KENILWORTH, NJ — With only seven wins, and just two of them on the road, the David Brearley High School Bears boys soccer team knew that, if it was going to have state tournament success for the third straight year, it was going to have to be done away from home, away from its new field surface in Kenilworth.
David Brearley was in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North 2, Group 1 final the past two seasons and won it for the fourth time with present head coach Vinny McGowan 12 months ago, en route to making it all the way to the Group 1 final for the first time since last winning it in 2015.
“This year’s team was different,” said McGowan, head coach of the Bears since 1997. “We graduated 10 seniors and one of our top returning players, senior Rashon Thorne, ended up missing the entire season.”
McGowan said that Thorne suffered an anterior cruciate ligament or ACL injury to his knee in June.
“It was a complete tear, so he was done for the season,” McGowan said.
Thorne, David Brearley’s center forward, scored the game-tying goal on a header in David Brearley’s North 2, Group 1 sectional final win at North Arlington High School last year and played a key part in David Brearley’s lone goal during its 1-0 win at North 1, Group 1 champ Mountain Lakes High School in last year’s Group 1 semifinals.
This year, Thorne is just as valuable to his team, despite not being able to play. He helps his teammates warm up and is also at midfield before every game, involved in the coin toss.
“He’s a remarkable kid,” McGowan said. “His spirit is huge. He’s a great teammate.
“To be able to do what he does, knowing he can’t play, shows what kind of character he has.”
Thorne was not in the lineup Friday, Nov. 15, when David Brearley was playing in a third straight sectional final, but, as always, his presence was felt and he gave his team a lift.
Goals scored in the second half by senior midfielder Evan Skaff and later by junior center midfielder Luiggi Cedeno and a shutout posted by senior goalkeeper Gabriel Jorge propelled ninth-seeded David Brearley to a 2-0 triumph at third-seeded Middlesex High School in the Central Jersey, Group 1 sectional state championship game played at higher-seeded Middlesex on Friday, Nov. 15.
David Brearley captured Central Jersey, Group 1 for the first time, repeated as a sectional state champion for the first time with McGowan and it was the fifth sectional title McGowan led David Brearley to in his 28th season at the helm of the Bears.
“It was a smaller field, so there was a lot more contact and tackles,” McGowan said.
David Brearley won all four sectional games on the road, outscoring the opposition 10-1. The Bears won at top-seeded Shore Regional High School, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. David Brearley fell to Shore Regional, 1-0, in overtime in last year’s Group 1 state championship game at Franklin High School.
David Brearley won its seventh straight match to improve to 11-5-1 and was to next face South Jersey, Group 1 champion Haddon Township High School in the Tuesday, Nov. 19, Group 1 semifinal at Haddon Township. Winners from the sections North 2 and South Jersey got to host the boys soccer group semifinals this season.
Haddon Township was 15-6-2 and had won four straight, including the 3-2 win at Palmyra High School on Friday, Nov. 15, in the South Jersey, Group 1 final.
The other Group 1 semifinal on Tuesday, Nov. 19, was North 1, Group 1 champion Waldwick High School (19-5-1) at North 2, Group 1 champ Glen Ridge High School (15-6-1) at 4 p.m.
Glen Ridge defeated David Brearley in kicks from the penalty mark in the 2022 North 2, Group 1 final.
The Group 1 final is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m., at Franklin.
Middlesex concluded its 2024 campaign at 13-9-1.
Group 1 Semifinals
Tuesday, Nov. 19
At Glen Ridge: North 1 champ Waldwick vs. North 2 champ Glen Ridge
At Haddon Township: Central Jersey champ David Brearley vs. South Jersey champ Haddon Township
Group 1 Final
Sunday, Nov. 24
At Franklin: Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.
McGowan described both David Brearley goals against Middlesex to be very similar. For Skaff, it was his first of the year and, for Cedeno, his team-leading 11th.
