PRINCETON — Traditionally a Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division varsity boys’ soccer matchup between Notre Dame High and Princeton High is one of the best each season. The Irish and Tigers did not disappoint Tuesday when they met for their 2024 clash. In a classic game of “anything you can do, I can do better,” these two state powerhouses played an even first half, then an almost even second half…that is, until the final six minutes Notre Dame began to push harder, only failing to score because of two top-notch saves by Princeton senior goalkeeper Nicolas Holmelund. Head coach Bryan Fisher’s Irish stayed on the attack, getting two corner kicks in the final three minutes. As one of those was cleared away with 1:40 left, the fans of the visitors wanted a hand ball call that was not made. And, as they had done all game, the Tigers went on the counterattack. Putting together one more drive, Princeton senior midfielder Archie Smith crossed a ball into the box that ND sophomore ’keeper Anthony Merluse knocked away. Like a pinball machine, the ball bounced around until Tigers senior forward Azariah Breitman got another shot, which Merluse also lunged to save. When that rebound was not cleared, it went to Princeton junior midfielder Andre Ansarah at the far side of the net, where he kicked in his first goal with 40 seconds remaining to give head coach Ryan Walsh’s club a 3-2 victory. “I just tried to find my spot in the middle while the play developed,” Ansarah said. “The next thing I knew the ball came right to my foot, and I tapped it in. It was very exciting for my first goal.” “It was kind of hard to see,” Merluse said of the end result of the play. “When Archie took the initial shot, I saved it. Then another one came in, and I knocked that away.” It was quite the turn of events for both teams, yet right in tune with the back-and-forth nature of the contest. “No, I wasn’t surprised at the way both of us kept counter-attacking,” Merluse said. “When we played them last year, it was the same thing.” The Irish got the jump yesterday when senior forward Will Lynch crossed a ball through the box that was inadvertently knocked in at the far side of the net by a Tigers’ defender for an own goal just over three minutes into the game. But exactly one minute later, Princeton responded when senior back Connor Hewitt put a long free kick right onto the head of junior back Chase Hamerschlag, who pumped it in to tie the game, 1-1. With 12:03 left in the first half, Lynch tallied again, this time off a lead pass from his classmate Antonio Mandreucci to put the visitors in front again. Almost exactly six minutes later, Smith cranked in a backheel pass from Breitman to knot the score, 2-2. The second half was equally even as Holmelund (nine saves) came up with a point-blank stop on Lynch in the 56th minute, then Merluse (nine saves) made a diving snag on a head ball from Smith in the 63rd minute. “Even when they came at us at the end, we had the mentality of winning,” Ansarah said. “When we saw an opportunity, we went back on the attack.” In preserving the intensity of one of the CVC’s best boys’ soccer matchups, they set up what could be another exciting meeting later this month in the CVC Tournament. Notre Dame (9-3)              2   0    —    2 Princeton (7-1-2)               2   1    —    3 Goals: Lynch 2 (ND), Hamerschlag, ASmith, Ansarah (P); Assists: Ercolano, Mandreucci (ND), Hewitt, Breitman 2 (P). Shots: 11 (ND), 12 (P); Saves: Merluse 9 (ND), Holmelund 9 (P).