Glen Ridge HS boys soccer team looks to wear down foes this season

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The Glen Ridge High School boys soccer team features solid depth this season, looking to build on last year’s 8-7-1 record.

The Ridgers will be led by five captains: seniors Cam Atkinson and Cole Moshos, and juniors Chris Cabrera, Nate Kastenmeier and Dylan Arnett.

Atkinson tore his anterior cruciate ligament in April, while playing  for the GRHS boys lacrosse team, said fifth-year head coach Brian Ianni.

The junior captains have been with the varsity since their freshman year.

The Ridgers also will be led by sophomore Max Fleischer, who started every game last season and led the team in goals and assists, and junior Gabe Hertz, who will be responsible for distributing the ball from the midfield, Ianni said.

The Ridgers possess experience and skill. The depth will also prove beneficial. “Our strength is our technical ability and our depth at every position,” said Ianni. “We are junior-heavy who all gained great experience last year and have the ability to have fresh legs throughout the season.

“For us, the key to winning will be remaining organized in our shape in all aspects of the game and outworking

and wearing down our opposition. As long as we can play unselfish soccer as one unit, we will be tough to beat.”

Other players are seniors Kyle Piano, Mason Giamo, Sayaan Kalra, Aaron Amici, Ellias Yahya, Ryan Mansfield and Connor Degnan; juniors Ryan Bressler, Alex Stolte, Alex Hinkis, Nico Frazier, Jacob Javier, Liam Federer, Jonathan Feldman and Tim Overholtzer; sophomores Liam Silva, Nate Hutton, Charles Jordan and Ryan Law; and freshman Robert Runnions.

Glen Ridge will visit Pascack Hills High School in the season opener on Friday, Sept. 6; visit Caldwell High School on Monday, Sept. 9, at 4 p.m. and host West Essex Regional High School on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Watsessing Park in Bloomfield at 4 p.m.

Notes – Ianni was a longtime assistant coach for the GRHS girls soccer team under current longtime head coach Oscar Viteri. Ianni became the head coach of the Ridgers in 2020, a year after the team won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Group 1 sectional and state titles to cap the season. 

In Ianni’s first year at the helm, during the pandemic-affected season, the Ridgers won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North East A, Group 1-A championship to cap the 10-4 campaign. 

In Iannni’s second year in 2021, the Ridgers reached the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 state tournament final, but lost to Cedar Grove, 2-1.

In 2022, the Ridgers won the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state tournament title, outlasting Brearley in the final on kicks from the penalty area, before losing to Waldwick in the Group 1 state final to finish 9-9-3. 

  Glen Ridge High School boys soccer