A season of ups and downs for the JP Stevens boys varsity soccer team saw them close out the season with an 8-9-2 overall record. The players maintained a growth mindset from game to game, learning from their mistakes and relying on their teammates for support. And for 14 seniors, it was their last rodeo as they said goodbye to the program, leaving behind a lasting impact for the next generation of players.

With back-to-back victories to start off the season, 4-1 against Bayonne and 3-0 against cross-town rivals Edison High, the Hawks got off to a fast start. But then came the heavy blows as they won only one game (6-0 vs Roselle Park) out of their next five. Captain senior Aditya Rawat encouraged his team to persevere despite recounting how many players were doubting themselves. However, Aditya and the two other captains, senior Adarsh Manna and senior Ajit Mallavarapu, motivated the players, refocusing their goals as they went on to win two of their next three games with outstanding performances from their defense and forwards junior Aleksey Sergeev and senior Kaston Chen. This was followed by a stretch of seven games where the results were split with a 3-3-1 record, including a stunning 6-2 dismantling of Timothy Christian on Senior Night.

Although the team was unable to advance as far as they hoped to in the GMC and State tournaments, the players learned a lot from each game and each other. Aleksey Sergeev noted that he picked up a lot of tactics and improved his overall game throughout the season with each progressing game. A similar sentiment was shared by full-back senior Dhruv Dodda, who appreciated the opportunity he was given by the coaching staff to grow both physically and mentally. Kaston reclaimed the Golden Boot, scoring 14 goals and beating out his previous year’s tally of 11.

The Hawks, with the current juniors and underclassmen already preparing for the next season, hope to build off of the successes of this season, while the seniors hope to continue pursuing the game they love in college.