Brookdale Community College goalie Luis Aguirre, right, reaches above Cumberland County College’s Saul Sanchez to win the ball in the air during the Sept. 16 match played in Lincroft on the Jersey Blues’ home pitch. Brookdale’s 2-1 win lifted its record to 6-0. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR For the first time since 2011, the Brookdale Community College men’s soccer team has a coach in his second year at the helm. The benefits are showing on the pitch.
Brookdale is off to a 6-1 start and has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the country among Division III junior colleges.
Head coach George Binaco played for Brookdale in 2005 and had been an assistant coach for several years before taking over in 2014. He is now firmly entrenched as the leader of the program.
The continuity of having Binaco around for the recruiting season allowed him to put together a deep squad that has a nice blend of youth and experience.
“I’ve kept 27 guys on the roster,” Binaco said. “There’s so much quality on the team.”
Binaco explained that last year, the Jersey Blues also got off to a good start but finished 5-8-3 because they didn’t have depth and were hit with a series of injuries that depleted the squad. He wasn’t going to let that happen this year. The team has shown the benefits already, having been able to overcome some early season injuries.
The only surprise thus far, Binaco pointed out, was how quickly the team has come together.
That may explain the Jersey Blues’ uncanny ability to win one-goal games this season. All six of their wins have been by one goal — five have been by 2-1 scores.
“They’re learning to win the close games,” Binaco said. “They’re scoring when they have to.”
To win those low-scoring matches requires defense and goalkeeping, as well as timely scoring. The Jersey Blues have gotten superb defense many times over.
Three freshmen and a sophomore have gelled quickly and are playing like a veteran unit.
Wall High School graduate Mike Commesso, the lone sophomore, and Joe Malley (Red Bank Regional) are the outside defenders, while Elias Oliveira (Long Branch) and Connor Crosby (Middletown North) are playing inside.
Claudio Martins (Ocean Township) can play inside or outside when he is substituted into a game.
Back in goal, Brookdale has reliable Luis Aguirre (Red Bank Regional). The sophomore was All-Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) last fall and is playing above that level this year. He has a .829 save percentage and his goalsagainst average is 1.04.
Steve Murawski (Old Bridge) is the backup goalie.
Brookdale’s backfield brings more than its defensive prowess to the pitch.
“The thing they do well is pass the ball out of the back, which helps us with possession,” Bianco said.
Brookdale’s midfielders are very versatile. Stevenley Joseph (Neptune) is the defensive middie who drops back and helps the defense, and Douglas Silva (Long Branch) is the attacking midfielder who Bianco said is the engineer of the offense. Drew Lyon (Howell), who played for Brookdale in 2012, has returned, and he is a solid two-way player in the middle. He just returned to the lineup from an illness, and his presence could help increase the team’s goal production.
Alex Cella (Matawan) and Silva are the team’s leading goal scorers with four and three goals, respectively. Guilherme DeNovaes (Long Branch) has scored two. Joseph is leading in assists with three.
The team figures to get a boost when Jonathan Junqueria returns to form after returning from an injury. He led the Shore Conference in goals when he played for Shore Regional High School.
“We’re creating chances,” Bianco said. “We’re too pretty trying the extra pass instead of taking the shot. We’re still learning when to go for the shot and when to go for the pass.”
In Brookdale’s 2-1 win over Cumberland County College Sept. 16, Cella scored the first goal, and Ryan Casciani (Raritan) put in the game-winner after the score was knotted at 1-1.
Completing Brookdale’s roster are Lucas Andrade (midfield, Long Branch), Stefan Bard (defense, Monmouth Regional), Matt Benetti (defense, Long Branch), Matt Doucette (midfield, Monmouth Regional), Brian Dunsheath (defense, Manalapan), Marco Fonseca (defense, Long Branch), Amin Masoomzadeh (forward, Colts Neck), John McAree (midfield, Raritan), Vasyl Onushkanets (forward, Long Branch), Gibrahnny Padilla (midfield, Long Branch), Jordan Robinson (forward, Middletown North), Eliezer Santiago (defense, Neptune) and Hakeem Wood (midfield).
Binaco would like his team to capture the GSAC regular season title because to win it would be a sign of his club’s consistency. The Jersey Blues are currently 4-0 in GSAC play. Camden County College is also 4-0 in league play, and the two teams will play in Camden Oct. 3 in a game that not only could decide the GSAC title, but also seeding for the Region 19 tournament.
The major goal for the Jersey Blues is the Region 19 playoffs in Union (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), where two teams from the region will advance to the NJCAA National Championship in Herkimer, New York.
Brookdale last won the regional title in 2012.
Brookdale women still No. 1
The men aren’t the only Brookdale soccer team off to a strong start this season. Brookdale’s women are 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country, as they have been since the season began.
Head coach Katie Miller’s team has won the last two national championships and is looking to become the first Brookdale team to win three straight national titles.
The Jersey Blues haven’t missed a beat in 2015. Goalie Marti Stewart (Marlboro) has yet to surrender a goal. Brookdale has outscored its opponents, 29-0.
The scoring has been very balanced with 12 players finding the back of the net.
Ashley Cafarella (Old Bridge) leads the team in goals with five. Heater Arbachesky (Wall) and Amanda Karabin (Wall) have four goals each.
Melissa Monteleone (Manchester) has scored three goals, while Aubrey Jones (Manasquan), Claire Begley (Mater Dei), Simone McEnough (Neptune), Brittney Ramsey (Manasquan) and Endila Radoncic (Matawan) have all scored two goals each.
Arbachesky and Cafarella lead the team in scoring with 12 points each.
Brookdale is home for GSAC games against Bergen Community College (3:30 p.m.) and Camden (noon) on Oct. 1 and 3, respectively.