Second half goals doom Hill in loss to Lawrenceville

POTTSTOWN — After watching one teammate hit the crossbar with one shot, and another miss a wide-open net Saturday, Mark Forrest had a feeling The Hill School might let a victory slip through its grasp.

“At that point, I thought this could be the day we let one get away,’ said Forrest, a midfielder.

Alex Hall and Felix Chamberlain scored second half goals to lift Lawrenceville School to a 3-1 victory in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League.

Hall’s goal with 7 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the second half snapped a 1-1 tie.

Spencer Patten also scored for the Big Red. Sebastien Pierre-Louis registered three saves.

Jason Kuyper delivered the lone goal for the Blues (13-3-2 overall, 3-1-1 MAPL), who could have clinched a share of the league title for the fourth straight season with a victory. Ross Lomire recorded six saves.

“In that respect, this loss really hurts,’ said Forrest, a senior from Douglassville.

The Hill had several opportunities to snap a 1-1 tie in the second half. The team dictated play for most of the half, according to head coach Chris Drowne.

“We certainly had the better of the play for a 20-minute span there,’ he said.

Less than eight minutes into the second half, Zack Keller’s shot from the left wing hit the crossbar, but stayed out of the net.

Aidan Sheehan had another quality opportunity to snap the tie for the Blues, when he dribbled towards the net from the right wing with less than 15 minutes remaining.

With Pierre-Louis out of position, Sheehan had an open net in front of him. However, the shot missed wide left.

“You can’t expect to win a game of this caliber, this late in the year, without taking advantage of your offensive opportunities,’ he said. “There were so few. At some point, I thought failing to convert would bite us.’

Seven minutes later, Hall scored the game-winner for Lawrenceville School, converting on a high looping shot from 25 yards out.

“I don’t think Hall knew if he was taking a shot of crossing the ball,’ Forrest said. “But it went into the net very nicely.’

Chamberlain capped the scoring with 2:26 remaining. He dribbled around three defenders and beat Lomire with a low shot.

Kuyper staked The Hill to a 1-0 lead, scoring less than 12 minutes into the game off an assist from Forrest.

Patten responded for the Big Red, heading in a crossing pass with 15:55 left in the first half.

“No one cleared the cross,’ Forrest said. “We should have done a better job with that.’

Despite the loss, the Blues remain alive in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Soccer Tournament. They will host Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy in a quarterfinal round game Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.

“That is our focus,’ Forrest said.