Prep Notes: Pennington standouts; top prep prospects, commits
There’s no better way of putting it — Pennington School (N.J.) is just running through opponents. The perennial state prep school bridesmaid to St. Benedict’s (N.J.), Pennington School has rolled up an 8-0 start with seven shutouts while scoring 56…
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Continue ReadingThere’s no better way of putting it — Pennington School (N.J.) is just running through opponents.
The perennial state prep school bridesmaid to St. Benedict’s (N.J.), Pennington School has rolled up an 8-0 start with seven shutouts while scoring 56 goals. No team has held Pennington to fewer than five goals in a match this season.
“I’ve been surprised how well we’re scoring goals,” Pennington coach Chad Bridges said. “It comes easy for these guys.”
Not only is Pennington winning and winning big, they are hammering some top-flight teams. The most notable results are a 7-0 win over Gill St. Bernard’s and a 6-0 win over Hun School. Pingry School (N.J.), the state’s No. 1-ranked non-prep team by NJ.com, only defeated Gill St. Bernard’s 2-1 and Hun 3-0. Also, Pennington posted a 6-0 victory over Hill School (Pa.), where Pennington led 4-0 at the half. Hill only lost 3-0 to one of the nation’s top prep school teams Kiski School (Pa.), and Hill tied another top prep program in High Mowing School (N.H.).
Senior forward/midfielder Matthew Lynch Matthew Lynch M Pennington School (NJ) | 2024 NJ leads the attack with 15 goals and 13 assists during Pennington’s 8-0 start. Lynch has a number of Division I offers and likely could end up at a Big 10 school. Kieran Karp Kieran Karp null | M Pennington School (NJ) | 2024 NJ , a senior midfielder with six assists this season, has narrowed his choices to three NCAA Division I programs in the Carolinas.
Keane Brown Keane Brown D Pennington School | 2024 NJ and Justin Davidyock Justin Davidyock M Pennington School | 2024 NJ anchor the defense from outside back positions and interestingly have committed to archrival NCAA Division I programs – Brown to Navy and Davidyock to Army.
Center back Brandon Napolean Brandon Napolean D Pennington School | 2024 NJ and winger Pablo Carnicer Cozar Pablo Carnicer Cozar M Pennington School | 2024 NJ also are receiving high-level college interest. Napolean is down to two NCAA Division I programs in the New Jersey/New York region and Carnceir-Cozar is leaning toward a perennial NCAA Division II power.
Other than Carnicer-Cozar, who is from Madrid, Spain, the other key seniors are all local players from the Pennington/New Hope, Pa., area.
The following three juniors figure to be major commits next year:
DMF Bacary Tandjigori, Class of 2025
He’s a top-level defensive mid with incredible speed and technical quality. This junior from Senegal is already getting considerable interest from ACC, Big Ten and West Coast schools. He has scored four goals this season from the DMF position.
W Elvis Appiah Elvis Appiah F Pennington School | 2025 NJ , Class of 2025
The Ghanaian winger is just coming into his own and is starting to get on the radar of some top Division I college programs. A threat with his speed and finishing ability, he can be lethal in one-on-one situations. He is coming off the bench for Pennington and has six goals and four assists. He ranks third in goals and points on the team.
F Tomas Ludvik Tomas Ludvik F Pennington School | 2025 NJ , Class of 2025
Ludvik, from the Czech Republic, is an imposing striker at 6-foot-4 who is getting interest from some Ivy League programs and could follow in the footsteps of former Pennington striker Stas Korzeniowski (UPenn). Ludvik already has seven goals and six assists this season, ranking No. 2 on the team in both categories.
“These guys know what’s at stake … they have the opportunity to do something special,” said Bridges, whose team was the Prep A state runner-up to St. Benedict’s last season.
The next two weeks should tell the story.
Although Pennington is off to a great start, its season has been full of starts and stops. The annual clash with St. Benedict’s was canceled due to inclement weather and the two now will only meet if they reach the state final. Two other matches were canceled and twice this year Pennington has gone at least a week between contests.
But now the Red Raiders face the likelihood of playing five matches in 11 days — all in a playoff format.
