The WTHS soccer team’s season came to an end with a 1–0 loss against Princeton High School in the NJSIAA Group 4 State Semifinals
Washington Township High School boys soccer earned its fourth consecutive South Jersey Group IV title with a 2–0 win over Rancocas Valley Regional High School on Friday, Nov. 10. However the successful run came to an end with a 1–0 loss in the NJSIAA Group IV State Semifinals against Princeton High School on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Rowan University.
Head Coach Shane Snyder warned his players at halftime the game wouldn’t be “pretty,” and he predicted correctly when Princeton High School scored the game’s only goal after a scramble in the box.
“Although both teams are good, I didn’t see the goal being a pretty goal and I don’t think it was,” Snyder said. “Both teams didn’t overly push a lot of numbers forward, so it was tough; you weren’t going to get a break, you weren’t going to get that clear-cut golden chance. It was going to be a scrapper’s goal.”
Senior Jason Arakelian said the Princeton goal was a motivation for the Minutemen, and although they were not able to rebound and tie the game in the end, they were not going down without a fight.
“After they scored, I think we rallied together and we played [well],” Arakelian said. “We gave it our all, and we played our best.”
While the loss to Princeton, which holds a 17–5–1 overall record, was heartbreaking to many on the Washington Township team, the season remained strong with an overall record of 21–3–1. The Minutemen also finished with a 7–2–1 record in the Olympic Conference, falling second in the American division behind Shawnee High School.
“[The players] have a lot of talent,” Snyder said. “The kids buy into it, they like winning, they like working; it’s a good combination when your better players are your hardest workers.”
Last week’s game was the finale for nine seniors who played an impressive four-year stretch that earned the program not only four successive South Jersey Group IV Sectional titles, but also two state championship titles in 2014 and 2015.
“I’m going to miss them,” Snyder said of the upcoming graduates. “They all mean a lot in the program in different ways; they’re all great kids. It’s sad their career has come to an end.”
This year, the team also finished ahead in the SJSCA Coaches Tournament Championship against Rancocas Valley on Thursday, Oct. 20, receiving the program’s third title since 2013.
“We had a good year, we won a lot of games and we got to enjoy the season,” Arakelian said. “It was all I could ask for from all of these guys; it was a lot of fun.”
