Raiders blank North in opener
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High boys’ soccer team may not have a superstar goal-scorer on its roster, but there are plenty of guys who can put the ball in the net for veteran head coach Rob Richard.
Hillsborough will need to be deep and balanced to reach its full potential against the rigorous Delaware Division competition. Richard is confident that his team will be at or near the top of the division standings throughout this season.
"I like our chances," Richard said. "I think we’re the team to beat in the conference this year. We have depth and enough talent to carry us through some hard times. It’s going to depend a lot on health and luck."
The Raiders started the season with a solid 2-0 victory over North Hunterdon last Friday. Eric Stickle and Tony Flores scored in the first half and the Raiders coasted to victory. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but the Raiders did enough to win the game without a major scare.
"We controlled it for the most part," Richard said. "We could have played a more patient game, but we did enough to prevent North from getting any flow. Their attack was limited to long balls into the corner, but with our speed at the wing backs, that’s not a threat."
Senior Rob Szymanik made six saves to post the shutout in goal. The co-captain and returning starter is one of the most polished keepers in the area. Szymanik will remain at goal this year instead of coming out to bolster the attack as a field player. Sophomore Benny Stanislav and senior Dave Czezulinski serve as the backups.
The Raiders won’t need as much help on attack this year since senior standout Scott Visnic is moving up to an attacking midfielder role. Visnic came forward from his sweeper position and proved to be very dangerous last season. This year, he’ll be creating and finishing at the offensive end of the field on a regular basis.
"The kid is just incredible," Richard said. "He’s joining the attack. He’s just a monster."
Richard made the move largely because he has gained enough confidence in his defensive players. Stickle and fellow outside fullback Chris Giordano are solid. Stoppers Eric Lane and Jeff Meltzer have looked good. Junior Tony Crivello stepped up from the jayvee team and has done a nice job as the varsity sweeper. Senior reserves Jon Prendergast and David Golombos have also been in the program.
"We needed Scott’s experience in the back last year," Richard explained. "Stickle and Giordano are playing at a high level now. That liberates Scott into more of an attacking role."
The four-man midfield will also include Drew Dzvileski or Lamar Spencer in the middle, with the other playing up front. The Pyne brothers will see most of the action at outside halfback. Sean, a senior, plays the right side while younger brother Eric starts on the left.
Seniors Danny Reed and Dan Stanton, junior Joe McNamara, sophomore Tom Szymanik and freshman Chad Barbieri will also see action in the midfield.
Flores and fellow juniors Spencer and Dzvileski will be the starting forwards. Flores played football last year but returned to soccer and immediately made his presence felt by scoring a goal in the opener.
"He’s a speed demon and a non-stop motion machine," Richard said. "He drives defenders nuts because he never stops moving. He’s very difficult to mark."
Junior Jon Leonard and senior Mitch Kleiman will provide depth on the front line. Leonard has good height and could be dangerous on corner kicks.
Richard will carry a 23-man roster this fall. It’s not easy to give everyone lots of playing time, but the veteran coach likes having a deep bench filled with capable players. It’s especially nice to have several players with the knack for scoring.
"I think we’re pretty well-balanced in scoring," Richard said. "We’ve got a lot of people who can put the ball in the net. We’re also doing more attacking with our backs this year."
Stickle ripped a 30-yard bomb into the net for the first goal at North Hunterdon, while Flores connected off a Reed pass on a counterattack.
"We’re a good team, but the competition in this conference is very tough," Richard said. "There’s so much parity that we’re going to be in for a real battle every day."

