North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
Girls Soccer Player of the Year and other postseason honors
Player of the Year: Ava Gonzalez-Eusevi, Cresskill
Gonzalez-Eusevi was one of the most prolific goal scorers in all of New Jersey.
The Cresskill senior finished second in the state in goals with 44, just two behind Mother Seton’s Ava Barber for the top mark. It has been quite an evolution for Gonzalez-Eusevi throughout her career. She only scored seven goals in her first two seasons before reaching 21 as a junior.
In 15 of Cresskill’s 21 games, Gonzalez-Eusevi recorded at least one goal. She started out the season with a bang with six goals in a 9-0 win over Secaucus. That was one of only nine six-goal performances in the state this season.
Gonzalez-Eusevi recorded 10 games with a hat trick and five games with at least four goals. Her biggest goal of the season was the game-winner in the second half of a 2-1 win over Hasbrouck Heights in the semifinals of the Bergen County Invitational. Cresskill went on to defeat Indian Hills in penalty kicks in the final round.
Cresskill finished 18-3 overall, 9-1 inside the NJIC Liberty Division and outscored its opponents 98-12.
Team of the Year: Saddle River Day
Saddle River Day continued its run of recent success under head coach P.J. Petrow.
The program finished the season 13-3-1 and has not lost more than four games in a season in the past three years. The Rebels won the NJIC Colonial Division with a 9-1 record to edge out 8-2 Glen Rock.
Saddle River Day posted an impressive four goals against a stout Glen Rock defense in a 4-1 win on Sept. 10. The Rebels completed the sweep with a 2-0 triumph on Oct. 7. A 5-3 win over Waldwick on opening day was also an impressive victory. Waldwick was another top team in the NJIC that ended up earning the top seed in the North 1, Group 1 Tournament.
Balanced scoring and a strong defense were the catalysts for Saddle River Day as the Rebels did not have a double-digit goal scorer on the roster and only allowed 16 goals all season.
Senior Dominique Desert and sophomore Grace Darling led Saddle River Day with nine goals each. Emma Lopez recorded seven goals and nine assists as the orchestrator in the midfield. Natalie Lombardi also had a solid year with eight goals and five assists. Senior goalie Jillian Gomez was named to the All-Colonial Division First Team.
Saddle River Day reached the semifinals of the North Jersey, Non-Public B Tournament before falling to DePaul.
Coach of the Year: Jeff Yearing, Midland Park
It was a storybook season for Midland Park and head coach Jeff Yearing. Always facing challenges as the smallest public school in the state, Midland Park managed to finish 21-3 and reach the North 1, Group 1 final round.
Midland Park had not recorded a winning record since winning a sectional title in 2018. The Panthers did not have more than seven wins in any of those years and even suffered through a 1-17-1 season in 2022.
This season was a completely different story. Midland Park dominated NJIC American Division play with a 12-0 record. In the state tournament, the Panthers proved that was no fluke.
They defeated Kittatinny, 3-0, in the first round before tough one-goal victories over two Big North teams — Indian Hills and Pascack Hills. The run ended one game short of lifting the trophy following a 4-0 loss to Pequannock.
This team was an offensive juggernaut in league play and accounted for 104 goals over the course of the season. Sophomore Eva Hagan (28 goals, 20 assists), senior Samantha Weston (20 goals, 17 assists) and junior Riley Clark (16 goals, seven assists) all posted huge seasons.
Other Notable Storylines
–Waldwick had a strong season with a 15-6 record, including 9-1 inside the NJIC Meadowlands to earn the division title. It was a true three-team race for most of the year with North Arlington and Lyndhurst also in the mix. The Warriors earned revenge for an early 3-2 loss to North Arlington with a big 3-1 win on Oct. 21. Two one-goal wins over Lyndhurst helped secure the crown. Waldwick earned the top seed in North 1, Group 1. Two blowout wins over New Milford and Newton opened things up before a tough 1-0 loss to Pequannock in the semifinals. Senior Kyra Rahulatharan (24 goals, 15 assists), freshman Adalynn Incorvaia (18 goals, 16 assists) and senior goalie Carleigh Nocito (109 saves) were all standouts.
-After starting the season 5-6, Becton ended up finishing 14-8 overall and 9-1 inside the NJIC Patriot Division to earn the division title. The Wildcats won eight of their last nine games to conclude the regular season. A 1-0 win over Harrison on Oct. 23 sealed the deal. Sophomore Madisyn Muniz scored the lone goal in that game and was a star all season with 32 goals and 13 assists. Becton also won a state tournament game for the first time since 2019 with a 3-1 victory over Caldwell. It was an impressive win over a team that plays against strong competition in Essex County. Shania Healy scored twice in the victory.
– While Harrison has always enjoyed a top boys soccer program, it had been a long time since the girls enjoyed much success. That changed this season as Harrison recorded its first winning season since 2014 with a 14-4-1 record. This was a program that had only won either one or two games per season for five straight years from 2017 through 2022. The Blue Tide got off to an incredible 12-1 start this year. Junior Thalia Sosa was the catalyst with 22 goals and 11 assists followed by sophomore Genisis Vallejo with 16 goals and nine assists.
– Glen Rock has always consistently been one of the stronger programs in the NJIC and that did not change this fall. The Panthers finished with a 15-6 record and reached the sectional semifinals for the second straight year. Sydney Handler scored the game-winning goal for Glen Rock in a 2-1 overtime win over Westwood in the North 1, Group 2 quarterfinals. Glen Rock was an outstanding defensive team that recorded 12 shutouts this season led by senior goalie Annie Leonard.
NJIC Team Rankings
- 1-Saddle River Day (13-3-1)
- 2-Glen Rock (15-6)
- 3-Waldwick (15-6-1)
- 4-Midland Park (21-3)
- 5- Cresskill (18-3)
- 6-Hasbrouck Heights (14-8)
- 7-North Arlington (12-6-2)
- 8-Hawthorne (10-6-2)
- 9-Saddle Brook (11-10-1)
- 10-Becton (14-8)
