HAMILTON – Prior to Tuesday’s Trenton-Hamilton West boys soccer game, Anthony Carsella bemoaned what he called the “Hamilton Curse”, as the Hornets took one-goal wins against TCHS in each of Carsella’s first two years as Tornadoes’ coach. Leave it to Merlin the Magician to lift the curse. Aaron Merlin scored the game’s first goal and had a free kick lead to the second as Trenton rolled to a 3-0 victory over its CVC Valley Division foe. It snapped a three-game losing streak by the Tornadoes (3-3), who scored just one goal in those three losses. “This is the first time since I took over the program that we beat them,” Carsella said. “I give credit, these guys worked really hard to come back from a hard week last week. They pushed through. It was really important getting that first one. They felt some of the energy and they know they can still do this.” That first goal came 9:42 into play, when Merlin had a loose ball at his feet and an open shot in front of him from 20 yards out. He calmly lofted a high ball into the back of the net for a startling 1-0 lead. Asked about the goal, Merlin smiled and said through translator Ruben Hernandez, “Elegant.” It looked innocent enough, as if it was just a shot toward the net waiting for someone to get a head on it. But Hernandez felt otherwise. “I think my partner wanted to place it,” he said. “I think he saw the goalkeeper a little bit out. I trust him with my life. His left foot is magic. I trusted him that it was gonna go in.” It didn’t feel all that magical to Hornets coach Simon LaPointe, who was surprised to see it go in. “Miscommunication, nobody stepped to the ball,” LaPointe said. “I just felt that with my entire team, there was no effort or energy to stop that goal.” Trenton seemed energized by the score and began attacking more vigorously. Josue Herrera had another high shot go off the crossbar, prompting a goalie change for the Hornets. With under 13 minutes left, Merlin lined up for a long free kick from the right side. He put it off the far corner crossbar and Hector Aldana Lopez tapped the rebound into an open net. “I just tried to place it,” Merlin said. The half ended with Hamilton up 2-0, although the Hornets sent three early shots on goal that were saved by Carlos Campos. None were threatening, however, and Trenton kept it that way by playing a strong game in the back behind defenders Deneiro Hylton, Jose Esteban and David Ali, along with Hernandez dropping back from midfield. “He’s a wall back there,” Carsella said of the hefty Ali. “He’s been a beast for me the whole season. I hope it gets better. I’ve been changing kids back there trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. To come out with our first clean sheet all year feels really good.” At halftime, Merlin had the traditional mindset that a two-goal lead is the most dangerous to play with in soccer. “A 2-0 lead is a little tricky,” he said. “If they put one in they’ll have the momentum and probably come back. We needed another goal.” The second half mirrored the first, with Trenton taking most of the play and finally getting another. With under 19 minutes left, Hernandez stepped on to a loose ball and hit one along the turf that found its way over the goal line. “I had a little bit of space so I was just trying to get the shot off as quick as I could because I had two defenders in front of me,” he said. “I just wanted to rip a shot and it went in.” Trenton hit another post before it was over but it wouldn’t matter as the Tornadoes were too tough defensively. “They have a solid offense but our defense played really good,” Hernandez said. “We were locked in. We were fully focused on this game because we wanted to get back on a winning streak.” Whether it becomes an actual streak remains to be seen, but at least it stopped a losing streak. “It means a lot because we’re coming back from the defeats we were going through and we’re winning now,” Merlin said. While Carsella was happy with the victory, he didn’t appreciate his team going 1-v-1 on too many occasions. “I would have liked to see a little more ball possession, see them knock it around a little bit,” he said. “Last Saturday they knocked the ball around really well (in a win over Peddie). Just use your teammates a little bit more. I think we could have had more two-v-ones, especially their formation versus ours. I thought we could have capitalized a little more but I’m happy to walk out with a win.” The coach had praise for the Hornets, saying “Those kids didn’t check out. They have quality players and they played a full 80 minutes.” But LaPointe was not happy with the way they performed during that time. “My team just didn’t come to play,” he said. “We didn’t play collectively as a group at all. A lot of selfish play today. I have to get my guys to buy in. Get them to still believe we’re gonna have a successful year.” Trenton is feeling that belief as this is their first season in the Valley Division after battling against some of Mercer’s finest in the uber-tough Colonial. “This win means a lot to us because we’re in the same division and we try to get the most out of the Valley games,” Hernandez said. “Only one (loss) last week was from the Valley. We just want to focus on the Valley. This means a lot to us. “We’re dedicating everything to this season since we have a chance to win the division. Last year was a tough division because we had Princeton in it and now this (opportunity) means a lot to us. Everything comes from hard work. We want to thank the coaches for making us run and having us in good condition.” And he said that with a straight face. It’s pretty apparent the players are buying in when they are thanking coaches for running. Trenton (3-3) 2 1 – 3 Hamilton (1-6-1) 0 0 – 0 G: Merlin, Aldana Lopez, R. Hernandez. Shots: T-22, H-12. Saves: T-Campos 9. H-Hamilton 1, Rodriguez 8.