By AJ Rodriguez ’23 (Journalism) September 29, 2022
RAMSEY, N.J. — The Don Bosco Prep JV soccer team has so far garnered themselves an impressive undefeated start to the season. The team looks to extend this good run, and have their eyes set on their double header at the end of this week. With head coach Kieran Walsh at the helm, the team has a good chance to go all the way and end the season by becoming the Bergen County Champions.
Photo courtesy of Marco Morla (’25) @Marco.Morla via Instagram
Currently, the JV team remains undefeated and looks to continue their streak. The team started the season with a tough and hard fought 2-2 draw with Bergen Catholic, but the potential to succeed was always present in this squad. After this difficult first game, the Ironmen began their rampage on the rest of the league. They won their next 7 games in convincing fashion, starting with a 5-0 victory against St. Joseph Regional, followed by two 3-0 wins over John F. Kennedy High School and Fairlawn High School. They continued this run by defeating Paramus Catholic, 7-0, and DePaul Catholic, 8-0. The team finally conceded, allowing Wayne Hills High School to score two goals early in the game, but still came back to win 5-2. They returned to their dominance in a 8-0 win over Rutgers Prep.
“So far I think the season has gone great. All of the boys have been putting in a great amount of effort and I think all of us are doing solid as a whole. We have been winning games, train(ing) hard, and competing all the time.”
CAptain Ryan Ypelaar (’24)
The team has a difficult double header against Bergan Catholic and Delbarton this weekend, September 30-October 1. The Ironmen are looking to reconcile the 2-2 draw against Bergen Catholic earlier in the season. The next day, they face Delbarton for the first time this season. The boys look to come out of this weekend with another two victories, and to keep their undefeated streak alive.
The JV squad has a long list of young and talented players that have been pivotal to the team’s success. Top goal scorer Matt Skinner (‘25) with 9 goals has been prolific for the team, and top assister Greg Celariste (‘25) with 16 assists has been dishing out goals to his teammates this whole season. The center back duo of Tom Gehrig (‘24) and Sonny Nagle (‘25) have been fantastic, only conceding 4 goals this entire season. The center midfield pairing of Ryan Ypelaar (‘24) and Gianni Mazza (‘24) have controlled games and set the tone for the entire team.
Don Bosco Prep JV soccer is an extremely exciting and fun team to watch. Hopefully these boys can end the season as the Bergen County Champions.
UPDATE 10/2: The Don Bosco Prep JV soccer team came away from the tough weekend with a win against Bergen Catholic, 2-0, and their first loss of the season to Delbarton, 1-2. The Ironmen fought hard against the Crusaders scoring two goals in the second half, one by Brandon Alvarez (’25) and the other by Greg Celariste, tying Matt Skinner as top goal scorer. The very next day the Ironmen took on the Green Wave; Sonny Nagle scored early to give Bosco the lead, but Delbarton would respond by scoring two goals in the second half.
Although the loss was tough, the team still remained positive even in defeat. Captain Ryan Ypelaar said in regards to the season, “My personal highlight as a team is being 8-1-1 so far in the season. This is a great record and the whole entire team contributed for us to achieve that record so far.” The team should be proud for going undefeated for so long, and having their current record. The team looks ahead to the rest of the season as the County Tournament gets closer.