While the expectations are alway high when it comes to Harrison boys soccer, veteran head coach Mike Rusek anticipated that this could be a year where the Blue Tide might get off to an uneven start following heavy losses to graduation.
Instead, these Blue Tide have hit the ground running. Harrison opened the season with an eye-opening 4-1 win at longtime rival Wallington. Wins over Bayonne, North Arlington and Rutherford have followed putting the Blue Tide at 4-0, while outscoring the competition by a 14-3 margin.
“It’s been a real pleasant surprise these first two weeks of the season,” Rusek said. “Things can change on a dime, but right now I’m just enjoying the uphill momentum we’ve been seeing with this group.
“We had these (large senior groups) the last two years and this was the year that we did think we were going to be taking a hit. But so far, the kids we have this year have all been playing above my expectations. It’s been really great to see.”
Perhaps no player has exceeded expectations more than senior forward Frank Barrera. Barrera, who missed last year due to a broken collarbone, has been a game changer on offense, scoring in every game so far with five goals and two assists. At 6-foot-1, Barrera, better known for his play on the volleyball court, brings a physical presence inside the box that Harrison has rarely had.
“Usually, the bigger guys, their skill just isn’t as good as the smaller players on the field, but Frank is an exception,” said Rusek. “He’s got a real nice touch for a big, strong forward and he can score with either foot.”
Barrera’s presence has allowed senior Yusufu Jaite to take less punishment up top. The senior four-year varsity performer is one of the fastest players in the state and has 26 career goals and 29 assists for the Blue Tide.
Already, the presence of Barrera and others has allowed Jaite to play more in the midfield and defense to further take advantage of his speed.
“We’ve used him on defense this year. We’ve used him in the midfield and we’ve actually had him marking guys because he’s just so quick,” Rusek said. “Last year, he was just a forward and he was always going against bigger kids that were double-teaming him. Now we’ve been able to maneuver him around a little bit and take a lot of the pressure off of him.”
Another newcomer to the attack is junior Jaaldum El Katib, who starts on the left side. Freshman Estevien Alvarez, sophomore Kiandry Aban and senior Raynaldo Hernandez are also seeing significant minutes up top for Harrison. Senior Cristian Carranza will provide another boost to the offense when the Ferris High School transfer becomes eligible in a couple weeks.
Sophomore Petro Barreto Reis is the starting attacking midfielder after seeing some time off the bench a year ago. With three goals and two assists already, Reis looks poised for a breakthrough season.
Also starting in the midfield is senior captain Joel Rueda. Cristiana Barrios is an experienced junior starting as the defensive center midfielder
Seniors Chris Pereira and Pedro De Malens see major minutes on the outside.Senior Josue Samayoa is a quality reserve as a defensive center midfielder and junior Fabio Falla, a transfer from Orange, further bolsters the midfield.
On the backline, senior Nick Vergaray has been a huge addition at center back after missing last year with a torn ACL. Vergaray starts alongside senior Angello Tenazoa on the inside with Fernando Solano and Matthew Yllescas also in the mix.
The outside back spots are a true rotation early on with sophomores Carlos Gomez and Santiago Rodriguez and freshman Jhowy Pincon all in the mix as well as junior Angelo De La Cruz..
Senior Francisco Apolo takes over as the starting goalkeeper after waiting for his opportunity on JV last season. Sophomore Anas Oufrid is the backup.
Harrison looked to continue its hot start on Monday at Secaucus followed by a Wednesday matchup at Weehawken.
Learn more about the writer ...
Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)