By Wayne Witkowski
New Egypt High School’s boys’ soccer team has shrugged off an 0-3 start and elimination from the Burlington County Scholastic League Patriot Division race to bounce back strongly into contention for an NJSIAA playoff berth.
“We have high expectations but with an 0-3 start, our chances of going into the [state] playoffs looked tough,” coach Matt Caroll said. “A lot of our players are young, with four freshmen getting a decent amount of playing time and some [older] players who had not seen a lot of playing time in the past.”
But the Warrioras have gone 4-1-1 since then to take a 4-4-1 record into this week with four games left before the qualifying cutoff for power points, based on results of the first 13 games. Carroll said his team recently jumped from 10th to sixth in the power point ratings in NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group I.
“We’ve been figuring out where everyone should play and the right spots where people are meshing. We’re hoping to continue our climb,” Carroll said.
Fast starts in the two games at the end of last week led to victories. Anthony Burr, a junior, and Chris O’Neill, a freshman, scored in the first half of a 2-1 victory over Palmyra High School Sept. 29.
Riley Hughes sandwiched a pair of goals around a score by sophomore Jett Francis for a 3-0 lead at halftime, as the Warriors went on to a 3-1 victory over Northern Burlington County Regional High School Sept. 27.
Hughes leads the modest scoring with five goals, and Carroll said the junior forward is the “motor for us” and has provided an emotional spark, but he stressed the team effort in the turnaround that will be essential to continue this week.
New Egypt looked to avenge a 3-1 loss early in the season to Holy Cross Academy (5-1-1) when they played Oct. 4. The Warriors look to reverse a 1-0 loss to Pemberton High School (3-6) early in the season when they collide Oct. 6. A game at Burlington County Institute of Technology-Westampton (6-4) is scheduled for the following day, and a home game is slated for Oct. 11 against an Allentown High School (1-4-1) team struggling to score.
Tim Blomgren, a senior returning as goalkeeper, has been steady in allowing 13 goals, but his teammates have scored 17 and been shut out three times. Seniors Zach Peslak and Bryan Wilcox, another team captain, are solid as middle defensive backs, while juniors Craig Berger and Hunter Keaton are among the players rotating on the outside.
Juniors Sean O’Neill, another team captain, and Cody Lacava anchor the midfield.