It’s been a season to remember for the Bernards boys’ soccer team. From the beginning to the end of the regular season, the Mountaineers not only won but dominated, finishing undefeated. They finished the season as the only public school in New Jersey with an undefeated regular-season record.
From the beginning, captains Jaykob Marquez ‘26, Tim Koke ‘26, and Samuel Rios ‘26, along with the five other seniors, set the standard for an incredible season.
There were lots of doubts on how this team would perform from the start when alumni watched a practice and said they didn’t think they had what it takes to be a good team. So, from the beginning, there was a chip on everybody’s shoulder to prove everyone wrong, because they knew they had the talent.
Right away, they started with a dominant 4-1 win against Voorhees. This was a big win since Voorhees knocked them out of the state last season in a thrilling 1-0 game.
After that win, they never looked back and finished their regular season 13-0 with multiple statement games, including the 7-0 victory over Somerville and the 5-0 shutout of North Hunterdon.
The high-powered offense, led by Tim Koke ‘26 and Jaykob Marquez ‘26, netted 57 goals throughout the season. Tim paced the team with 17 goals and assisted on 12, while Jaykob had nine goals and assisted on 15. Senior Victor Panasik tallied six goals, playing an essential role as the striker, and Junior Joseph Isasi tallied eight goals and five assists.
Gabriel Marin may not be the flashiest player, but he was a key part of the midfield’s success, scoring five goals and assisting seven others. Senior Samuel Rios was the anchor of this team’s defense, recording 119 saves with help from backs Jason Gimenez and David Chica, as well as his centerbacks, Jeremiah Walsh and Owen Sebastian.
This team had a lot of momentum going into the counties and was the 2nd seed. They opened the tournament with a dominant 3-0 win over Manville.
The next game was against the neighboring town rival, Ridge, and with lots of anticipation, Bernards ended up putting a beating on them and winning 3-0 with goals from Tim Koke ‘26, Noah Britez ‘29, and Joseph Isasi ‘27, as well as a dominant performance in net by Samuel Rios ‘27, who recorded 15 saves.
After the home victory over Ridge, head coach Joe LaSpada said, “We’re home, and we don’t lose at home.
Bernards was now 15-0 and had to face a very worthy opponent in Pingry, who had given Bernards problems in the past, and after a hard-fought 80 minutes, Pingry got the best of Bernards again and won 3-0.
The score may not reflect a hard-fought game, but everyone on the field for Bernards gave it their all, and they knew they had to look past that loss and go on to the states. The boys started their state run against Parsippany Hills with a shutout 3-0. Then they moved on to Hackettstown, won a thrilling PK shootout, and moved on. Finally, in the semi-finals, the boys take on Madison and suffer a devastating 0-2 loss.
Reflecting on the season, coach LaSpada shared, “This team is way too good to not win something.”
Bernards had a season to remember in boys soccer despite the sour finish.
