Bulldogs lose 14 from Central Group III championship team.
By: Mike Molaro
The Hopewell Valley Central High School boys’ soccer squad that takes the field late in the year may bear little or no resemblance to the team that hosts West Windsor-Plainsboro North in its season opener tomorrow.
Coming of a 17-3-3 campaign in which it captured the Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division, earned a co-share of the Mercer County championship, and won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III title, HoVal must replace 14 players.
If those numbers13 graduates and one player who movedweren’t enough of a task, the Bulldogs need to offset the losses of all-CVC goalie A.J. Juliano, CVC defender-of-the-year Matt Lanouette, and the league’s leading scorer in Brian Kuppe.
Although HoVal has a roster laden with 14 seniors, it will be up to the defense to hold things together as the new faces take time to gel.
"Our defense right now is our strength," Ed Gola said as he prepared for his third year as head coach of the Bulldogs. "The defense will carry us in the beginning of the season while the offense finds itself. We have a lot of guys who have not played varsity soccer. It will take time for us to gel and feel comfortable with each other."
HoVal, which fell to top-ranked Ocean City, 3-2 in overtime in the Group III semifinals last year, will be led by seniors forward Eric Doran, stopper Mark Squicciarino, sweeper Aubrey Holmes, and goalie Kris Ryan.
"Kris is solid in goal," added Gola. "He sat behind two seniors last year but we are confident in his abilities and what he can give us. Mark is a three-year starter and Aubrey was our stopper last year. Eric is being counted on to carry the offense. These four guys are our core, in experience, talent, and leadership."
Other seniors who will see key minutes are back Chris Tantum, midfielders Tim Kianka, Sakhil Nepal, Chris Anuzis, Mike Guggenheim, and Matt Spoth, and forwards Dan Russell, Matt Cook, Brian Skevington, and Steven Hall.
Juniors ready to make their mark are forward Ryan Brobst, midfielder Dave Primer, and backs Will Alton and Randy Jones, and returning sophomores are forward Nick Maida, midfielder Nate Pappermann, and goalie Aaron Utman.
The Bulldogs have established themselves as one of the area’s best programs and always make noise in the county and state tournaments. They know the bar has been raised high, but they love the competition and relish the numerous opportunities to show what they have.
The expectations are high but they start their journey with the proverbial first step.
"We want to develop and get better each day," Gola said. "That’s our number-one goal. We want to win our division, do well in the county tournament, and qualify for the state tournament. Simple and reachable goals."
And ones that have become a staple of the Bulldog program.