GARFIELD – Sebastian Piwowarczyk remembers one game last year.


TYSON TRISH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sebastian Piwowarczyk (7) getting congratulated by teammates for a goal.



It wasn’t an on-field game. Instead, it was the one-game difference in the division standings that kept Garfield out of first place.


“We kind of regretted last year because we lost the division by one game,” Piwowarczyk said about he and fellow senior Lorenc Koreshi. “We talked about it all off-season.’’


And the two are making an effort not to let that happen again.


Piwowarczyk scored two goals and Koreshi added a goal and two assists Tuesday to power the Boilermakers to a 5-1 victory over rival Glen Rock.


Freshman Dave Herrera also scored the first two goals of his varsity career for Garfield (2-0), which is off to a sizzling start with nine goals against NJIC Colonial Division rivals Pompton Lakes and Glen Rock.


“It’s kind of what we expected knowing the firepower we had coming back,” Garfield coach Mark Pieklo said of the offensive explosion despite the graduation of high-scoring forward Brandon Pacheco. “Sebastian has four goals already, and Lorenc has three. Each has a few assists.”


The Boilermakers showed that firepower Tuesday, coming up with big goals to sap Glen Rock’s momentum at every turn.


The first came before the shouting had died down following the game-tying goal by Glen Rock’s Ethan Gazda with 10 minutes left in the first half. Piwowarczyk took a feed from Koreshi and put the ball into the lower corner to give the Boilermakers a 2-1 edge.


Herrera, who scored the first goal of the game for Garfield, then spoiled Glen Rock’s effort to regroup at the half by scoring off a Peter Boyer feed seven minutes into the second for a 3-1 lead.