BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Mike Costa and the Brookdale Community College men’s soccer team will spend the early part of the 2006 season learning about each other.
Costa, the Jersey Blues’ new head coach, who was an assistant at the school in 2002, has been spending the preseason finding out just what he has, while the players are learning that the former Jackson Memorial High School coach puts defense first.
“We have some very talented players and they move the ball well,” said Costa, who replaced Wayne Palmer on the sidelines. “It’s a matter of combining the different styles, and the players getting used to each other.”
The one criticism of the his club is that it “just doesn’t play defense the way I’m used to.”
That has been a Costa priority.
The Blues will be a predominately young team this fall with just four sophomores, three of them returning starters, on the team. Two of them, Mike Baur (Colts Neck) and Pablo Penagos, are two of the team’s tri-captains. Baur is a midfielder and Penagos is a forward. Penagos missed last season due to a knee injury.
Vic Masino (Howell), a sweeper, is the third captain.
Masino is a two-way player at sweeper who will be the anchor of the defense, as well as the player who can trigger the transition from offense to defense. Costa said the ex-Rebel is an “excellent leader.”
Up front, Christian Pozo (Neptune) is a talented forward who is a proven scorer. The Blues have two solid forwards in Sergio Morales (Colts Neck) and Helder Andrade (Ocean Township), who are good playmakers.
The Brookdale offense got a lift when Joe Shan (Central Regional) returned from injury. The versatile midfield/forward missed most of the preseason with a broken collarbone.
Also starting at forward is Tomas Cholula (Colts Neck).
Costa has a lot of depth on defense with Steve Coleman (Point Pleasant Beach), one of three returning starters on the team, Anthony Ferretti (Freehold Township), Brendan Hilliard (Raritan) and Stalin Larco (Long Branch).
Starting in goal is sophomore Juan Medias, the third returning starter. He was a field player in ’05 and has switched to goal, where he is playing well.
Rounding out the team are Diego Alvarez, forward; Henry Cachipuendo (Freehold Borough), midfield; Eric Castanheira (Howell), midfield/forward; Brett Czerwinski (Ocean Township), midfield; and Lee Sherman (Shore Regional), defender.
Costa, who became the Blues coach just three weeks before the start of the season, credited his assistant coaches Brad Fraley and George Banaco (goalie coach), both ex-Jersey Blues players, with being big assets for him.
Costa is happy to be back on the Lincroft campus where he coached in ’02.
“I always loved Brookdale,” said Costa. “When I had my good run at Jackson (winning a state title), I sent my kids to Brookdale because I knew they would graduate.”
Brookdale’s season began Wednesday with a 3-3 tie against nationally ranked Prince George’s (Md.), in Lincroft. Pozo knotted the match at 3-3 when they were 61 minutes into the match.
Cholula and Shan scored in the first half for the Blues. Medias made 15 saves in his net debut.
The Blues play four of their first five games at home. They host Gloucester on Saturday at noon and Sussex on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.