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Courier News Boys Soccer All-Area Teams

Lauren Knego
@laurenknego
Courier News All-Area Boys Soccer First Team. Back row (from left to right): Dan Paez, Bernards, John Murphy, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Henry Kraham, Pingry. Middle row (left to right): Steven Bednarsky, Gill St. Bernard's, Gerald Cubero, Bound Brook, Nate Race, Bridgewater-Raritan. Front row (left to right): Mark Walter, Westfield, Matt Slebodnik, Hunterdon Central, Nico Arce Arza, Bernards.

FIRST TEAM

DAN PAEZ

Position: Forward

School: Bernards

Highlights: The senior finished the season with 16 goals and 19 assists, and scored the game-winner against Newton as Bernards won the NJSIAA Group II title for the first time since 2011. Paez also tallied a goal and an assist in the Somerset County Tournament final, which the Mountaineers won for the first time since 1990. He also scored a goal against Rumson-Fair Haven in the Central Group II final, and helped Bernards finish 22-1-1 and set a school record in goals with 76.

READ: LaSPADA AND SMITH ARE THE CN ALL-AREA BOYS SOCCER COACHES OF THE YEAR

RELATED: GILL ST. BERNARD'S BEDNARSKY IS THE CN ALL-AREA BOYS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR

NATE RACE

Position: Forward

School: Bridgewater-Raritan

Highlights: The senior tallied 23 goals and six assists as Bridgewater-Raritan finished the season 13-5-1, advanced to the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed and the North 2 Group IV final.

GERALD CUBERO

Position: Forward

School: Bound Brook

Highlights: The senior led Somerset County with 33 goals and six assists for Bound Brook, which was seventh in the state for goals scored. He scored two or more goals in a game 10 times as the Crusaders finished 12-8 and advanced to the Central Group I quarterfinals.

NICO ARCE ARZA

Position: Midfielder

School: Bernards

Highlights: The junior totaled five goals and three assists as Bernards won the Group II title and the Somerset County Tournament final. Arza helped the Mountaineers win 22 straight games as the team posted six shutouts during its state tournament run, posted 16 total shutouts and only allowed a total of 10 goals this season, which was a school record.

HENRY KRAHAM

Position: Midfielder

School: The Pingry School

Highlights: The senior finished with 15 goals and 12 assists for Pingry (12-5-1). Kraham scored the game-winner against Somerville in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, scored a goal against Bernards in the final and helped the Big Blue to the Non-Public North A quarterfinals.

JOHN MURPHY

Position: Midfielder

School: Scotch Plains-Fanwood

Highlights: The senior tallied 18 goals and nine assists and helped lead Scotch Plains-Fanwood to a 22-4 record and the Union County Tournament final. Murphy recorded a goal and one assist as the Raiders won the North 2 Group IV sectional title and advanced to the Group IV final.

STEVEN BEDNARSKY

Position: Midfielder

School: Gill St. Bernard's

Highlights: The 2016 Courier News All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year tallied nine goals and dished a team-high 19 assists as Gill St. Bernard's went 17-4-1 and won the Skyland Conference Valley Division title. Bednarsky helped the Knights to the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, scored a goal as they won the Non-Public South B title and had an assist as they won the Non-Public South title for the first time since 2013 with a 2-0 win over Hudson Catholic.

MARK WALTER

Position: Defense

School: Westfield

Highlights: The junior helped anchor a defensive line that allowed only 14 goals and posted 10 shutouts as Westfield finished 15-4-2, won the Union County Conference Watchung Division title, the Union County Tournament title and advanced to the North 2 Group IV quarterfinals.

CAM MILLER

Position: Defense

School: Gill St. Bernard's

Highlights: The senior posted eight goals and eight assists while helping Gill St. Bernard's post 13 shutouts en route to a 17-4-1 record, the Skyland Conference Valley Division title, the Non-Public South B title and the Non-Public South championship. Miller helped to anchor a defense that posted four shutouts during its state tournament run.

MATT SLEBODNIK

Position: Defense

School: Hunterdon Central

Highlights: The senior tallied three goals and one assist as Hunterdon Central finished the season 20-1, won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title, won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament title for the third time in five years, claimed the Central Group IV title and its first Group IV championship in school history.

DAN MECADON

Position: Goalie

School: Hunterdon Central

Highlights: The senior allowed only six goals all season and posted 15 shutouts, including the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament final, of which he was named MVP, and came up big during the state tournament run when the Red Devils won back-to-back games in penalty kicks. He also posted a shutout in the Group IV final against Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

SECOND TEAM

F: Josh Bordwick, Hunterdon Central, junior

F: Kevin Brito, Gill St. Bernard's, senior

F: Noah Jeffries, Ridge, senior

M/F: Ryan Peterson, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, senior

M/F: Nick Neptune, Bernards, senior

M: Loukas Carayanopolous, Westfield, senior

M: Obi Okoro, The Pingry School, senior

M: Anes Mrkulic, Gill St. Bernard's, senior

D: Owen Gaynor, The Pingry School, senior

D: Nick Halpin, Bridgewater-Raritan, senior

G: Andres Lezme, Bernards, junior

THIRD TEAM

F: Christian Espana, Montgomery, senior

F: Pawel Cudnoch, Watchung Hills, senior

F: Ricky LaStella, Bridgewater-Raritan, senior

M/F: Ronaldo Garcia, North Plainfield, senior

M: Bailey Gano, Gill St. Bernard's, junior

M: Freddy Ludtke, Bernards, senior

M: Evan Youshock, Hunterdon Central, senior

D: Dan Conforti, Somerville, junior

D: August Boland, Gill St. Bernard's, junior

D: Max Stanley, Bernards, senior

G: Will Sokol, Somerville, senior

HONORABLE MENTION

Bernards: David McMillan, Vinnie Cabrera; Bound Brook: Jose Vargas; Bridgewater-Raritan: Calum Erlenborn, Josh Nabbie, Joe Umana, Sean Masur, Dominik Demcak; Delaware Valley: Evan Gundell, Justin Fiaschetti, Zach Smith, Nick DiBetta; Franklin: Arnaldo Paz; Gill St. Bernard’s: Alex Roch, Jack McMahon; Gov. Livingston: Josiah Crawford, Andrew Aguilera; Hillsborough: Liam Jurkowich; Hunterdon Central: Matt Tetreault, Jacob Grant, Aidan Cook, Martin Menendez, Aaron Baxter; Immaculata: Kendall Davis; Manville: Tomas Hernadez, Mateus De Souza, Sebastian Rodriguez; Middlesex: Anthony Ortiz; Montgomery: Rory Kemmerer; New Providence: Cristiano Hocken, Dillon Konzelmann; North Hunterdon: Mark Winter, Joey Steitz; North Plainfield: Kenny Navas; Pingry: Mitchell Flugsted-Clark, Eddie Acosta, Owen Wolfson; Plainfield: Boima Fenfoaquee, Chris Navarette, Narvis Bent; Ridge: Julian Larrondo; Scotch Plains-Fanwood: Sean Murray, Ryan Peterson, Andrew Murray, Patrick Ellman; Somerset Tech: Parth Patel; Somerville: James Liu; South Hunterdon: Joe Armstrong, Cameron Paventi; Union Catholic: Alex Parillo; Voorhees: ; Yachine Wahnon; Watchung Hills: Ryan Santos; Westfield: Joseph Contreras Aguirre, Owen Prybylski, Owen Ripperger, Cullen Birkel.