW-P South finished the season 13-6-1.
