Halliday kept high standard for inexperienced PHS
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
It has been said that in sports, the numbers don’t lie.
But in the case of Kevin Halliday’s play on the soccer field, numbers don’t do him justice.
”He did so many things you just can’t quantify in statistics,” said Princeton High School coach Wayne Sutcliffe. “He was amazing with the leadership part and the resilience throughout the season. We had a tough stretch in the middle of the season. That was somewhat uncharacteristic of the last six or seven years. We did not have to deal with that the last six or seven years.
”We also moved him around on the field. We had him as a high forward last year. This year we had to use him as a holding center mid, an attacking center mid, and sometimes as a forward. He didn’t have Zack (Halliday) and the team we had last year that could get him the ball.”
Statistically, Halliday’s numbers dropped this year. After scoring 23 goals a year ago when he was moved from the midfield to forward, the Cranbury resident dropped back to more of a midfield role this season. He still led the team with eight goals scored while assisting on four others.
”The coaches moved me around a decent amount this year,” Halliday said. “It was a lot different last year. I had the benefit of having a ton of great players around me and I had to do my job, which was score goals. This year had promising talent but some of the kids were younger players. So we picked up the slack with me, and John (Blair) and other seniors.”
Whether he was scoring goals, directing play on the field, leading on the field or off the field, or simply helping bring young players along, Sutcliffe knows there was no statistical way to measure what Halliday meant to the Princeton program.
”This year we had our fair share of success, but he was the one that held the team together,” Sutcliffe said. “He helped get us into the tournament and gave us a chance to do some damage. We had a good run and could have, if not for one goal against Allentown, could have gone as far as Allentown did which was to the state final.”
Kevin Halliday is the Princeton Packet Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
While last year’s state championship team at Princeton was loaded with seniors and experienced players, this year’s team was one in transition. But even in a transition year expectations are high for the Little Tigers.
”Those guys faced a challenge that no team has faced in many years,” Sutcliffe said. “We only had three outfield players who were on the field last year and we also had Laurenz (Reimitz), who was our goalie. So these kids were confronted with a much different challenge and bared the burden of pressure and keeping the standard at that top-flight level.
”The whole team basically turned over and we had had a good year. We went 10-6-3 with a sectional semifinal loss, 1-0. Many teams and coaching staff would take that.”
For Halliday, who was a four-year varsity player, this year proved to be a unique experience with so many young players on the field at all times. He joined John Blair and Chase Ealy as the players on the field who needed to lead the others.
”We were the only ones who had varsity experience on the team,” said Halliday, who will join his older brother at Tufts University next year. “Going out on the field this year was different. Instead of thinking, all right, Aiden (Passanante) or Zack will do what we need to win, this year I said, I have to get something done this game.
”Since the preseason Coach Sutcliffe said our great players have to be great every game and that was the mindset we had. Last year I had a lot of impact but there were players that were much better than me.”
Halliday did what the Little Tigers needed him to do, helping turn what could have been a major rebuilding year into another successful season.
”We played Hopewell in the state tournament and I was so proud,” Sutcliffe said. “They had 14 seniors and for most of the game we had three freshmen and four sophomores on the field and we won 3-0. It came down to Kevin who brought all that experience from junior year when we won the state tournament and sophomore year when won the Mercer County Tournament and sectional. He brought all that experience and shared the reality and what it takes with the young guys. He’s always the hardest working, most optimistic and most coachable. He just gives confidence and energy.”
For his part, Halliday was simply trying to continue to lead the way others before him had when he was a young player for the Little Tigers.
”I remember my freshman and sophomore years, especially sophomore year, that was the first year I started for the team,” Halliday said. “I played with some great players like Ben Davis and George Kusserow. They helped give me confidence and taught me the team leading ability I really needed this year. I came in freshman year after the best soccer season ever for Princeton. In 2009 they went undefeated and won everything. Since then we’ve been a championship team and the mindset is if you don’t win a championship the season is not worth it.
”At the end of this season things started falling apart. But by the end I still felt like even if we don’t win a championship I love being part of the program. They may have a championship down the line and hopefully I helped them prepare to be a part of that.”
This year there was no county title or sectional crown. But Halliday still came away feeling like the Little Tigers had plenty to be proud of.
”We still had a great season,” he said. “We just had some disappointing losses. But then we got on a run and played Allentown in the sectional semifinals. They were a great team that we have knocked out in the past and they got us 1-0. It was a tough game but they deserved it that day and they wound up being state champions.”