The Princeton (NJ) varsity soccer team is set to play a neutral-site playoff match against Southern Regional (Manahawkin, NJ) today. This game is part of the 2024 New Jersey High School Boys Soccer Playoff Brackets for the NJSIAA Group 4 Tournament.

Princeton vs Southern Regional Game Info:

What: New Jersey High School Soccer Playoffs
Who: Princeton vs Southern Regional
When: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Time: TBD
Bracket: 2024 New Jersey High School Boys Soccer Playoff Brackets: NJSIAA – NJSIAA Group 4 Tournament
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Game preview: Princeton vs Southern Regional

As the 2024-2025 high school soccer season unfolds, both Southern Regional and Princeton have proven to be strong contenders in their respective divisions. With impressive records and notable performances against common opponents, these two teams have set the stage for an exciting postseason. Here’s a breakdown of their rankings, performance metrics, and key matchups.

Southern Regional Overview

Southern Regional has put together a solid season with a 13-5-1 overall record. The team has shown resilience in non-league play, finishing with a 7-2 record, and an acceptable 2-3-1 league performance. At home, Southern Regional has thrived, posting a 5-1 record, and their away games have been a bit more challenging with a 5-4-1 record. However, they have been especially dominant in neutral-site games, maintaining a perfect 3-0 record.

Scoring and Defensive Performance:

• Goals For (GF): 54
• Goals Against (GA): 26
• Goals Per Game: 2.8
• Win Percentage: .711
• League Percentage: .417

Southern Regional’s scoring average indicates a strong offensive capability, with an impressive 2.8 goals per game. However, defensively, they have allowed 26 goals, which could be an area for improvement in order to match up against stronger teams as the season progresses.

Princeton Overview

Princeton has had an exceptional season, recording a 16-2-3 overall record. Their league play has been flawless, with a 2-0 record, and their non-league performance stands at an impressive 10-2-3. On home turf, Princeton is nearly unbeatable with an 8-1-2 record, and their away form is equally strong, standing at 5-1-1. Additionally, Princeton has been perfect in neutral-site games, also finishing with a 3-0 record.

Scoring and Defensive Performance:

• Goals For (GF): 60
• Goals Against (GA): 13
• Goals Per Game: 2.9
• Win Percentage: .833
• League Percentage: 1.000

Princeton’s offense has been potent, averaging 2.9 goals per game, slightly edging out Southern Regional’s scoring pace. Defensively, Princeton has been exceptional, allowing only 13 goals throughout the season. This represents a significant difference in defensive performance, as their goals-against average is much lower than Southern Regional’s.

Common Opponents

Both teams faced a common set of opponents, providing an opportunity for comparison. Here’s how each team fared against them:

• Lenape:
  • Southern Regional: No result available (away game on 8/31/24)
  • Princeton: No result available (home game on 10/11/24)
• West Windsor-Plainsboro North:
  • Southern Regional: 4-0 win on 9/7/24 (away)
  • Princeton: 7-1 win on 9/26/24 (home)
• Manalapan:
  • Southern Regional: 4-3 loss on 10/5/24 (home)
  • Princeton: 2-0 win on 11/12/24 (away)

From these matchups, Princeton showed a stronger dominance, especially with their 7-1 victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro North and a solid 2-0 win against Manalapan, a team that handed Southern Regional a loss.

Head-to-Head and Record Breakdown

• Southern Regional has a record of 13-5-1, with a competitive non-league record of 7-2 and a more challenging league record of 2-3-1. The team has been particularly strong at home (5-1), with a solid neutral-site performance (3-0).
• Princeton has excelled with a 16-2-3 record, boasting a perfect league performance (2-0) and a dominant non-league record of 10-2-3. Princeton’s home and away form has been stellar, with an 8-1-2 home record and a 5-1-1 away performance.

Conclusion

Both Southern Regional and Princeton have had excellent seasons, but Princeton’s overall dominance in both offense and defense, along with their perfect league record, makes them the stronger team on paper. While Southern Regional has shown promise, especially in non-league matchups, they will need to sharpen their defense if they hope to compete with teams like Princeton as the postseason approaches.

As both teams head toward the playoffs, Southern Regional will need to improve their consistency, particularly in league games, while Princeton aims to maintain their flawless performance and continue their strong push for a championship.