IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School boys soccer team is enjoying a busy summer as it gets ready for the season this fall.
The Blue Knights have been participating in a weekly 8-on-8 summer league at the Capelli Sports Complex in Tinton Falls in Monmouth County.
Irvington won one game in emphatic fashion and lost two games after the first three weeks. They defeated St. Rose 10-4, lost to Freehold Township 5-2 and fell to Central Regional 5-4. Last fall, St. Rose, located in Belmar, won the South Jersey, Non-Public B sectional title and Freehold Township won the Central Jersey, Group 4 sectional title.
Games are held on Mondays. The league runs until Monday, August 7.
To start the summer, the Blue Knights participated in a tournament held at West Essex Regional in North Caldwell where they went 2-0-1, defeating Belleville 2-0 and Dover 2-1 and playing West Essex to a scoreless draw.
One of the goals for the Blue Knights this summer is to find a goalie to replace graduated All-Stater Walter Tejada.
“We need a goalie,” second-year IHS head coach Jeff Bertoncin said. “We lost an all-state goalie from last year. We’re trying to figure out who can step up and fill that spot.”
The Blue Knights will also participate in a pre-season 11-on-11 tournament at Tinton Falls on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 12-13. They will play four games, two on each day.
This summer’s action has allowed Bertoncin to gauge what kind of team he will have when the season begins. Bertoncin is excited about the pool of international players in Irvington.
“The goal of the summer is to see what I have, see if I have any new players, any transfers,” he said. “We have a lot of kids from out of the country who live in Irvington, so every year I might get a ‘gift.’ This year, I got a ‘gift’ from Haiti, a very, very, very good player.”
The Blue Knights are looking to improve on last year’s 7-12-1 overall record and 3-8 in the Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division.
The summer is a time to “get them in shape – get used to playing with each other,” Bertoncin said. “Instead of just playing pickup ball at the park, play with a purpose and get the program going culturally in the right direction. Are we on time? Are we cleaning up after ourselves? Are we speaking to each other like grown men? Stuff like that.”
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