Soccer teams win openers

The Kittatinny Regional High School girls and boys soccer teams won their opening matches Sept. 4.

The girls team defeated Hackettstown, 4-0, while the boys side topped Sussex Tech, 3-0.

Boys soccer

The boys team also beat North Warren, 2-0, on Sept. 10 but posted losses to Wallkill Valley, 2-0, on Sept. 6 and to High Point, 3-2, on Thursday, Sept. 12.

The Cougars were scheduled to host Lenape Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 17, then Hopatcong at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23.

Head coach Dan Carbone said the team aims to “challenge for a league title and have a home states game.”

Key returning players include seniors Quinn Wydner (center defensive midfielder), Dominic Vespucci (center defensive midfielder), Nate Kraft (forward), Emmanuel Diaz (forward), Colin McCaughey (forward), Alex Yanaga (center attacking midfielder) and Luke Coniglione (right back); juniors Zach Yardley (center back) and Max Krupnick (right back); and sophomore Justin Bradley (center back).

Promising newcomers are senior Joseph Ginsberg (goal keeper); juniors Josh Asencio (left back), Ethan Dilluvio (forward) and Gabe Davis (forward); and sophomores Austin Bosworth (forward), Tyler Coombs (center midfielder), Aiden Parada (left back) and Michael Witowski (goal keeper).

“Captains Quinn Wydner, Dominic Vespucci, Zach Yardley and Nate Kraft are dedicated, hard-working and responsible,’’ Carbone said.

The Cougars posted an overall record of 7-8-2 last year with a mark of 7-3 in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Colonial Division. They lost to Hasbrouck Heights, 4-2, in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 tournament.

Kittatinny plays in the Colonial Division again this year with Wallkill Valley, Lenape Valley, Sussex Tech, North Warren and Hopatcong.

Carbone said the team is a contender in the division.

Girls soccer

The girls team also defeated Newton, 1-0, on Sept. 7 and High Point, 4-0, on Sept. 12. It lost to Vernon, 1-0, on Sept. 10.

The Cougars were scheduled to play at Lenape Valley on Sept. 17 before hosting Sparta at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.

Among the key returning players are seniors Lola Brand (midfielder), Brooke Ginsberg (goal keeper), Taylor Hough (forward), Abigail Marra (midfielder), Sienna Templeton (forward) and Holly Sajdak (midfielder) and juniors Reese Redden (midfielder), Katie Sajdak (full back), Grace Nelson (midfielder), Erica Bode (full back) and Kendra Deckert (forward).

Promising newcomers include senior Abby DeFalco (full back), junior Ella Teta (full back), and freshmen Ceallaigh Fearon (midfielder) and Eleanor Deckert (midfielder).

The Cougars posted an overall record of 10-7-2 last year and were 4-5-1 in the NJAC Freedom Division. They advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 tournament where they lost, 2-1, to Waldwick. Kittatinny toppled Emerson Boro, 5-0, in the first round.

The team remains in the Freedom Division along with Vernon, Lenape Valley, Jefferson, Newton and Hackettstown.