WHAT A KNIGHT
WW-PN’s Alex Quezada is our CVC Player of the Year
Colonial Valley Conference boys soccer teams may not have gone as deep as they would have liked into the state tournament this fall, but they did not lack in competitive play and aggressive defense throughout the season.
The style made for an interesting return to the league’s twodivision format, re-instituted prior to the season. West Windsor-Plainsboro North came away with top honors in the Colonial Division, going unbeaten 11-0-2 in league play and 14-3-2 overall.
Steinert and Hopewell Valley chased the Valley Division crown to the final day with the Spartans defeating the Bulldogs, 1-0, Oct. 26 to grab the title from the three-time defending champs of the now-defunct Patriot Division.
Here is a look at some of the top players to come out of the CVC in 2018:
BRENDAN KERINS WW-P NORTH
The senior goalkeeper was like a stone wall at the back of the Northern Knights’ defense. The 10 shutouts he posted tied WW-P North for the league and area lead with Allentown’s tandem of Sam Parker and Ben Kokot.
MARIO PALACIOS TRENTON
This senior back was valuable wherever he was put on the field by head coach Joe Fink. Besides leading the Tornadoes’ defensive front, Palacios pushed into the attack to supply three goals and a team-leading five assists.
BEN MORREALE HOPEWELL VALLEY
This senior back, along with classmate Pat Mormile, helped keep the Bulldogs in games all season long with stingy defensive play. Morreale helped head coach Ed Gola’s team rally from an 0-3-1 start to challenge for the CVC Valley Division title, going on to finish 10-10-2.
CHAD NELSON NOTRE DAME
This senior back controlled his area as well as anyone in the league. Nelson’s steady defensive effort helped head coach Rich Leedom’s squad challenge for the Colonial Division crown and finish 13-6, posting double-digit wins for the first time since 2015. EVAN ROBINSON
WW-P NORTH
This senior back spearheaded the Northern Knights’ strong defensive performance all season, limiting opponents to 14 goals in 19 games. Robinson also contributed a goal and an assist.
LUKE TARTAGLIA HOPEWELL VALLEY
This senior midfielder was often the engine driving the Bulldogs. Tartaglia’s eight goals led his team, and his six assists were a close second behind classmate Eric Goldberg.
MARK CHIRIAC
WW-P NORTH
This junior midfielder displayed a discipline beyond his years in the middle of the Northern Knights’ attack. With plenty of talented players around him, Chiriac still finished second on the team with seven goals and four assists.
LEOR HECHT
WW-P SOUTH
This senior midfielder returned to his high school team this season, after a year of academy ball, and used his talents to help the Pirates go 13-6-1. Hecht had three goals and a team-high six assists as he weaved through defenses to keep head coach Bryan Fisher’s team moving forward.
ALEX QUEZADA
WW-P NORTH
This senior midfielder’s play lifted him and WW-P North above the rest. Quezada had a league-best 11 assists and scored twice to attract enough attention to earn him Trentonian CVC Player of the Year honors. GEORGE FOTIOU ROBBINSVILLE
This senior midfielder was the lifeblood for the Ravens. Fotiou was needed to be more offensive for head coach Jeff Fisher’s team again this season, and led the way with nine goals, while tying for the lead in assists (seven) with sophomore Skyler Frostrom. MAX DIPIERRO STEINERT
This senior forward numbers may not have jumped off the page like some others, but his contributions were a big reason as to why the Spartans’ offense was much improved this season. DiPierro did a lot of the hard work to set up four goals and score four more.
RYAN GRUND
WW-P SOUTH
This senior forward helped the Pirates turn a 3-2 start into a 10-4-1 finish with his impressive play. Grund scored eight goals and provided two assists to finish second on WW-P South with 18 points.
JUSTIN BRUNOW STEINERT
This junior forward’s talents up top made him one of the Spartans’ most marked players. Brunow scored a team-leading seven goals and tied sophomore Romario Azer for the team lead with five assists.
DANIEL TOBITO HIGHTSTOWN
This senior forward had a nose for the goal throughout his Rams’ career, but turned in his most productive season in 2018. Tobito scored 11 goals to stay in the hunt for the CVC scoring title, and contributed three assists to tie for the league lead in points with 25.
ELIJAH MOORE MCGUINNESS WW-P SOUTH
This senior striker followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Ramesses, who led the CVC in scoring in 2017. Elijah did the same this year by connecting on 12 goals and 25 points.
TREVOR WARNER
WW-P NORTH
In his 19th year as the Northern Knights’ head coach, Warner made the right moves to help his team have its winningest season since 2010. WW-P North’s 14-3-2 record was a league best this fall and earned Warner recognition as one of The Trentonian’s CVC Coaches of the Year.
ANTHONY TESSEIN STEINERT
In his third year as the Spartans’ head coach, Tessein had his most successful season yet. Steinert’s 13-6 record was its first winning record since 2015 to gain Tessein recognition as one of The Trentonian’s CVC Coaches of the Year.