Spartans win division

The Sparta High School boys soccer team won its division and finished with an overall record of 12-4-2 this fall.

Several moments stand out for head coach Tim Connors.

“I don’t think there’s one particular game that stands out more than the others,’’ he said. “But if I had to pick a portion of the season that stood out the most, it would be the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament.

“After receiving buys in the first two rounds, we ended up in three consecutive overtime games: winning one penalty kicks, one golden goal and then taking the No. 6 team in the state to double overtime.’’

The Spartans toppled Pope John, 2-1, and Voorhees, 2-1, before being defeated by Hunterdon Central, 2-1, in the H/W/S Tournament.

“We were senior heavy,’’ Connors said. “We had 20 seniors on our team, all of which took leadership roles at various points in time in the season. It’s a unique situation that I have that many seniors.

“They were led by three senior captains: Mitch Veron, Tobias Gomez and Patrick Connors.’’

Players improved significantly from the first preseason practice through the last match of the season.

“With 20 seniors, we knew there would not be a lot of spots for some of the underclassmen,’’ Connors said. “One underclassman that stood out for us was Cormac Gibbons. He showed continual improvement all season.

“Another player who showed us continued improvement and had a great season was Matt Trela.’’

The Spartans posted a record of 8-2-2 in the challenging Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference National Division.

They lost to Wayne Hills, 3-0, in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament.

Despite losing so many players to graduation in the spring, Connors is optimistic about the future of the team.

“When you graduate 20 seniors, there’s always going to be a certain level of rebuilding for the next season,’’ he said. “However, we had eight underclassmen, six of which had never been on varsity before.

“I think our seniors gave them a glimpse on how to prepare for every practice and game. Hopefully that translates into next season.’’