Photos by Steve Ellmore: Nutley (maroon uniforms) vs. Glen Ridge (white uniforms), Sept. 11.
NUTLEY, NJ – Under new head coach Tom Tolve, the Nutley High School boys’ varsity soccer team hopes to pick things up as the season progresses.
The Raiders had a 2-6 record through Sept. 25, with wins over Bloomfield and rival Belleville, and losses to Glen Ridge, Millburn, Columbia, Newark Academy, West Orange and Verona.
The win over Belleville particularly was impressive. Trailing 1-0, the Raiders scored four unanswered goals to beat Belleville, 4-1, Sept. 15, at Father Glotzback field.
Freshman Nick Kirby scored his first goal as a Raider, and senior captain Matt Scorsone found the back of the net in the first half to put the Raiders up 2-1.
The second half was dominated by the Raiders. Sophomore JP Maruri scored his first goal of the season, and junior captain Austin Sweeney followed with a goal to put the Raiders up 4-1. Garrett Groeling, a junior, was an important piece on offense, providing two assists in the game. Junior goalkeeper Brandon Syto finished with four saves. That improved the Raiders’ record to 2-2.
The next day, the Raiders lost to Columbia, 3-2. Sweeney and senior Danny Caraballo each had a goal, and senior captain Ilya Udalov had an assist for NHS.
The Raiders started the season with 1-0 win over Bloomfield on Sept. 7 at Glotzbach Field in a Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division game. Sweeney scored the goal.
NHS dropped its next two games, falling to Glen Ridge, 3-1, Sept. 11, in a division game and Millburn, 2-0, Sept. 13, in a non-division contest, both on the road.
Tolve, a former NHS boys’ soccer player who was an assistant coach for the team last year, is thrilled at becoming the new coach, succeeding longtime head coach and mentor Marcellino Marra, who is now the athletic director at Belleville HS.
“Becoming the coach for the Nutley soccer team is an honor, and something I have dreamed of doing for a long time, starting when I was a player for this team,” Tolve said. “When I had the opportunity to return to Nutley last year as the assistant coach, I was eager and ready to help grow this program. Now that I am the head coach, I can’t even begin to explain how excited and ready I am to take this program to the next level.
“The program is built on teaching these young adults the game of soccer, as well as life skills they can take with them and use going forward in their lives,” continued Tolve. “I am happy to be here, and can’t even begin to express how proud I am of all the guys in this program. The dedication, work ethic, and discipline I have observed from the players is great, and just shows how far we have come as a program.”
Make no mistake, the Raiders want to make some noise this season, including winning the SEC-Liberty Division. They also are looking to qualify for the state tournament and make a deep run.
“We are in a very competitive conference, but I am confident if we stay focused, disciplined, and play hard every game, that we will do very well in the conference,” Tolve said. “Getting to the state tournament is another goal of ours. The state tournament is a different story, records don’t matter there. The best team will advance, so we need to be ready for any team we face. I constantly tell the team that we need to take it one game at a time. We have to win one, before we can win two. We have a game plan for each game, and every team we face.”
Soccer has always been an important part of Tolve’s life. He grew up playing for teams like Ironbound SC and Pasco Stallions in competitive leagues and tournaments. In high school, Tolve was a three-year varsity player for Coach Marra, whom he considers a mentor. Tolve continued his career at Drew University as a three-year starter and all-Landmark Conference selection.
Nutley HS boys soccer team competing hard added by Joe Ragozzino on
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