By Jeff Appelblatt
Woodbridge High School’s boys soccer team looked like a true contender in the play-in game of last year’s Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament. Only a sophomore at the time, Andrew Fuentes exploded for four goals against the Timothy Christian School, and the Barrons advanced with a 7-4 victory.
But the preliminary-round showdown with Old Bridge High School two days later quickly reminded the Barrons they were in rebuilding mode — the win in the preceding round inarguably felt good when it happened, but Woodbridge just didn’t have the strength to compete with too many of the conference’s best.
For the year, Woodbridge managed only three wins. Numbers-wise, the Barrons failed to meet its coach’s expectations. While Anthony Clarke wished for as many victories as possible, he said he’d be satisfied with his team improving on the year before. Woodbridge won four games in 2014, which was Clarke’s first season as head coach.
But every season is another chance to do better than the previous, meaning the goal this year is, once again, to improve. Woodbridge’s coach hopes that reaching four wins isn’t too much to ask for.
“We’d like more wins than last year,” Clarke said. “The players know what I expect.”
It’s hard to judge how much summer ball truly means, but the team from Woodbridge had a strong showing in July; the team went out and won the 7 vs. 7 1A Division.
The team could only hope that was a stepping stone for the fall season, which is set to begin Sept. 10 when the Barrons host the team from Rahway High School in Woodbridge at 3 p.m.
Fuentes’ legs will be heavily relied upon this season. The upcoming junior not only led Woodbridge with 12 goals last year, but also his top teammates from the offensive end graduated before the summer started. The team’s former goalkeeper also graduated in the spring.
In the end, Fuentes can only hope that his late-season goals will mean much more for the Barrons next time around.
