WEST ORANGE, NJ – The West Orange High School varsity boys’ soccer team, which finished another successful season under head coach Doug Nevins, featured five players who earned All-Super Essex Conference-American Division honors.
Senior Maurice Williams made First Team; senior Brent Llewellyn and senior goalkeeper Paul Schuler made Second Team; and seniors Josh Figueroa and Kenneth Vazquiz made Honorable Mention.
The Mountaineers finished with an impressive 12-5-4 record.
Nevins praised those aforementioned players.
“Maurice Williams was a beast all year for us at center back,” said Nevins. “He scored six goals, even though we was a defender and helped the team post 12 shutouts. He is being recruited by a number of D1 schools, including Iona, Manhattan, Hartford and St Peters. He is fast, strong, very skilled for a defender and dominant in the air. He also strikes an accurate long ball up to about 60 yards.
“Brent Llewellyn was great at attacking center mid. He had seven goals and six assists and was our most dangerous player all year. He is very skilled, smart and smooth on the ball. He can create for himself or for others off the dribble. He is being recruited by very good D3 as well as D1 schools as well.
“Paulie Schuler was a two-year starter in goal. He helped the team to 12 shutouts this year. He is very quick, very athletic and reads the game really well. He does a great job on crosses and through balls and has great feet when the ball is passed back to him. He is looking at some D1 and very good D3 schools.
“Josh and Kenneth were rocks for us at holding mid. They helped our team be so strong defensively. They also helped us transition into the attack. They are both really skilled and really smart players. Both look to be good D3 players in college.”
The Mountaineers advanced to the semifinals of both the Essex County Tournament and NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 state tournament, losing to top-seeded and eventual champion Seton Hall Prep, 3-0, and to third-seeded Montclair, 3-0, respectively.
In the section tournament, the seventh-seeded Mountaineers defeated No. 2 seed Morris Knolls, 1-0, in overtime in the quarterfinals on Williams’ goal.
Indeed, Nevins was proud of his team this season.
“The team had a very good year,” said Nevins, whose team was seeded fourth in the ECT. “Making the semis of the ECT and the North I, Group 4 playoffs is excellent. We were ranked in the top 20 by NJ.com for most of the season and finished No. 23. We are thankful to all of the seniors and look forward to next year.”
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