SPORTS

Bernards wins first SCT title since 1990

Angel D. Ospina
@AngelDOspina

BRIDGEWATER - It is often said it gets lonely at the top, but for the Bernards boys soccer program, hoisting the Somerset County Tournament trophy alone for the first time in the program's history was a goal they have been striving toward since 1990.

Bernards wins 2016 Somerset County Tournament title

Bernards (16-1-1) was crowned co-champion in 1990, in the programs only county title,  but on Saturday at Frank “Nap” Torpey Complex, the fourth-seeded Mountaineers were the only team celebrating after they defeated No.3 Pingry, 3-1.

Led by senior midfielder Vinnie Cabrera, who finished the contest with two goals, Bernards can celebrate the school’s first lone county title.

“We put effort in every practice we had,” Cabrera said. “We knew going into the game we were going to win it no matter what. We were coming in confident.  There was no way we were losing this game.”

Entering the county final matchup on a 14-game win streak, the Mountaineers had a right to feel confident and that confidence was displayed as soon as the first whistle blew.

Cabrera put Bernards on the board in the 21st minute of the game as senior defenseman Anthony Milan took a free kick near midfield and placed the ball in the box, where Cabrera was able to head it over the goalkeeper, who came running toward the ball.

“Coach told me to start from the back post and make my way near the penalty kick spot,” Cabrera said. “So that’s exactly what I did and the ball landed perfectly on my head and from there it went in.”

With a 1-0 lead, Bernards continued to push the pace and Cabrera was able to make the Big Blue defense pay once again.

Senior forward Dan Paez pushed the ball forward and Cabrera was able to get to the ball before the goalkeeper, who once again came running toward the edge of the box for a loose ball, but Cabrera was able to get a foot on it first and placed it in the back of the net to put the Mountaineers up 2-0, with 8:25 remaining in the first half.

“Every time Paez gets the ball you always got to make a run no matter what because he’s getting you the ball,” Cabrera said.

Paez, who leads the team with 15 assists, gave the Mountaineers a comfortable lead in the first half with the brilliant pass but Pingry (11-4-1) was able to respond shortly after.

Pingry junior midfielder Alexy Alin-Hvidsten crossed the ball and found Henry Kraham for a header to cut the lead to one with 3:28 remaining until the break.

With the two-time defending champions on the board after the goal by Kraham, the Warriors knew they needed an insurance goal in the second half if they wanted to win the title.

Senior Johnny Graves had an opportunity at the edge of the box but was fouled hard by a Pingry defenseman.

Bernards was rewarded a penalty kick, where Dan Paez rolled the ball past the diving goalkeeper’s outstretched arm to put the Mountaineers up 3-1.

With the comfortable lead, Bernards was able to hold off the two-time defending county champions and the team was able to celebrate alone for the first time in the programs history.

“it’s awesome for our program and awesome for the small schools to show that you can do it if you put the right group together,” said Bernards coach Joe LaSpada.

For LaSpada, who has been the coach of the Bernards program since 1985, capturing the title for the first time since 1990 was a long time coming,

The Bernards  coach was at a school Hall of Fame dinner on Friday night with a few players from the 1990 county champion team and told them he was ready to do whatever it took to capture the team’s first lone county title.

“I was at the hall of fame dinner last night with one of the kids that tied, and I said ‘you know I realized we never won it’ and he said ‘can I suit up?’ and I said ‘I’d love to have you’,” said LaSpada as he laughed.

“This group is up there with all our good teams, said LaSpada. “Winning this is huge.”