Pennington competes for both the Mercer County Tournament title and the Prep A state title, and the two events overlap, starting Saturday. Pennington starts the Prep A quarterfinals on Saturday, then starts the Mercer County Tournament on Monday, with winner-advancement games on Wednesday and Friday, followed by the Prep A state semifinal on Tuesday.
“This is a special group,” Bridges said. “But now we’ll see what we’re made of.”
ELSEWHERE IN PREP/RESIDENCY SOCCER
Adrian Alvarez scored twice and Mateo Secaira Mateo Secaira M Kiski School | 2025 PA added a goal as Kiski School (Pa.) kicked off the Prep Premier League Northwood Weekend with a 3-1 victory over the host, Northwood School (N.Y.). Kiski was ranked No. 8 in the previous Prep Top 10 while Northwood was No. 3.
Kiski School’s win pretty much secures a place in the PPL semifinals in November for the defending Pennsylvania independent school state champion. Kiski tops the PPL standings with 10 points through four matches. Woodstock Academy (Conn.) and Phelps School (Pa.) are tied for second on six points, but Woodstock has won both of its matches while Phelps has played five contests to earn six points. Northwood School and Immaculate Heart Central (N.Y.) are tied for fourth, but again, Northwood has played only two matches while IHC has played five.
Under the current standings, Kiski, Woodstock and Northwood seem to have the upper hand in snagging one of the four semifinal places. The final playoff spot might come down to Phelps School, High Mowing, Hoosac or IHC — with High Mowing and Hoosac having the edge right now.
2023 Prep Premier League
Standings for the Prep Premier League, featuring many of the top residential/prep programs.GP | W | L | T | GF | GF | PTS | |
Kiski School | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 14 |
Woodstock Academy | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
Northwood School | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 12 |
Phelps School | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 17 | 9 |
Hoosac School | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
Immaculate Heart Central | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 3 |
High Mowing School | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Western Reserve Academy | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
PREP TOP 10
No. 1 Woodstock Academy (Conn.), No. 2 Taft School (Conn.), 3. Combine Academy (N.C.), No. 4 Kiski School (Pa.), No. 5 Northwood School (N.Y.), No. 6 Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.); 7. Worcester Academy (Mass.); 8. Milton Academy (Mass.); 9. Berkshire School (Mass.); 10. Phelps School (Pa.).
Others under consideration: High Mowing School (N.H.), Phillips Andover (Mass.), Loomis Chaffee (Conn.); Hoosac School (N.Y.).
RECRUITING
Kimball Union Academy defender/midfielder Oppong Raphael Owusu, formerly No. 12 on the Prep Top Uncommitted List, has committed to NCAA Division I Dartmouth. … Tinashe Muhlauri Tinashe Muhlauri null | M Avon Old Farms | 2024 CT , formerly at Kimball Union Academy and now at Avon Old Farms (Conn.), recently committed to Division I Merrimack. Muhlauri, the son of the KUA coach, was the No. 13 Uncommited List.
