It was a challenging season for the Highlanders’ Boys soccer team, finishing with a record of 5-11-1, but they still had some bright spots this year. The seniors came through with a couple shining moments from their games against Passaic Valley and Highland Park. 

The Highlanders came into their matchup vs. Passaic Valley, losing six straight games. The Highlanders were not going to increase it to seven.  The Highlanders broke out on the scoreboard first in the first half. Junior Cole Stillman got the party started with a goal. The Highlanders were coasting throughout this one until Passaic Valley broke out on the scoreboard and tied it up at one. The Highlanders were fearless, not going down without a fight. With eighteen seconds left, senior Andrew Golas kicked the game winning goal that sent the bench into a frenzy. The team celebrated around Golas, sealing their second win against Passaic Valley this season. 

The Highlanders final match of the year was against Highland Park. It was Senior Day, with a chance to snap a three game losing streak and finish the season in the win column. The Highlanders were down 1-0 in the first half, but they were not going to quit. Junior Landon MacKenzie scored the first goal of the second half to knot up the game at one. 90 minutes was not enough time to decide a winner, so the game went to overtime. Senior John Biegel had his eyes set on the net.  Off a deflection, Biegel kicked it past the goalie to give the Highlanders the win in their final game of the season. To finish the season on the right note with a win.  

Thank you to seniors Andrew Golas, John Biegel, Andre Christ, Will Stillman, Marko Tosevski, Carlos Banks, Richie Gomez, and Daniel Sullivan for all their hard work this season. 

While the season may be over, there were definitely a lot of positives to write home about. The team has a bright future ahead with a bunch of returning players next year. Juniors Lorenzo Andrade, Brayden Primavera, Cole Stillman, Noah Christian, Landon Mackenzie, and Kyle Gloria will be handed the torch as the leaders on the team next year as Seniors. Good luck  next season boys and congrats to those who will be graduating in June.