While few might have picked the 2018 Hill boys’ soccer team as pre-season Mid-Atlantic Prep League title favorites, the 2019 team entered the season expecting to defend its title as just six players graduated from the 2018 championship team’s roster.  A question that loomed as Peddie visited campus for the opening MAPL contest on October 4 was how Hill would handle the pressure of being favored to repeat as league champions. 

On Saturday, October 26, a Hill team with a 3-0 record in league play welcomed Mercersburg Academy to Wells-Davidson ’16 Pitch knowing that a victory would secure the team’s second-consecutive league title.  Two goals in the opening 11 minutes gave Hill an early lead it would not relinquish, as four different players found the back of the net to lead the Blues to a 4-1 victory and a Mid-Atlantic Prep League-best ninth league championship.

“I think our team is driven by a ‘live in the moment’ mentality rather than worrying about what we had to live up to as defending champions,” said co-captain Johnny Creciun ’20.  “We approached every game as if we were the underdog. I think that is why we scored quite early in all our MAPL matches. The team mentality, especially from the younger guys, is something special and I am excited to see how we progress through the PAISAA playoffs.”

The team’s trend of scoring early goals continued Saturday when Sam Beckett ’22 put the Blues ahead in the fifth minute.  After taking a pass from co-captain Zach Barrett ’20 in the midfield, Beckett took on a Mercersburg defender and created enough space for himself to take a shot from distance.  His shot skipped two yards in front of the Mercersburg goalkeeper, who misplayed the bounce and pulled his hands up too quickly.  The ball hit his knuckles and rolled between his legs and across the line, giving Hill the always-important first goal.

Six minutes later, Baba Kallie ’20 extended Hill’s lead with a highlight reel-worthy strike from 25-yards out.  Beckett headed a bouncing ball forward into Kallie’s path.  Kallie squared up and hit a first-touch volley with his left foot that arced over the Mercersburg goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

There was still plenty of work to be done, though, as Kallie’s goal awoke Mercersburg from its slumber.  Hill’s back line and goalkeeper Blake Groff ’22 would be tested several times in the next 10 minutes and the Blue Storm were unlucky not to cut Hill’s lead in half when a shot from eight yards out flew over the bar in what was the visitors' best chance of the first half.  Jake Barrett ’20 nearly gave Hill a three-goal cushion in the half’s final minute, but a brilliant fingertip save pushed the ball wide of the net.

Thirteen minutes into the second half, Hill lined up to defend a corner kick.  Fifteen seconds after the ball was served, Hill were celebrating a 3-0 lead at the conclusion of a clinical counterattack.  Ryan Woolley ’22 headed the ball clear, and Beckett won the race to the loose ball and found Kallie open on the left flank.  Kallie dribbled upfield while waiting for teammates to join him, and as numbers arrived, he attacked the end line and played a square pass across the box that Noah Toole ’22 made no mistake in finishing to give Hill a commanding 3-0 lead. 

Mercersburg got on the board four minutes later, but that was all the closer they would get.  In the 62nd minute, Creciun scored on a well-placed shot from the top of the box to stem any momentum Mercersburg had gained.  With the outcome essentially decided, both teams turned to their substitutes to see out the final 15 minutes.

Although Hill has mathematically secured the league title regardless of this week’s result at Lawrenceville, the team will not be content with any result other than a win against its longtime rival.  It is a task that will not come easily, as Hill has not won at Lawrenceville since 2013. 

Following the Lawrenceville match, Hill will turn its attention to the PAISAA state tournament.  After finishing as runner-up in each of the prior two seasons, Hill enters the 2019 tournament as the top seed and will rely on the chemistry and depth developed throughout the regular season to lead a playoff run.

“We’ve developed a ‘next man up’ mentality, in that anyone in the lineup is ready to contribute when his number is called,” Zach Barrett said.  “We had some injury issues earlier in the season, and it allowed younger players to step up and contribute and gain invaluable experience in the process.  That has been beneficial for us because it gives us rotation options in our lineup as we prepare for Lawrenceville and then the PAISAA tournament.”

Saturday’s match at Lawrenceville will be streamed on Local Live.  Hill is the top seed in the PAISAA tournament and will host either Shipley School or Germantown Academy on Tuesday, November 5.