Cifelli looks to get most out of young Bombers
New coach leads Sayreville team into
2001 season
There’s a lot of new faces on the Sayreville War Memorial High School boys soccer team.
Only a handful of veterans will lead the Sayreville team onto the field, when the Bombers open the season Sept. 13 at North Brunswick.
New coach Nick Cifelli is working to rebuild a team that lost 12 starters to graduation from a team that also won 13 games a year ago.
"We do have a lot to replace, but our guys are working hard," Cifelli said. "They have a lot of talent. What they don’t have is much varsity experience. They’ll get it pretty quickly."
The coach does, however, have a solid nucleus on which to build.
Junior Ed Mount, who excelled as the Bombers’ sweeper last fall, has moved to the middle, where he’ll work alongside another three-year veteran, Michael Colandrea.
Both should aid the offense, which includes junior Herbert Obeng, who hit the net six times, last year, and Brock Vasquez, who sat out last season after showing much promise as a freshman.
On defense, meanwhile, Sayreville looks strong.
Sophomore Rob Galante is an acrobatic netminder, and he has a pair of top-notch fullbacks returning in seniors Kyle McCleanas and Ryan Piscitelli.
Senior Michael Zonkowski and junior Rob Kriskowski, who saw some action at midfield last season, will also be in the backfield.
Although Cifelli has yet to finalize his roster, the coach noted that senior midfielders Dan Fiorentino and John Kolarin are likely to see plenty of playing time, and that junior Jason Townsend is likely to be the sweeper.
"Being competitive early on is the key for us," Cifelli said. "If they can do that, they’ll be all right. I know that once they have played together for a while, they will gel and become better, as the season goes on."
Following the North Brunswick game, the Bombers will face Bishop Ahr, Perth Amboy and Colonia.
It is important that the team get off to a good start, particularly with a number of first-year varsity players on board. Cifelli is hoping that the team comes together quickly and is confident that he has the talent to do so.
The team’s progress should be interesting to track.