SPORTS

New Brunswick boys soccer rallies, remains undefeated

Daniel LoGiudice
@danny_logiudice

NEW BRUNSWICK Despite facing its toughest competition thus far, the New Brunswick boys soccer team ended Saturday morning’s game like the previous 14. With a victory.

The Zebras defeated St. Joseph 5-4 in a comeback victory, improving their season record to a perfect 15-0.

“We’re very happy with it,” sophomore Kevin Sanchez said. “We just want to keep going.”

To get the victory, the Zebras had to dig themselves out of a hole. Sophomore Zach Riviere opened the scoring for St. Joseph minutes into the game and junior Antonio Oliveira followed up with a goal about 10 minutes later.

Facing a two-goal deficit, the Zebras remained composed and trusted that their potent offense was capable of scoring an equalizer.

“We have a mentality of always keeping our heads up,” Sanchez said. “We never thought about losing.”

Considering they scored 89 goals prior to Saturday’s game, the Zebra goals were inevitable. Sanchez scored off a set piece at the end of the first half to bring the score to 2-1, then tied it when he headed a corner kick from junior Kevin Reyes into the back of the net.

“We were playing the ball too much in the air,” New Brunswick coach Rafael Castillo said. “I told them to settle the ball and put it on the ground. We play much faster when we put it on the ground.”

Senior Chris Taraska gave the Falcons a 3-2 lead after scoring on a penalty kick, but the Zebras quickly scored an equalizer, courtesy of senior Raul Galindo.

Sanchez scored the ultimate game-winner, his 45th goal of the season, after he flicked the ball over a defender and found himself alone in front of the box. His right leg took care of the rest.

“It was a very important goal for me,” Sanchez said. “I was very happy that the team got back on track.”

Senior Jason Zarate quickly scored an all-important insurance goal, increasing the Zebra lead to 5-3.

Taraska then scored another goal shortly thereafter, but with only a few minutes to spare, the Falcons simply did not have enough time for an equalizer.

“They impressed me today,” Castillo said. “I always tell the team to maintain their composure under any kind of pressure, and they did that today. I was impressed with their resiliency. They showed that grit today.”

As the only remaining undefeated team in the GMC and the No. 2 seed going into the tournament, Castillo thinks a win like this can carry into the GMC Tournament.

“To make that adjustment against a quality team says a lot about us,” Castillo said. “It’s only going to make us better knowing we can come back against that type of talent.”

Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice: dlogiudice@gannettnj.com