GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The top-seeded Glen Ridge High School boys soccer team defeated No. 11 seed Verona, 2-0, to capture the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state tournament on Friday, Nov. 15, at Watsessing Park in Bloomfield.
The Ridgers won their third North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state title since head coach Brian Ianni took over the helm in 2020.
The Ridgers broke a scoreless tie in the second half on senior Ryan Mansfield’s goal. Senior Cole Moshos scored the second goal off an assist from sophomore Max Fleischer. Junior goalie Liam Feder made four saves for the shutout.
Glen Ridge improved to 15-6-1 on the season. The Ridgers were scheduled to host Section 1 champion Waldwick in the NJSIAA’s Group 1 state semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 19, after press time. The other semifinal pits Central Jersey champion Brearley (Kenilorth) against South Jersey champion Palmyra and Haddon Township.
The NJSIAA’s Group 1 state final will take place Sunday, Nov. 24, at Franklin HS in Somerset.
Glen Ridge lost to Waldwick, 6-0, in the Group 1 state semifinals in 2022.
Ianni was a GRHS girls soccer assistant coach for several years before taking over as the GRHS boys soccer head coach. In his first year at the helm, Ianni guided the Ridgers to the NJSIAA’s North East A, Group 1-A sectional title to cap the COVID-affected season for their second straight sectional title. The following year, they were North 2, Group 1 sectional tournament runner-up.
In 2019, the Ridgers won both the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 title and their only Group 1 state title in program history. The 2019 team was under Austin Alvarado, who was the head coach for one season after taking over for longtime head coach Steve Reitberger, who retired.
For Ianni and the program, it’s been a tough two years. Ianni’s mother, Patricia, died in early October after a lengthy illness. Two other players died 55 days apart. Max Renteria, a 2022 graduate, died in November 2022 at age 19. Nathan Latifi, 16, died in a single-car accident in January 2023 while he was a junior at GRHS.
The Ridgers have won six sectional titles. They won their first two in 2010 and 2011.
Ianni was elated for his team for winning the sectional championship.
“Very proud of the boys,” Ianni said.”In my five years here, we have now made the sectional finals four times and have won three of them. The focus, the grit and the determination of this group has been world class. We were bounced last year from the tournament in the first round to Weehawken. We were a good team last year, but we were young and inexperienced with a team made up of largely sophomores. That experience and our difficult schedule has really assisted this group and propelled them to the sectional title. The addition of seniors Lucas Rao, Ryan Mansfield and sophomores Ryan Law, Liam Silva and Nate Hutton to this year’s varsity team, with returning nine starters and another five experienced players, is paying dividends.”
Ianni commended his team’s perseverance.
“We had an extremely strong sectional this year that looked very different from year’s past,” Ianni said. “Wallington moved from North 1 to North 2 and Group 2 New Providence and Hanover Park came down to Group 1 and you still have very talented and hardworking teams in North Arlington, Weehawken and Verona. We knew the road was going to be difficult, but we embrace the challenges. This specific group of juniors and seniors have faced more adversity than most teams and that has helped the team remain poised throughout the season.
“We have gotten tremendous play in all phases of the game and it truly has been and continues to be a full team effort,” Ianni continued. “Verona is a great side and extremely well-coached. They were very disciplined in their game plan and made it difficult for us. We knew we would have to score a scrappy goal in order for the game to open up and we were able to do that to start the second half which ultimately opened up the game for us to play more of our style of play.”
Ianni praised the leaders of his team.
“We have been led all year by our captains – Nate Kastenmeier, Cole Moshos, Chris Cabrera, Dylan Arnett and Cam Atkinson (hurt all year with torn ACL). We have also been led by the play of Max Fleisher in the middle and Alex Stolte and Ryan Law at the center back positions. We rotate our central midfield a lot with highly technical players in Liam Silva, Alex Hinkis and Gabe Hertz. We are also able to rotate strikers up top with Rob Runnions, Ryan Bressler, and Charlie Jordan. This has allowed us to remain fresh and fast throughout the season.”
Said Arnett: “We’ve had lots of ups, but also downs, here and there. Those downs are what have helped us grow into the team we are presently, and helped keep us locked in and win sectionals. At the beginning of the season, we knew we had what it took to win the section, and we proved ourselves right. However, everyone has the mindset that we aren’t done, and we all have our eyes on the state plaque.”
Glen Ridge HS boys soccer team wins sectional championship added by Joe Ragozzino on
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