By Warren Rappleyea
Soccer
With victories in five of its last six games, South Brunswick High School’s boys’ soccer team sits at 7-3 on the year and is poised for a strong finish, coach Chris Hayston said.
“Other than our loss to New Brunswick, our defense has been very solid,” the coach said. “That puts us in position to win games. Now that our offense is starting to click, we’re a tough team to play against.”
The Vikings are coming off a solid 2-0 win over Perth Amboy High School Oct. 1. Jake Stump scored a goal and added an assist, and Jared Budhu also scored. Sophomore goalie Justin Cross turned back four shots in keeping a clean sheet.
It was an important win coming right after South Brunswick’s worst loss of the year: a 5-1 decision against New Brunswick High School. The Vikings scored the game’s first goal and were trailing 2-1 at halftime. Things worsened in the second half, as the Zebras scored three times to down the Vikings for the second time this fall.
“It was one of those games,” Hayston said. “The game got away from us, and we just couldn’t come back.”
South Brunswick’s only other loss came against East Brunswick High School, 3-1, Sept. 17. The Vikings have defeated several solid squads, including Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen, Old Bridge High School and Monroe Township High School (8-1-1), which sits atop the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division. New Brunswick (6-1-2) is in second place just ahead of the Vikings.
Central midfielders Sergio Caballero and Kevin Nunez are key players for the Vikings. Both players started a year ago, and they are equally adept at either end of the field. Caballero has three goals and five assists to his credit, while Nunez has also scored three times to go with three assists.
Anirudh Vemulapalli and junior Christos Lolas, both reserves a year ago, anchor the defense. Steve Disario and sophomore John Bohrer round out the back line. Nick Hoffmann and Cross alternate in goal.
Raam Chinnaya, Max Antisell and Kunal Thakral are the outside midfielders. Thakral leads the team in scoring with five goals and three assists, and Chinnaya has two goals to his credit. Stump (four goals), Budhu (two goals) and Dylan Inguardi (three goals) are the strikers.
“We’re playing with more confidence because we’ve been getting opportunities and finishing them,” Hayston said. “When you don’t finish, you start to think too much. So they key for us is to create more opportunities to score.”
The Vikings are off until Oct. 8, when St. Joe’s comes to visit for a rematch. The Vikings won the first meeting, 4-2.
“The break couldn’t come at a better time for us,” Hayston said. “We have a lot of little injures: sprained ankles, pulled muscles — things like that. The time off will help.”
South Brunswick’s girls are now 4-4-1 following a 2-0 loss to Monroe Oct. 1.
Three days earlier, the Lady Vikings upended John P. Stevens High School, 6-4. Adriana Mouzakis scored two goals, while Rachel Hecht, Maddie Butler, Adriana Debari and Meghan Hallihan also tallied for the winners.
Mouzakis’ eight goals are tops on the team.
Following a 6-0 loss to Sayreville War Memorial High School Sept. 27, North Brunswick Township High School’s girls tightened their defense and won two straight to improve to 4-6.
Delaney Timm scored the game’s lone goal and Cassie Oake kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Perth Amboy Sept. 29. Arianna Mattis and Timm, with her team-leading fifth, both scored in a 2-1 victory against New Brunswick Oct. 1.
North Brunswick’s boys have lost two straight 1-0 decisions to Carteret High School Oct. 1 and South Plainfield High School Sept. 29. Pawel Dzielski made 19 saves over the two matches. The Raiders have allowed just seven goals against this fall.
North Brunswick had previously put up eight goals in a Sept. 27 success against Sayreville. Jeffrey Montoya, Alusine Kamara and Sam Mikhailov scored two goals each, while Yardin Miranda and Chris Martinez also scored.
Football
South Brunswick’s football team returns to action Oct. 7, when it hosts Edison High School. The Vikings (1-2) look for their second victory after losing two of their first three games, including a 26-14 loss to Piscataway Township High School Sept. 24.
“The time off gave us time to refocus,” coach Joe Goerge said. “We’re going to have tough games the rest of the year. There are no easy games in the Red Division. Edison has a good team. You can’t make mistakes against good teams and expect to win.”
Edison (1-1-1) played Old Bridge to a 42-42 tie Sept. 30. With first-and-goal from the Knights’ 1-yard line, the Eagles appeared on the verge of victory in the third overtime. The game ended when Old Bridge recovered a fumble on the next play. The Eagles also gave undefeated Sayreville a tough time before falling, 18-13, Sept. 23.
Neighboring North Brunswick (0-4) will look for its first win at J.P. Stevens Oct. 7. The Raiders are coming off a 26-13 loss to South Plainfield Sept. 30.