By Arjun Khanna ‘23, Sports Writer

As the Newark Academy men’s soccer team finishes yet another season, they have a sense of renewal and pride for their ability to fight and adapt to challenging circumstances. Last year the team was unable to find a consistent rhythm and reach their full potential. In order to improve collectively this year, the team trained hard during the preseason, harnessing their soccer skills and fostering communication with their teammates off of the field. As a result, this season was one of the most successful for the men’s NA Varsity soccer team in several years. 

This fall, the soccer team was able to gain significant traction early on in the season with a 5-3 win over Montclair Kimberley Academy and a blowout 5-0 win over Hawthorne Christian. In the game against Hawthorne Christian, senior goalkeeper and team captain Max Alter performed exceptionally, saving all three shots in the shutout. 

After a series of mixed performances in the middle of the season, the team was able to find some consistency towards the end with consecutive wins in the state tournament, and a big win over MKA to make it to the state cup finals. Luka Loncar ‘23 was an integral part of the team’s success this past season, and in regards to the team’s overall performance, he states, “This season has been a blast, and the team’s collective love for the sport and determination to win has developed to a strong state cup performance so far.” Alejandro Lorenzo ‘23, one of the lead goal scorers this season, believes that the team’s work ethic has had a lot to do with their improved performance. When asked about the team’s transformation, Alejandro said, “Coming off of a bad season, we were determined to bring pride back to the program. Since the beginning of the summer, we have been training for the ultimate goal of the state title. With our recent win over MKA in the state semifinals, that goal isn’t too far away.” 

The soccer team was not alone in their fight for the state cup. NA Seniors showed up to the final in droves to support and cheer on their fellow Minutemen. The game itself was in a deadlock for all of regular time and even after the first 90 minutes of play the score remained 0-0. Newark Academy ended up falling just short of the victory, losing to Gill St. Bernards 4-3 in the penalties. Although the NA men weren’t able to clinch victory in the state cup, their success is defined by the hard work, determination, and perseverance exemplified on and off the field.  The mens varsity team hopes to continue to build upon progress made and improve in future seasons.