Story by Sean Farrell / NorthJersey.com
SOMERSET – Garfield has a new title, a whole lot of flags and a Polish Independence Day for the ages.
The Boilermakers won their first state title in eight years on Saturday after beating Robbinsville, 2-1, in the Group 3 final.
Andrej Tutureski and Krystian Nitek scored a goal apiece to lift Garfield past the defending champions.
The celebration after the game was as unique as the speed and creativity that has defined this Garfield offense. There was a flair of purple smoke from the Garfield faithful, then a lively chant from the Boilermakers themselves.
It was the culmination of a breakout season under new coach Piotr Sala.
“It’s amazing,” Sala said. “I don’t have any words to say how happy I am. I’m so proud of the boys because they did the work. They did hard work. They sacrificed and finally they get it.”
The stars seemed to align for Garfield on Saturday at Franklin High School.
The biggest game on the season fell on Independence Day in Poland – the ethnicity of Sala and about seven of his players. It was hard to miss the red and white banners during the trophy presentation, along with flags from Mexico, Hungary and Portugal among others.
Tutureski, who opened the scoring and saved a shot off the goal-line, was repping his native Macedonia. The junior centerback had never stepped foot in the United States before moving here about three months ago for education and economic reasons.
“The guys here are so good,” Tutureski said. “They helped me with football and with everything, with my language if there’s something I don’t know how to say. I’m so proud of my teammates.”
What it means
Garfield finished at 20-1 after capturing the second state title in program history. The Boilermakers ended the year with 13 straight wins.
Sala helped unleash an offense that scored more than anyone in North Jersey.
“He’s an amazing coach,” goalie Jakub Piszczatowski said. “His words are magic to us. I’ve never seen a coach like him.”
Inside the match
The championship played out much differently than the previous round when Garfield came from two goals down before advancing in overtime. This time, the Boilermakers went up 1-0 in the fifth minute when Tutureski headed in the rebound on an Eric Zawada corner.
Garfield kept the pressure on and could have pulled away if not for some fine work by Robbinsville goalie Brody Kaplan (10 saves). The Boilermakers were able to slip another shot past him in the 48th minute that turned out to be the difference. After hitting the post earlier in the game, Nitek redeemed himself with a well-struck shot from the left side.
Robbinsville did not go quietly into the night. Star forward Bora Tucker came down the right side on a breakaway in the 56th minute, but Piszczatowski turned him away with a sliding save.
“I felt confident to be honest,” the 6-foot-3 keeper said. “I just did what I did best.”
Turker got Robbinsville in striking distance on a penalty kick with 5:24 to go, but Garfield held on from there.
The joy was palpable after the game when a few of the Boilermakers scaled the bleachers to embrace their fans. Then the Boilermakers gathered to chant “Freed from Desire”, a popular pro soccer anthem albeit with some custom Garfield lyrics.
“We did it,” said Sala, who played in the third division in Poland before moving to the states after college.
“Great day for Garfield. We’re a small community and a small high school. The parents right now are very, very proud. It’s amazing stuff.”
