45° and Sunny
Image
In the coming week someone at Clifton High School will need to make room in the school’s trophy case for a new piece of hardware.
The Clifton boys’ soccer team, No. 2 in the North Jersey’s Top 25 rankings, defeated Paterson Kennedy, 3-1, to win its second straight Passaic County soccer title, and 22nd overall, at Wayne Valley on Saturday.
“Beat them with success and send them home with a smile,” Clifton head coach Stan Lembryk told his squad during a pregame huddle on the field.
The Mustangs responded accordingly, and by halftime had mounted a 2-0 lead on goals by Vitali Datsyk and Lukas Ferrada. Team captain JC Vizcaino found the back of the net in the second half to close out the scoring.
In his first championship game in goal, Clifton’s Jacob Zybura had eight saves for the win.
Many of the players draped themselves in the flag of their home country before running across the field to celebrate their victory with family, friends, and Clifton Mustang Band. The scene could easily have been mistaken for a bash at the United Nations.
Dressed in street clothes, the band and majorettes brought their brand of excellence to the Wayne Valley High School field for the entire game.
The Mustangs look to repeat their amazing run of two years ago when they captured the league, county and state soccer titles. The state tournament begins on Monday with Clifton hosting Bloomfield.