“Evan battled and hit a shot with his right foot from 20 yards out that reached the corner of the net,” McGowan said. “For Luiggi, it was pretty much the same. He took control after moving through the middle of the field and with his left foot pushed it right in.”
Jorge, who McGowan described as very active in taking control of the ball several times inside the box, saved a penalty kick less than five minutes from the end to preserve David Brearley’s 2-0 advantage and prevent Middlesex from gaining any late-game steam.
“Jorge was ridiculous in goal,” McGowan said. “This was one of the best games he’s ever played. Because it was a short field, it seemed like he was always up to the top of the 18-yard line.
“He did a masterful job of scooping up the ball. On the penalty kick, he dove left and made the save that put the game away.”
Senior forward David Lopes, playing less than 100 percent because of a knee injury he sustained in the first game of the season, tweaked his knee again, according to McGowan.
“He suffered a minor ACL tear when he twisted his knee,” McGowan said. “He’s come back to play with a brace and has really given us a great effort. We hope to have him available for the Haddon Township game.”
David Brearley was 4-5-1 after losing at Rahway High School, 5-0, in a first-round Union County Tournament match on Thursday, Oct. 10. Rahway captured the North 2, Group 3 title for the first time since 2019.
Other losses were to bigger schools, including setbacks to Summit, Abraham Clark, Cranford and Arthur L. Johnson high schools.
“It took a while for us to get going,” McGowan said. “We were asking some of our kids to play different roles.
“Playing those bigger schools gave us a lot of experience and helped shape us.”
David Brearley finished tied for second with Jonathan Dayton High School at 4-1-1, behind 5-1 champion Roselle Park High School in the Union County Conference’s Valley Division standings.
“You want balance with your schedule,” McGowan said. “That’s why we schedule the bigger schools, to help prepare us for what comes at season’s end.”
David Brearley Bears lineup vs. Middlesex
Goalkeeper: 00-Gabriel Jorge, senior
Defense: 2-Cristiano Pacheco, senior
16-Aaron Toloza, junior
8-Gabriel Ortega, senior
7-Andre Santos, senior
Midfield: 9-Luiggi Cedeno, junior
13-Evan Skaff, senior
5-Lucas Santos-Silva, junior
Forwards: 11-Guilherme Santos-Silva, junior
10-David Lopes, senior
20-Logan Pires, junior
2024 Central Jersey, Group 1
Boys Soccer
Seeds: 1-Shore Regional. 2-Florence Township Memorial. 3-Middlesex. 4-Roselle Park. 5-College Achieve Central. 6-Manville. 7-Bound Brook. 8-Piscataway Magnet. 9-David Brearley. 10-Highland Park. 11-Point Pleasant Beach. 12-Delaware Valley. 13-Thrive Charter. 14-Metuchen. 15-South Hunterdon Regional. 16-South Amboy.
First Round
Tuesday, Nov. 5
Shore Regional 6, South Amboy 0 – at Shore Regional
David Brearley 3, Piscataway Magnet 0 – at Piscataway Magnet
College Achieve Central 5, Delaware Valley 3 – at College Achieve Central
Roselle Park 2, Thrive Academy 1 – at Roselle Park
Middlesex 3, Metuchen 0 – at Middlesex
Manville 4, Point Pleasant Beach 2 – at Manville
Bound Brook 3, Highland Park 0 – at Bound Brook
Florence Township Memorial 4, South Hunterdon Regional 1 – at Florence Township Memorial
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 8
David Brearley 3, Shore Regional 1 – at Shore Regional
Roselle Park 3, College Achieve Central 1 – at Roselle Park
Middlesex 2, Manville 1 – at Middlesex
Bound Brook 4, Florence Township Memorial 3 – at Florence Township Memorial
Semifinals
Tuesday, Nov. 12
David Brearley 2, Roselle Park 0 – at Roselle Park
Middlesex 2, Bound Brook 1 – at Middlesex
Final
Friday, Nov. 15
David Brearley 2, Middlesex 0 – at Middlesex
Photo Courtesy of Vinny McGowan