NUTLEY, NJ – The Nutley High School boys’ varsity soccer team enjoyed a very successful season.
The Raiders, under head coach Tom Tolve, finished with a stellar 12-5-1 overall record, including finishing second in the Super Essex Conference-Colonial Division with a 6-1-1 division mark.
As a result, the Raiders will be moving up to the SEC-Liberty Division next season.
In the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 state tournament, the fifth-seeded Raiders lost a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime decision to 12th-seeded Matawan in the first round on Oct. 29 to end the season.
“We played a tough game against Matawan in the first round of states, and unfortunately lost in overtime,” said Tolve, who was a standout for the NHS Raiders, Class of 2011. “Although our season was cut short, we played some great soccer the majority of the season against some tough teams.”
The Raiders were led by senior Garrett Groeling, who had a team-high 18 goals and nine assists. JP Maruri, a junior, was second on the team in scoring with 14 goals, and also assisted on 10 goals. Sophomore Charlie Contini also was helpful on offense for the Raiders, scoring three goals and assisting on four for his first year on varsity, noted Tolve.
Despite losing a good group of seniors, the Raiders are optimistic for more success next season.
“We are losing 11 seniors, but we have a group of young players who are determined to have an even better season next year,” Tolve said.
Photos by Steve Ellmore
Nutley vs. Newark Tech
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