LAWRENCE TWP. — As the top two teams in The Trentonian’s coverage area, the Notre Dame and Princeton High varsity boys’ soccer teams know there is not much separating these two Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division front-runners.
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Tuesday night at Mike Perone Field, the Irish and Tigers showed that by playing to a 1-1, 100-minute tie in a battle for first place in the division.
Head coach Bryan Fisher’s ND squad took the lead with just under 16 minutes remaining in the first half, only to see head coach Ryan Walsh’s Princeton club rally to tie with 32 seconds left before intermission.
From there, it was 60 more minutes of scoreless play, although each side had chances … with the home team dominating in that category.
“We were knocking on the door the whole game,” Irish senior fullback Jayce Palumbo said. “Late in the second half, I even hit the crossbar from 30 yards out. I thought it was just a matter of time for us to score again.”
Notre Dame’s Tyler Javick, 8, celebrates his goal against Princeton High during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Tyler Javick, right, celebrates with teammate Luke Colter, left, after Javick scored against Princeton High during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High’s Bram Reynolds II, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Notre Dame during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High’s Aaron Thyrum, center, celebrates after his team scored a goal against Notre Dame during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Lucas O’Connor, left, and Princeton High’s Aaron Thyrum, right, leap to head the ball during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High goalkeeper Ari Rosenblum grabs the ball against Notre Dame during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Luca Ercolano, right, tries to avoid the challenge of Princeton High’s Marko Mueller, left, during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High goalkeeper Jack Wright, center, gets his hands on the ball as he’s challenged by Princeton High’s Marko Mueller, left, and Chase Hamerschlag, right, during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Tyler Javick, left, tries to move around Princeton High’s Bram Reynolds II, 25, and Andre Ansarah, 8, during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High’s Isaiah De la Espriella, left, and Notre Dame’s Jayce Palumbo, right, challenge for the ball during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Kole Feltes, 17, tries to control the ball against Princeton High during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High’s Bram Reynolds II, left, leaps and heads the ball as Notre Dame’s Tyler Javick, right, challenges during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame goalkeeper Jack Wright, right, reacts as Princeton High’s Isaiah De la Espriella, left, tries to block his path during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High’s Tacto Yamada, center, tries to move between Notre Dame’s Landon Hoenisch, right, and Felipe Samuel, left, during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Landon Hoenisch, right, stretches to control the ball as Princeton High’s Andre Ansarah, left, chases back during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame’s Nick Angiolino, right, heads the ball as he’s challenged in the air by Princeton High’s Adriel Lopez-Aguila, left, during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High’s Andre Ansarah has a cut above his eye treated during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Notre Dame coach Bryan Fisher reacts on the sideline against Princeton High during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Princeton High coach Ryan Walsh looks on from the sideline against Notre Dame during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
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Notre Dame’s Tyler Javick, 8, celebrates his goal against Princeton High during a CVC Colonial Division boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 at Mike Perone Field in Lawrence Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Besides being a key piece of Notre Dame’s defense, Palumbo moves well into the attack. He actually started the play which led to the go-ahead goal.
“That was a switchover to Tyler Javick along the end line,” Palumbo said. “Everybody thought he’d cut it back, but instead he shot past the ’keeper.”
Javick’s shot, with 15:58 left in the first half, helped the Irish (10-1-1) cash in on their quick ball movement. But 14 saves by the Tigers’ 6-foot-4 sophomore goalkeeper Ari Rosenblum kept the home side from converting again. Besides Javick’s goal and Palumbo’s strike off the cross, the only other shots Rosenblum didn’t get a hand on were a free kick from Luca Ercolano five minutes into the game which skipped wide and a corner kick by Luke Colter with 27:35 left in the second half that hit off the near post.
“We’ve been adjusting the last couple games,” Princeton senior midfielder Aaron Thyrum said. “In most of our games that have been close, we’ve been the one that scored first. Our last two games, it didn’t happen that way (including a 1-0 loss at Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday). Still, it’s not a sign of a slump.”
While the Irish’s only loss was an overtime decision at Central Bucks East Sept. 13, their defense and the Irish’s were not about to crack, possibly setting up a showdown in the CVC Tournament Final Nov. 1.
Thyrum and Co. made that a possibility when he sent a free kick from midfield into a crowd alongside ND junior goalkeeper Anthony Merluse (seven saves) with time running down in the first half. Bram Reynolds II knocked in the tying tally to make the game nip-and-tuck the rest of the way.
“In last year’s matchup, they went up on us twice, and we came back both times,” Thyrum said. “It was just a matter of understanding that this isn’t new to us.”
Both teams took that to heart in the second half and two 10-minute overtime sessions before settling for the deadlock … for now.
