The Lyndhurst High School boys’ soccer team posted a 10-9-1 record last year.
“We could have won 13 or 14 times,” said fourth-year head coach Denis Jelcic. “We came out on fire and won nine of our first 10 games. We went to the (Bergen) County Tournament, lost to Fair Lawn, and then things just spiraled.”
The Golden Bears ended up losing to Fort Lee in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group II quarterfinals.
And then the program started to lose from there, especially on Graduation Day in June.
“We lost a lot of experience from last year’s team,” Jelcic said. “We lost of our height and lost a lot of our goal scorers.”
With that in mind, Jelcic is changing the Golden Bears’ approach this season.
“We’re going to focus more on possession,” Jelcic said. “We are going to play World Cup style soccer. We’re not going to play a lot of long balls. We have a young group and we have to correct our mistakes now.”
Despite the mass exodus to the Golden Bears’ roster due to pomp and circumstance, Jelcic feels that his team can be competitive in 2018.
“We have a lot of talent,” Jelcic said. “We have a lot of young talent. We have a lot of skilled players. It’s their turn to be rewarded if they can put it all together.”
Jelcic said that he has been “encouraged” by the way his team has performed in the offseason and preseason.
“I think they’re all committed to the style of play,” Jelcic said. “They’re committed to the task at hand. That’s the way I want to look at it. They all want to win more than they did last year. I think I’m seeing some new leadership so far. I made sure some of our captains are young, because we all need to learn.”
The Golden Bears have three goalkeepers that have seen action in the preseason in senior Derek Santi, junior Tyler Luizzi and sophomore Andrew Fernandez. Jelcic is still unsure as to which one of the three will emerge as his primary net minder.
“Andrew Fernandez is very mobile and agile for his size,” Jelcic said. “Luizzi played a little last year and tries very hard. Santi saw most of the action last year.”
The defensive line is filled with experienced players.
Senior Jeff Tellefsen was all set to be a solid defender last year, but was hurt early and missed most of the season.
Senior John Kulpanowski transferred to Lyndhurst from West Milford, where he was a starter.
“He’s improved everyone,” Jelcic said of Kulpanowski.
Sophomore Dylan Sousa and freshman Luis Yolianes round out the young group of defenders. Sousa came off the bench last season. There was another Luis Yolianes who played for Lyndhurst a few years ago. This one is a brother. Yes, they have the same name.
Junior Steven Cano and sophomore Bryan Cosman are the two outside midfielders. Cano was a bench player last year.
“He’s had an outstanding spring,” Jelcic said of Cano. “He comes to us from the Clifton Stallions program.”
Cosman had seven goals and 19 assists last year as a freshman.
“He will step it up this year,” Jelcic said. “It’s nice that we have that back.”
The center midfielder is sophomore Thomas Zurkowski, a transfer from Kearny.
“He’s been a great addition,” Jelcic said. “He’s smart. He’s skilled and he’s fearless. I like that about him.”
Jelcic liked Zurkowski’s play so much that he named him a captain, a rarity in high school sports to have a sophomore as a team captain.
The main forward is junior R.J. Alvarez, who has a strong leg and the propensity to find the net.
“He’s already putting in goals he didn’t last year,” Jelcic said. “He’s been our biggest surprise.”
Another key addition has been the return of sophomore Jayden Rosario, who missed all of last season after tearing both the ACL and MCL on his knee. Rosario can play either forward or center midfield.
“He’s coming along a little more each day,” Jelcic said.
Two Mustoli brothers, sophomore Eustace and freshman Enrique, will see considerable playing time once they get settled into the regular rotation.
The Golden Bears will open their 2018 season Sept. 6 against Butler. They just returned from a weekend’s stay down the Jersey Shore with the girls’ team, facing off in scrimmages against Mainland Regional and Ocean City.
“We made a lot of adjustments, but they’ve seemed to come through it well,” Jelcic said. “The kids have all stepped it up and filled in. They know what they have to do. They’re confident, but not cocky.”
CAPTION
The Lyndhurst High School boys’ soccer team will look to improve on last year’s 10-win campaign. Front row, from left, are Luis Yolianes, Jose Intriago, Matthew Martone, Dylan Sousa and John Kulpanowski. Back row, from left, are head coach Dennis Jelcic, Derek Santi, Tyler Luizzi, Andrew Fernandez and assistant coach Paige Montillo. Photo by Jim Hague
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.