From the very start, Manville High School’s very own soccer team was not expected to achieve any greatness. However, the players and coaches took this as encouragement to surpass everyone’s expectations. With the hard work of the team, on and off the field, the Mustangs produced a huge debut winning against old rivals such as Belvidere High School, Rutgers Preparatory School, Middlesex High School, South Hunterdon Regional High School, and even Bound Brook High School TWICE.

Guiding the Mustangs were captains Justin Bryla, Jeff Cubero, Eric Sinchi, and Sebastian Rodriguez. These righteous four have shown a great act of responsibility and leadership that one cannot gain overnight. Each one of these captains constantly looked after the younger players and never stopped believing in them. Our top scorers during the season were Tomas Hernandez with 13 goals, Jeff Cubero with 11 goals, and Justin Bryla with 9 goals. This trio was surely one to be reckoned with!

Although scoring goals wins the game, stopping them is just as important. The Mustang’s impenetrable starting defense consisted of left back Eric Sinchi, center back Joel Betancourt, center back Jonathan Bamgboye, and Right back Dyon Jimenez.

The brains of the team were the starting midfield who were left midfield Justin Bamgboye, center midfielders Jeff Cubero and Donte East, and right midfield Alan Rainz.

The beginning of the season did not start as well as the team wanted as it began with a 3-2 loss against Immaculata High School. This would have extracted the hope out of many teams hearts. In spite of that, it was more or less a wake up call for the Mustang’s young team to “step their game up.” As the season progressed, they improved their style of playing, shooting, and chemistry. The team eventually figured out their own weaknesses and worked to overcome them. The Mustang’s hunger for winning was truly something to behold.

Defeating Bound Brook High School twice was surely one of the Mustang’s greatest achievements, especially during Senior Night. During that game, the team’s starting goalie, Sebastian Rodriguez, was out of commission, so David Fabiyan had to fill in his position. The first goal was a penalty scored by Donte East. The following goal was a rebound off a free kick that was finished off by Eric Sinchi. In the second half, Bound Brook tied it 2-2 and this brought more than enough tension for the Mustangs.

As the game was coming to an end, Jeff Cubero was setting up for a free kick that was near the 45 yard line. The crowd was silent and attentive for a brief moment as they watched magic being performed right before their eyes. The ball soared through the air and right into the back of the net making the scoreboard change to 3-2. This single moment will never be forgotten by any of the players and crowd!

The Mustang’s goal for this year was to make it to the 5th seed of the Central Jersey group 1 tournament and make it past the first round. Due to the constant effort of each player, the team managed to earn the 2nd seed and they reached to the semifinals! This goal has not been achieved in countless years. The team even managed to tie the most wins in Manville High School history with a record of 12-7-1.

Even though the Mustang’s were striving for a championship title, they have every reason to be proud of themselves for they exceeded everyone’s expectations and most likely their own. This year’s team shall go down in Manville history as one of the greatest team’s the town has ever assembled! #MustangNation