By Jim Hague
Observer Sports Writer
In August, the Belleville boys’ soccer team was headed toward great things in 2014. The school just hired one of its all-time greats in Jim Damiano to run the program, after longtime coach Len Marino had stepped down due to medical reasons.
The Buccaneers were destined for greatness.
Meanwhile, Carlos Goncalves was the program’s junior varsity coach for the prior four years. In August, Goncalves was on vacation, visiting his family in Portugal, when the Belleville Board of Education made more than 50 teacher cuts, one of whom was Damiano.
Without Damiano, the Buccaneers became a program without a coach.
“I got the phone call that Jimmy was no longer going to be the coach,” Goncalves said. “The AD (athletic director Tom D’Elia) called me and asked me if I would take over. I didn’t want to be the head coach, but I decided to do it for the kids. I’m not sure about next year, but I agreed to do it this year.”
The program also brought back a familiar face to be the assistant – namely Marino.
“It helped tremendously,” Goncalves said. “Having Lenny beside me was great. He’s a great individual and a great coach. The kids all know him and love him. Lenny was determined. He said, ‘If you take over, I’ll help you.’ Lenny is my mentor. His help is always needed.”
So Goncalves inherited the program and had to try to stem the tide, keep the players on the right track that was established before him.
“I was doing it for the kids,” Goncalves said. “Regardless of their talent, I would take over for the kids. I put their ability and their play aside. I did it for them.”
Goncalves knew that there was a lot of talent returning on the 2014 roster.
“You always have high expectations when you have a team like this,” Goncalves said. “These kids have been together for like six years. The core of the team has been playing together forever. When they play together as a team for that long, there’s no other choice but to have high expectations.”
The Buccaneers have responded well for the new coach and the old coach, winning 14 times this season and advancing all the way to the Essex County Tournament semifinals for the first time before falling to perennial power Livingston.
Belleville senior defender Marlon Rodriguez (photo at top) is recognized as one of the top
defenders in Essex County and the Super Essex Conference while Belleville
senior midfielder Max Correa (above) has been outstanding with the ball this season,
collecting 23 assists, among the best in the state.
“It felt great to be in the semifinals,” Goncalves said. “I told the kids that it was already an achievement to get there. I told them if they walk off the field, they should do so with their heads held high. I just believe that they felt the pressure a little bit, playing Livingston at home with our fans there at night. It was tough for them, but I’m very proud of them.”
The Buccaneers were set to face Morristown in the opening round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV state playoffs Monday.
In goal, the Bucs have used senior Kevin Coronel in goal, but he hit his head in the win against Millburn in the Essex County tourney. Junior Jason Cadena has filled in admirably in net. Junior Elias Tapia is another reserve.
The Buccaneers have two of the best defenders around in seniors Marlon Rodriguez and P.J. Gencarelli, both of whom have been with the program for four years.
“Having them back has helped tremendously,” Goncalves said. “They’ve both together helped us scoring on set pieces, scoring at least 11 goals with headers.”
Junior Maverick Garcia and senior Nelson Pichardo round out the Buccaneers’ solid defensive unit, with seniors David Esquivel and Cesar Idirovo coming off the bench.
Senior Max Correa has been a huge plus for the Belleville midfield. Correa has 23 assists, among the leaders in the state.
“He always plays defensive minded and assist first,” Goncalves said. “He could have scored more goals, because he really has a good shot, but he prefers to give it off for assists. He’s just a complete player.”
Others in the midfield include seniors Randy Fernandez, Kevin Vicente and junior Jairo Campoverde. Senior Carlos Fuentes and junior Chris Sosa are key reserves off the bench, with senior Marco Guaman also coming in as a reserve.
Senior Muhammad Cheikali is another midfielder who Goncalves uses off the bench.
On the forward line, the Buccaneers have Matthew Gavidia, who has scored 10 goals, and senior Luis Lopez, the team’s super striker, who has knocked home 23 goals. “Lopez is tremendously fast,” Goncalves said. “He’s very quick and gets to a lot of balls with his speed. When he gets the ball, he’s very lethal and is difficult to stop.”
Senior Gerson Hernandez can contribute at either the forward or midfield slots. Senior Daniel Bamimore is another key reserve for the Belleville front line.
Whatever happened in the state playoffs Monday would not deter what has been a tremendous season, especially with the preseason turmoil.
“I told them that this has been really exciting,” Goncalves said. “There were a lot of challenges. We faced a lot of tough teams all season. But we grew as a team through it all in all respects. It was exciting, challenging and it was worth it for me to have the experience.”
Maybe the Belleville Board of Education can do the right thing and insure that both Goncalves and Marino, health permitting, will be back next season. The successful program needs to have some sort of stability, even with all the top players graduating.
