HIGHTSTOWN — When a soccer team is running its offside trap as well as the Peddie School’s varsity squad was Tuesday, it can be difficult even for a player as fast as Pennington School junior midfielder Matthew Addai.
How both sides adjusted to the other would determine which one came out on top in this Mid-Atlantic Prep League battle.
Addai, who is also one of the top scorers in the area, figured out a way to deal with the defense, which helped the Red Hawks pull away for a 4-0 victory on the Falcons’ grass field after a scoreless first half.
“At halftime, Coach (Chad Bridges) told us we had been offside too much,” Addai said. “We needed to see where the players were standing. They were tough, but every game I need to apply my speed, however it can help us.”
“Definitely, he’s got a lot of pace, so we had to keep a high line (on the trap),” Peddie senior fullback John Giblin said in discussing the impact Addai’s speed had on the defense. “We just made a few mistakes in the second half.”
Pennington’s Kyle Harvey, right, tries to move the ball past Peddie’s Luca Romanelli, left, during a MAPL boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 in Hightstown. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
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Pennington’s Kyle Harvey, right, tries to move the ball past Peddie’s Luca Romanelli, left, during a MAPL boys soccer game on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 in Hightstown. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
For 46 minutes, the Falcons (9-5) stayed in step with the Red Hawks (9-3-1), who have yet to lose a MAPL game in its three seasons in the league.
Then, Addai changed the game when he charged a ball which the defense did not clear after a long pass from another Pennington junior midfielder Hugo Gonzalez. Addai knocked it into the net to give the visitors the lead with 34 minutes left.
In doing so, Addai snapped his team’s rare 177-minute scoreless streak, which had spanned three games.
Nine minutes later, Addai kept pressing ahead when sophomore forward/midfielder Kelvin Kwarteng sent a ball off a defender that Addai again kicked into the net.
Midway through the second half, Addai cut back his dribble after a pass from sophomore forward/midfielder Tymofii Panasenko and connected to complete his fourth hat trick of the season.
“As soon as I got the first, I knew more was coming,” said Addai, who now has 16 goals this year. The way they were playing made us come in harder.”
Though the Red Hawks were able to break the game open, head coach George Nazario’s Peddie club matched the visitors in shots. But 12 saves by Pennington senior goalkeeper Colin Harkleroad handed the home side its first shutout this season.
“I thought we were competitive with them,” Giblin said. “We just had to keep doing what we were doing. But we couldn’t get a goal.”
The Red Hawks, meanwhile, came through with one more score with 13 minutes remaining when the equally speedy Kwarteng, who, like Addai, hails from Ghana, made a run to the end line. Kwarteng sent the ball across the goal mouth to the far side, where junior forward Alexandre Ben Amou finished his sixth goal of the season to spoil an eight-save game by Falcons senior goalkeeper Pote Sophonsiri.
Pennington(9-3-1) 0 4 — 4
Peddie (9-5) 0 0 — 0
Goals: Addai 3, Ben Amou (Pen); Assists: HGonzalez, Kwarteng 2, Panasenko (Pen).
Shots: 12 (Pen), 12 (Ped); Saves: Harkleroad 12 (Pen), Sophonsiri 8 (Ped).
