SPORTS

Boys Soccer: GMC Tournament Final Scouting Report

Daniel LoGiudice
@danny_logiudice

What: GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE BOYS SOCCER TOURNAMENT FINAL

When/Where: 5:30 p.m. today/Woodbridge High School

Who: No. 1 South Brunswick (16-3) vs. No. 6 South Plainfield (14-6-1)

How they got here: South Brunswick beat No. 9 Old Bridge 8-2 in the quarterfinals and topped No. 4 East Brunswick 1-0 in the semis. South Plainfield upset No. 3 Monroe 1-0 in the quarters and shocked No. 2 New Brunswick 4-3 in the semifinals.

South Brunswick Report: The Vikings are seeking their first GMC title since 2009 after making it to the county final in 2012 and 2013. Head coach Chris Hayston leads a red-hot squad that has won 14 of its last 15 games. Red Division champs for the second year in a row, the Vikings are a veteran and versatile bunch. Senior midfielders Patrick Grudnik and recently healthy Jermaine Small lead the offense with 17 and 10 goals, respectively. The offense also gets solid contributions from senior forward Nasser Aamer (seven goals, 10 assists) and junior midfielder Kevin Nunez (seven goals, four assists). Senior Keiler Knapp is an effective midfielder whose corner kicks often find the head of senior defender Kyle DeGroff for a goal. The defense is anchored by Grudnik’s brother Paul and senior goalkeeper Arvind Swaminathan, who has 58 saves on the season. The Vikings are skilled, consistent and dangerous.

South Plainfield Report: The Tigers are the Cinderella story of the GMC Tournament and are seeking their first GMC title in school history. Head coach Anthony Perfilio’s team has had some ups and downs throughout the season, but the Tigers are getting hot at the most opportune time. The Tiger offense revolves around senior forward Nick Polizzano (18 goals) and junior midfielder Jacob Villacres (eight goals, 22 assists). Junior forward Deshai Smith (seven goals) has great, raw talent and often comes off the bench to spark the offense as he did in the Tigers’ 1-0 win over Monroe. The inexperienced yet talented junior goalkeeper Nick Plate unquestionably anchors the defense with 153 saves on the year. Senior marking back Jacob Alba flies all over the field to clear balls out of his own end. Simply put, the Tigers are peaking at the right time.

Prediction: South Plainfield has had a great run, but South Brunswick has been unstoppable recently. Look for the Vikings to clinch their first GMC title since 2009.

South Brunswick 2-1.

Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice: dlogiudice@gannettnj.com