Soccer team won three games in 2008
by John Beisser, Sports Writer
In one short year the Manville High boys’ soccer team transformed itself from a barely competitive, one-win team into a three-win club that was dangerous, productive and a whisker away from a host of more victories.
The Mustangs signaled their arrival as a legitimate program with the Raritan Division of the Skyland Conference largely due to the leadership of its senior class and the all-around talented of junior forward Richie Hernandez.
”It all started with a our senior co-captains Dawid Brozyna and Pawel Maziarz,” second-year head coach Tim Moore said. “They are two guys who the team really respected. Their sense of humor and natural leadership skills really helped our team. It seemed like last year I had to change captains four or five times. But those two did a great job al year for us.”
Moore also had high praise for his five other departing seniors – goalkeeper Matt Zanagra and field players Jason Diaz, Bryan Munoz, Nick DeSantis and Chris Sinchi.
A check of the final season statistics indicates just how much improvement the Mustangs made on the offensive end this season. Last year, many games were in essence over at halftime and Manville simply lacked the firepower to sustain anything on offense. Whereas last year’s team managed to score just 13 goals all season, the 2008 club found the back of the cage 24 times.
”Plus, we had 11 different players score goals for us this year where last year we might have had three or four,” Moore said.
Mainly a defensive player a year ago, Hernandez blossomed as an offensive force this season, scoring seven goals and assisting on four others from his forward position, meaning that he had a role in 11 of Manville’s 24 goals. DeSantis added three goals and four assists, while Brozyna chipped in with three goals and two assists.
”We competed with some of the powers in the area and that has not been the case here for a long time,” Moore said. “We scored against Bernards, we scored against North Warren. I’m not sure the last time a Manville team scored against them. It’s been awhile.”
The Mustangs finished 3-12-1 on the season and dropped another five games by scant one-goal margins. The wins came over Somerset Vo-Tech, Skyland Conference foe Belvidere and Highland Park, while the tie was vs. Sussex Tech.
The coaches whose teams faced Manville this season recognized Manville’s improvement as several Mustangs were named to the Skyland Conference All-Raritan Division Team. Sophomore Juan Calderon, was named first-team All-Division, while Hernandez, Zangara and junior sweeper Doug Bradley were named to the second team.
Moore is confident Manville’s program will continue to improve, noting that he has a stud offensive player returning in Hernandez, a formidable midfielder in Calderon and a top-flight defender in Bradley. Manville will also have experience in goal as sophomore Ryszard Kloskowski performed admirably when called upon this season while adjusting the pace and intensity of varsity soccer.
”Having Richie back doing his thing up front will be fun again next season,” Moore said. “He’s such as talented and exciting player. Even the guys on the bench who didn’t play a lot this season enjoyed watching Richie play out there. He’s so strong and such a good athlete, he’s a pleasure to coach.
”Plus, we’ve got a lot of other components returning,” Moore added. “I’m excited about the future. The most exciting thing is that we’re scoring goals. That’s what makes the game so fun.”
Danny Castro will bring passion and experience to his left back position as a junior in 2009. The Mustangs will also welcome back Mike Hernandez, Richie’s younger brother who will be a junior with the ability to play several positions. Senior-to-be Brian Valeverde is a good one and another name to keep in mind is Breyner Garcia, who saw varsity time as a freshman this season.

