Wallkill Valley boys soccer has eye on title

HAMBURG — Many sports programs set their sights high heading into a given season only to falter for what can be a myriad of reasons, some of which may be self-inflicted others that are completely unforeseen and uncontrollable.
Roughly one month into the regular season and all of the considerable, yet reasonable goals set forth by the Wallkill Valley High School boy’s soccer program are still very much in place.
“Our goals are to win the Colonial Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference for a second consecutive season and to advance deep into the (NJSIAA) Group I State Tournament at the end of the year," Wallkill Valley head coach Larry Hildebrand said.
Through September, the Rangers stood atop the NJAC Colonial Division. Last season, the Rangers finished with an overall record of 9-8-1.
Key returning student-athletes on the varsity roster for Wallkill Valley this year include Josh Abrahams (senior, goal keeper), Dan Bacon (senior, defender/midfielder), Marvin Kuryala (senior, midfielder/forward), Carlos Mansilla (senior, forward), A.J. Rosario (senior, defender/forward), Tyler Bilheimer (junior, defender), Zack Conklin (junior, forward), Graddy Egan (junior, defender/midfielder), Sebastian Mianowski (junior, defender), Fabrizio Renteria (junior, midfielder) and Dominick Wygonowski (junior, defender/forward).
Newcomers looking to be of positive impact at the varsity level include Tim Dean (junior, goal keeper), Cole Maurizi (sophomore, forward), Gage Roberts (sophomore, forward), Tyler Sanchez (sophomore, defender), Skylar Hanisch (freshman, forward/midfielder) and Eddie Piedrasanta (freshman, midfielder/defender).
“My leaders are my captains, Josh Abrahams and Dan Bacon," Hildebrand said. “Not only are they exceptional players who can demonstrate in practice the proper way the game should be played, they also are very experienced players who can help organize and direct players during a game.
“My two captains both made the state Olympic Development Program team. This is a prestigious team as it is a single team for the whole state of New Jersey. It is one possible step toward making the National Team."
Wallkill Valley has a home game scheduled versus Kittatinny on Oct. 12.
“I see us as a contender for the Division championship," Hildebrand said. “Sussex Tech and North Warren are the two teams we will need to contend with this season for the championship, but Kittatinny has always been a tough win for us as well.
“We are a team with a mix of experienced players and young inexperienced players. Our success will depend on our players working hard in practice to improve both their technical skills and their understanding of the game so we can rely on team play to win games and not just athleticism."