2019 – 2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
HISTORIC
BROTHERHOOD
UNPRECEDENTED
T
GSB CAPTURE
he boys’ soccer team put together one of the greatest seasons in New Jersey high school soccer history the fall of 2019, winning an unprecedented five titles and setting a standard of excellence that interscholastic athletics may never see again. “In my 30-plus years here at Gill, there has never been a more gratifying season,” said Head Coach Tony Bednarsky. “What these boys did is a story for the ages. I am not sure if anyone truly understands the incredible significance behind winning five titles in a single year.”
According to the veteran coach, he had a feeling that this season had the potential to be a special one before the boys even had their first official match of the year. During the preseason, the program traveled to Portugal for its first-ever international trip. While in Europe, Bednarsky predicted that his team would go .500 or less in mixedsquad games. The Knights blew away his expectations, going 9-2-1 against elite competition. The trip also highlighted what would be one of the team’s biggest strengths throughout the year: camaraderie.
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“Our team chemistry this year was already excellent since most of us had played together last year, so when this season started, we kept building off of it,” said Adam Berrocal ’21. “We are all friends off the field, so that correlates well on the pitch because we’re able to play for one another.” However, neither the coaches nor the players could have predicted the season they were about to have, especially considering their first game of the fall. After a great training trip, GSB began the regular season 0-1, dropping their opening game against Skyland Conference foe North Hunterdon. “I really think you learn a lot from every loss, so even though it was gut-wrenching to lose the first game, we made a pact as a team that we would never be shutout again, and worked every day to make sure of it,” said Bednarsky.
