LEFT: Kearny sophomore forward John Najarro now has 24 goals for the No. 1 seeded Kardinals who begin play in the
NJSIAA North 2, Group IV sectional this week. RIGHT: Lyndhurst junior midfielder Amanda Fulcher is among the top allaround
performers in the state and leads the top-seeded Golden Bears into action in North 2, Group II.
The NJSIAA soccer playoffs kicked off earlier this week and several local teams had high hopes and aspirations of winning sectional and possible state titles in the coming weeks.
Six local boys’ teams and five girls’ squads have earned berths in the state tournament, with three local squads, the Kearny boys, the Harrison boys and the Lyndhurst girls, all earning the top seeds in their respective brackets.
With the Kearny boys, still undefeated at 19-0-2 and recently crowned as Hudson County Tournament champions for a second straight year, the state playoff represents a new classification.
The Kardinals earned the top seed in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group IV bracket, an entirely new area for head coach Bill Galka and the Kardinals.
“It’s totally new for us,” said Galka, whose team has played in the North 1, Group IV section for ages. “We have different teams to look at. It doesn’t make it any easier on us, facing different teams. But once you get to the state tournament, you can’t look past anyone.”
Galka knows that all too well, because the Kardinals were undefeated entering the state playoffs a year ago and got upset in the first round by Randolph.
“That was a big disappointment,” Galka said. “I know we have quite a few kids back from last year who remember. That’s why our kids are not going to look past anyone. We learned that from last year.”
The Kardinals were set to face North Hunterdon in the first round Tuesday afternoon, then will face the winner of Westfield-Watchung Hills in the second round at Harvey Field Friday afternoon.
“Our first state playoff game is the biggest game of the year,” Galka said. “We had tough games last week against St. Peter’s Prep (a tie) and North Bergen (a hard-fought win). We’re playing pretty well right now, but if we don’t play very well, then this next game could be the last one of the season.”
Sophomore John Najarro continues his goalscoring barrage. He now has 24 on the season.
The Kards looked to get Calvin Carbajal back from an ankle injury he suffered in the Hudson County Tournament finale against Union City.
“Everyone else on the team is fairly healthy,” Galka said. “I’m not looking ahead at all, but we are playing pretty well. I feel good about our chances. We’re going to battle as hard as we know. I think we have just as good of a shot as anyone.”
The Harrison boys’ squad also earned the top seed in their respective bracket, the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group II classification.
The Blue Tide (17-3) is also fairly new to the North 2, Group II bracket. They have changed brackets for the third straight year, having played in North 1, Group II two years ago and having captured the overall Group I state crown last year, the 25th state title in the school’s history.
“We don’t know much about the other teams that we’re facing,” said Harrison head coach Mike Rusek, whose team faced Morris County Tech in the first round, then will draw the winner of Rutherford-Madison in the second round Friday at Harrison.
“We really don’t have much to go on,” Rusek said of the opposition. “But that’s fair. We really feel that since we’re facing so many new teams, it gives us something new to shoot for. But we’ve been the ones who have been bounced around the most in the state.”
Rusek said that it was beneficial for the Blue Tide to earn the top seed, because they have had such tremendous success at home.
“We haven’t lost a home game since 2011,” Rusek said. “So we’re really spoiled playing at home. It’s the 10th year we’re playing on the new field and we’ve only lost four times, so I hope the trend continues.”
Rusek said that he’s been playing a very young lineup of late, with as many as three freshmen and four sophomores getting quality playing time.
“We’ve been getting better as our young guys gain experience,” Rusek said. “I really feel like we’ve figured out our lineup. We had been going with different lineups and now finally found one that works.”
Andreas Villalobos has emerged as the Blue Tide’s go-to guy down the stretch and will be a player to watch in the playoffs. Villalobos has 20 goals and 12 assists this season.
“We told them that we wanted to make sure that the last loss was the last loss of the season,” said Rusek, whose team suffered a setback at the hands of Secaucus last week. “Let’s how see how well they respond.”
The Lyndhurst girls’ team is the final area team to earn a top seed. The Golden Bears own a 17-1-2 record and hope to earn the title in the North Jersey Section 2, Group II bracket. They earned a bye in the first round of the tourney and will play the winner of Hackettstown-Rutherford in the second round at home Thursday afternoon.
Lyndhurst head coach Kim Hykey likes the way her team is playing now, especially the play of senior playmaker Amanda Fulcher.
“I really didn’t want a bye,” Hykey said. “I wanted to keep playing. I didn’t know we were getting a bye until last week. We’re going to take it one game at a time, because you never want to look too far ahead. One mistake, one slip-up and the whole thing is over. So we have to stay focused and concentrate one game at a time.”
Hykey is glad to have Fulcher on her side.
“She makes sure she creates things,” Hykey said. “When she and Mia (Luna) are in sync, they are tough to beat. They play off each other. Amanda is focused and knows what she has to do.”
The rest of the area boys’ teams schedules are as follows:
• North Arlington earned the No. 2 seed in North 2, Group I. The Vikings received a bye and will play the winner of Becton Regional and Technology of Newark on Friday.
• Lyndhurst’s boys are the No. 6 seed in North 2, Group II. The Golden Bears will face Parsippany Hills in the opening round. If the Golden Bears are successful, they will face the winner of Dover and Ridgefield Park in the next round.
• Nutley is the No. 7 seed in North 2, Group III. The Maroon Raiders face West Morris and the winner of that match takes on the winner of Hopewell Valley and Ferris on Friday.
• Queen of Peace managed to earn the No. 11 seed in the Non- Public B bracket. The Golden Griffins face Eastern Christian in the opening round.
The rest of the local girls’ teams shakes out this way: Nutley is the No. 6 seed and Belleville the eighth seed in North 2, Group III. The dangerous Maroon Raiders face West Windsor-Plainsboro in the opening round, while the Buccaneers face Summit in the first round.
North Arlington, with superstar Joanna Seca, earned the No. 4 seed in North Jersey Section 2, Group I. The Vikings will face Hoboken at Rip Collins Field, with the winner facing the winner of Wood-Ridge and Cedar Grove.
The Kearny girls’ team earned the No. 3 seed in North 1, Group IV section and was scheduled to face Morris Knolls in the first round. If the Kardinals win the opener, then they will face the winner of Randolph-Passaic County Tech on Thursday.
Needless to say, it’s a very busy time of year for our local soccer teams, some of whom have legitimate state championship aspirations.
Learn more about the writer ...
Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”