BY MATTHEW MANGAM
Sports Editor
The boys soccer team finished the season strong with a record of 12-3-4. The Knights earned the title of Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division Champions after beating Piscataway 2-1 on October 14. The Knights reached the quarterfinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament but lost 1-0 to New Brunswick.
“Winning the red division was a special feeling; it never happened before in my time,” said Head Coach Chris McGrath. “I think this year we were fortunate to have some very good talent and the boys have… picked up from last year’s upperclassmen. We consistently reviewed and reminded players about choices, repeating the dos and minimizing the don’ts.”
The team went on a 13-game undefeated streak, with their only losses this season against Perth Amboy, New Brunswick, Holmdel, and Marlboro. The team lost in a penalty shootout after two overtime periods against Marlboro in the first round of the Central Jersey Group IV Tournament.
The Knights fielded an experienced lineup this season, with nine seniors on the roster, including Carlos Torres, Yammir Yaffar, Juan Fernandez, Shane Martins, Ethan Barnhard, Samar Raju, Nicholas Brown, Joseph Roco, and Aidan Born. Martins led the team this season with five goals and 14 assists. Stephen Deak, sophomore earned six shutouts as the team’s main goalkeeper this season. Junior Vincent Tribianni led the team by netting 10 goals this season.
Raju said the team had a good senior core and was complemented by talented underclassmen. “The players and coach find the right solutions tactically,” he said. “We were also flexible and able to bounce back from deficits. We analyzed film through Hudl this year, so we could see our mistakes in real time and improve on them.”
Martins said the team has been positive this season because of how hard everyone worked during the summer and during practices. McGrath also said that one thing the team constantly practices is passing because high school players always have room to improve. “We were really confident this season,” Martins said. “One thing the team has done differently this season is that we have a brotherhood among the team and communication has been key all season.”
Published on 11/9/21
Photos by Lors Photography
Knight Life 