South Brunswick High School’s boys soccer team has enjoyed a multitude of successes in the past four years, having captured the GMC Red Division titles in seasons 2006, 2007 and 2008.
However, it took this year, one in which the Vikings finished with a so-so 11-10 mark, for the team to capture its first-ever conference tournament title. The win came against rival, North Brunswick, 1-0, Oct. 29, in a game that could have made the highlight reel, especially for goaltender Nick Goswami.
“There were two saves in the first half by Nick,” said soccer coach Chris Hayston, “that were as good as any I’ve seen, and without a doubt kept us in the game. Then Chase Adams came through with the winner in the second half. This was a very satisfying win and a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our team.”
The Vikings earned a trip to the Central Jersey Group IV tournament, but were ousted in the first round by West Windsor South, 3-1, in a game where, Hayston admitted, “we didn’t look good.”
Still, considering how the season began, a conference championship is a crowning achievement. South Brunswick started the season winning just one game in its first five and struggled all year long to reach the .500 level.
“A lot of our supporters were questioning what was wrong becauseweweren’twinning like we always did,” Hayston said. “I guess that’s what happens when you have the success we have had and always have such high expectations.”
While the regular season was a struggle for the Vikings, the team seemed to jell once the GMC Tournament began.
Another exciting match came in the semifinals when South Brunswick met Woodbridge. The team was down 1-0 after a half of play but exploded for four goals. Bishoy Garis headed home a corner kick by Patrick Harkness to even the score at 1-1 but the Barrons surged back into the lead with a goal of their own.
Then, a minute later, Harkness responded with a Viking goal to knot the score at 2-2.
With less than 10 minutes left in the game, it was Mike Heyer who scored the game winner when he headed in a nice flick pass by Harkness. Brendan Vercammen iced the game with a rocket shot that found the net with three minutes left in the contest.
“Winning the GMC tournament title is something we can add to our list of accomplishments,” said Hayston, who completed his seventh year coaching the Vikings. “We received some great contributions from some excellent players. You have to start with Nick, our goaltender. He came through in the GMC final but played well all season long.
“Bishoy [a transfer from East Brunswick] led our team with 13 goals and was another major factor,” Hayston said. “Our captain was Michael Heyer, who provided great senior leadership. Brendan was second on our team in goals with seven.”
Acknowledging that the season ending loss in the first round of the state tournament was a disappointment for the Vikings, Hayston said he’s optimistic the team will bounce back with a better year, record-wise.
“We’re fortunate in that we have a well-established program that always has winning championships as its goal,” he said. “We can always look an opponent in the eye and say we can win. Not every program can make that claim, and I feel fortunate we are at that point in our development.”