PPL & NEPSAC Commitments
The following are the verbal commitments from the Prep Premier League and NEPSAC programs.Name | School | Year | Position | Commitment |
NCAA Division I | ||||
Christian Haikal | Worcester Academy (Mass.) | 2024 | M | Providence |
Garrett Holman | Phillips Andover (Mass.) | 2024 | CB | Syracuse |
Milton Jones | Berkshire School (Mass.) | 2024 | M | North Carolina |
Gavin Krauss | Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) | 2024 | M | Colgate |
Dean Linden | Worcester Academy (Mass.) | 2024 | GK | UMass |
Cabot McLaren | Kimball Union Academy (N.H.) | 2024 | F | New Hampshire |
Sachiel Ming | Northwood School (N.Y.) | 2024 | W/CAM | Syracuse |
Tinashe Muhlauri | Avon Old Farms (Conn.) | 2024 | M | Merrimack |
Oppong Raphael Owusu | Kimball Union Academy (N.H.) | 2024 | D/M | Dartmouth |
Mitchell Baker | Northwood School (N.Y.) | 2025 | F | Georgetown |
NCAA Division III | ||||
Addison Bergin | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | 2024 | CB | Tufts |
Griffin Bone | Rivers School (Mass.) | 2024 | CB | Tufts |
Leon Broady | Northwood School (N.Y.) | 2024 | GK | Middlebury |
Benjamin Brown | Hotchkiss School (Conn.) | 2024 | D | Williams College |
Jon D'Amour | Worcester Academy (Mass.) | 2024 | M | Haverford |
Arthur Dos Santos | Rivers School (Mass.) | 2024 | F | Bowdoin |
Ignacio Hahn | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | 2024 | F | Hamilton |
Keagan Harder | Rivers School (Mass.) | 2024 | M | Middlebury |
Charles Johnson | Rivers School (Mass.) | 2024 | CB | Middlebury |
Tyler Jones | BB&N (Mass.) | 2024 | D | Haverford |
Ollie McNamara | BB&N (Mass.) | 2024 | GK | Haverford |
Teddy Nemec | St. George's (Mass.) | 2024 | F | Babson |
Alec Pentikis | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | 2024 | F/W | Colby College |
Jonathan Perez | Hopkins School (Conn.) | 2024 | GK | Bowdoin |
Adam Prince | Rivers School (Mass.) | 2024 | M | Bowdoin |
Charlie Riegel | Suffield Academy (Conn.) | 2024 | CDM/LB | Connecticut College |
Dieder Wagner | Phillips Exeter (N.H.) | 2024 | CB/RB | Trinity College |
Top 2024 Uncommitted Prep Players
PrepSoccer will track who we believe are the top uncommitted seniors playing in the Prep School (NEPSAC) or Residential Academy (Prep Premier League/independents). Once a player commits, he will be removed from this list, opening a spot for a new player to be added.Name | School | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Kelvin Da Costa | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | M | A native of Mozambique, Da Costa create opportunities and is good under pressure |
Noa Perez | Combine Academy (N.C.) | M | Recent arrival in the U.S. from Olympique Marsielle, dominated midfield play at NXT LVL Showcase |
Zach Britton | Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) | LB | On a loaded prep school lineup, Britton might have the most upside for the next level |
Sean Wareru | High Mowing School (N.H.) | M | The native of Kenya distributes well and controls the midfield |
Jordan Shullenberger | Northwood School (N.Y.) | M/F | A box-to-box midfielder who was a goal-scoring machine while at Harwood (Vt.), a local public school |
David Lee | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | M | The Korea native creates scoring chances and presses well |
Daniel Banks | Worcester Academy (Mass.) | M | Plays at a high level for all 90 minutes. Capable of creating and finishing |
Nicholas Dwamena | Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) | M | Another top prospect from Ghana, Dwamena will be worth watching this fall |
Enoch Duodo | Taft School (Conn.) | F/W | A very dynamic forward who is capable of finishing |
Babacar Diallo | Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) | D | A center back who wins everything in the air, but can play outside back and get forward |
Serio Neto | Northwood School (N.Y.) | DM | A newcomer from Brazil, Neto recently made his Northwood debut and will be worth watching |
Sam Knauf | Northwood School (N.Y.) | F | Knauf has a pair of D1 teammates in the attack, but Knauf is the one finishing plays early in the season |
Thomas Angelone | BB&N (Mass.) | F | He has had a great career at BB&N and has made the event standout list all three years at NXT LVL |
Chase Jackson | Millbrook School (N.Y.) | W | Although he scored a goal at NXT LVL he seems better suited to create chances, which he often did |
Daniel Kankam | Immaculate Heart Central (N.Y.) | F/CAM | A very direct player who makes good runs |
Daniel Toirac | Western Reserve Academy (Ohio) | F | He is returning from injury and starting to play quality minutes |
Anthony Ruscito | Milton Academy (Mass.) | F/D | His versatility will come in handy in gtting him to the next level, be it it a local DI or high D3 program |
Adrian Alvarez | Kiski School (Pa.) | M | His finishing ability has lifted Kiski School to a Top 5 Prep School national ranking |
Hendrix Mota | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | F | Attacking player, who can play as AM, wing or F, has emerged as a scoring threat late in the season. He is a native of Canada |
Max Maneke | Woodstock Academy (Conn.) | RB | A native of France is starting to get some Division I looks |