Season was fun to watch

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Princeton High School varsity soccer team lost 2-1 in a regional final match of the state tournament at Stillman Valley. Recapping the game can hardly do justice to the effort both Monmouth-Roseville and Princeton put into this game.

The first half ended at a scoreless tie with Princeton having a clear edge in time of possession and shots on goal but no score. At one point the large Princeton crowd rose and cheered loudly as a shot was thought to go in the side of the net, but it was a wide shot that simply hit a fence behind and kicked into the back of the net.

Princeton’s very talented all-conference midfielder Scott Roseberg had an excellent opportunity at about the 25-minute mark when he was able to get inside the defense and attack the side the goal. A shot from 20 feet to the right clanged off the side bar but right back at him. He regrouped quickly and head butted the rebound into the side net. It seemed that after the first 10 minutes, time and again, Princeton attacked the goal, but with no result. When Scott has the ball is the only time I feel confident and calm watching soccer. Monmouth seemed to regroup just before half, though, and had several good chances, but Princeton’s defense held strong led by Justin Jenkins, Zach Rosene, Stu Owens and freshman goalie Nolan Piper.

The feeling on the sideline at half was that Princeton had mostly controlled the flow of the game but simply couldn’t get one in the net. Games like this drive fans crazy because soccer can turn on one breakaway or funny bounce. Earlier in the year, Princeton played eventual league champion Dixon and it seemed that every bounce went Princeton’s way. Scoring three goals in a 3-0 win on, maybe, 8-9 shots was a game where it just was Princeton’s night. Tuesday in Stillman Valley was just the opposite. It seemed like Monmouth just had an answer for every shot or bounce.

The second half was pretty much a carbon copy of the first as the Tigers were hard at it, but nothing was going in the net. With 21 minutes left, a crazy bouncing shot by Monmouth went in over the defenses head, and they had the lead. Confusion was blamed on, maybe, an offsides flag not called, but that’s soccer. Everywhere heads went down. Fans and parents grew quiet. A dream was slipping away.

But with 12 minutes left, a Princeton player was shoved down just in front of the box and a penalty kick was awarded. Roseberg stepped to plate as they say, and drilled a ground hugging bullet that literally curved around a wall of four players and settled into the very comer of the net sending the Princeton players and fans crazy. The dream was still alive.

Four minutes later though, that little breakdown that can happen ... did, and Monmouth scored a second goal on a nice play. But Princeton did not quit. No, not tonight. With two minutes left, John Zearing lofted a comer kick into the middle of the goalie box. The ball bounced around crazily before landing at the feet of Roseberg, 5 feet away from the goalie and in the middle of 10 crazy players. He did what he had too and blasted the ball toward the goal, but the goalie made an outstanding play and slapped the ball out. Basically ...game over.

What a final play, what a game and what a season. Thank you PHS for sponsoring soccer when so many schools don’t. Thank you parents for always cheering and for all the little things like team dinners, a pizza party on senior night, sandwiches for bus rides before the games and lots of other fun and thankless stuff. Thanks for the many fans like the Murrays and Clarys that even came to away games. Thank you coaches from the sophomores Rod Jaggers who points the way, to the wonderful varsity coaches Phil Erickson, Kurt Garvin, Harlan Franklin and the very inspirational head coach Jason Bird.

But mostly thank you players for putting in the time all year, for every twist and turn along the way and for believing that we really could score goals. It was great just to watch. I cannot imagine how much fun it was to play.

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