By: Sean Farrell – Record Sports
The new oasis can be found right off Route 208.
The soccer nomads can’t wait to use it.
Hawthorne Christian will finally have a place to call home on Thursday when it unveils a new turf field during a league match against Bogota. The state-of-the-art facility, estimated at a cost of $1.15 million, includes an electronic scoreboard in one corner and spotless goals on each end. The Defenders are eager to get started after giving up seven home games last year while grass was being ripped up.
“I definitely think our energy is going to be very high,” midfielder Carson Guingon said. “We’ve been playing great on it all preseason so I think our speed of play is definitely going to be there. I think we’re going to get the win.”
Hawthorne Christian’s success defies the odds. The Defenders have recorded seven winning seasons in a row, even while having one of the lowest enrollments in New Jersey. The co-ed school has about 145 students, including 32 in its boys soccer program. The modern amenities should only help, while also allowing the baseball team to move back from Wyckoff’s Memorial Field.
“Soccer has been successful and not always doing it on the best pitch,” said Tyler Van Dyk, coach and athletic director. “Now the practices are a little bit easier. The games will be more even because both teams will be on a good surface. We’re beyond blessed that it was able to get done.”
Last year, of course, wasn’t easy. When mid-season renovations began, Hawthorne Christian was left without a home. After an 8-1 start, the Defenders proceeded to go about .500 during their extended road trip. One county game was moved to a neutral site and two state matches became true road battles. But it hasn’t taken long for Hawthorne Christian to see the sacrifices pay off. On the first day of practice this fall, the playing conditions remained acceptable despite hours of rain.
“Our grass field had a bunch of divots,” forward Cole Foster said. “The ball bounced everywhere. Now that the field is flat and the ball goes faster than on grass, we’ll have to get used to that.”
Hawthorne Christian has some rebuilding to do since it graduated eight starters from a 14-win team. Senior Ben Maura is the player to watch after a 12-goal season and sophomore Chris Eelman, an agile 6-foot-6 keeper, takes over in net. Van Dyk expects to play more of a high-possession style and keep the ball on the ground because of the level surface at Defender Field.
“There’s talent and athleticism for sure,” Van Dyk said. “Now we need to see who are the guys who are going to step up when the ball doesn’t bounce your way. But it should bounce your way a lot more on this field.”
