Brookdale depth providing wins on the soccer field
Jersey Blues men are off
to 5-2 start after upset
of Camden
Brookdale Community College’s men’s soccer coach Scott Ridley has assembled a very young and very deep squad to help the Jersey Blues turn around last year’s 9-11 season.
The Jersey Blues, who have a 25-man roster, are well on their way toward achieving that goal. Two wins last week — a 5-0 win over Delaware County Community College (Pa.), followed by an upset of previously undefeated Camden, 3-0 on Sept. 26 — have lifted the young Blues to a 5-2 record.
Brookdale had five different scorers: Ryan Sova, Lou Vaz, Matt Pillari, Diego Buritica and Emmanuel Zeon against Delaware.
In the upset of Camden, Sova struck for two scores, sandwiched around Vaz’s goal.
The good news for Ridley, all of these scorers are freshmen.
While BCC was displaying its balanced attack, goalie Joseph Pasqualetto was collecting his first career shutout and the team’s first of the season against Delaware. Edgard Dinten, the team’s No. 1 goalie, collected the shutout against Camden making it back-to-back whitewashings for the Blues.
"We’re a work in progress," Ridley said of his Brookdale team. "Camden is one of three toughest teams on our schedule and this win gives us legitimacy."
Ridley has put together a 25-player team that has only four sophomores, Rodalbert Boyer (Asbury Park), Peter Campisi (Wall), Brian Desarno, Ocean) and Jean Michel Joseph (Asbury Park). Campisi (eight goals and six assists) led the Blues in scoring in 2000.
"We have good numbers, and the quality of our players has a bearing on the way we’ve been playing," he pointed out.
If there is one defining trait to the Jersey Blues, it is that they have come from winning high school programs in the Shore area.
Sova, who brings blazing speed to game, is a perfect example. Last fall, the forward was helping Colts Neck capture the Group I state championship. He had 15 goals on the season, including one in the state final, a 4-2 Colts Neck win over Whippany Park. His speed makes him dangerous with or without the ball.
"You can’t coach speed," noted Ridley.
Sova has split time on defense and at midfield. Against Camden, Sova was moved to midfield, when the Blues were having trouble generating offense. After he lit up Camden for his two goals, he went back to playing defense, helping the team preserve its lead and eventual shutout.
Manalapan was the top team in the Shore last year, thanks to its Shore Conference Tournament win, and freshman midfielder Jason Nodine was a starter on that club and now brings that championship mettle to the Blues.
Another pair of midfielders, Zeon and Rob Whyte, both of Howell, helped lead the Rebels to an A North Division title, during their scholastic careers. They are also aware of what it takes to win titles.
Wall, Jackson, Ocean and Raritan have won championships and been traditional winners on the soccer field, and they are well represented on this year’s BCC squad.
Freshman forward Chris Amato and Desarno led Ocean to titles. Pasqualetto, and defender Pete Cuevas are Raritan grads. Scott Malone, a freshman forward, played at Jackson, and Campisi is a Wall graduate.
Shore Regional grads Vaz, a forward, and Pillari, midfield, come from a winning program as well. Pillari, according to Ridley, has been one of Brookdale’s pleasant surprises.
Rounding out the team are forward Jeps Alcime (Irvington), forward Leon Arcos and midfielder Buritica (Long Branch), defender Boyer and midfielders Teodoro Dextre and Joseph (Asbury Park), midfielder Nick Klah (Monmouth Regional) and keeper Dinten (Old Bridge).
Ridley even went out of the United States to get a player in Aviv Dagan, a freshman defender from Huleh Valley, Israel. Dagan, has been a strong addition to the team, playing sweeper.
"He fell into our laps," noted Ridley. "He has relatives here (New Jersey) and wanted to stay.
"I saw him play in the summer league at GoodSports (in Aberdeen)," he added. "He’s used to the international game that is a faster paced, more physical game."
Brookdale plays its next home match in Lincroft on Oct. 10 against Mercer at 4 p.m. On the 13th, the Blues will host Union at noon and will remain home for matches on the 17th (Ocean, 4 p.m.), and the 24th (Cumberland, 3:30 p.m.).
A good run, during this four-game home stand, could go a long way toward ensuring a winning season and giving the Blues a chance to make noise in the Region XIX Tournament that starts on Oct. 30. Certainly the win against Camden has given Brookdale the confidence that it cannot only compete with the Region’s powerhouses but beat them.