Sussex Tech Mustangs practice for season
SPARTA — The Sussex County Technical School Mustangs of Sparta participated in summer soccer practice during the week of Aug. 17. The girls and boys with their respective teams prepare for the upcoming high school fall soccer season.
Sussex County Technical School is among the high schools that are trying to get an edge in soccer. They hope that edge is achieved by holding summer camps for their athletes. Coaches push the athletes to the limit physically and mentally to get ready for September. Conditioning, weight lifting and scrimmages are all part of the routine in getting the individuals and teams to perform at a high level.
The Mustangs have been practicing on the field since August. Opening day for the boys will be an away game against Somerset Technical High School in Bridgewater Sept. 9. The Lady Mustangs will kick off their season at Hopatcong Sept. 5.
Until the fall season begins the boys and girls teams will fine tune their play in a series of scrimmages.
Sussex County Tech hosted the Manchester Regional High School Falcons in a scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 22. The Haledon team battled the Mustangs in four 20-minute quarters. The Falcons won the contest by the score of 2-1.
"It was a good game and we saw a lot of things that we needed to see," said head coach Jonathan Russo. "We got to see some of our younger players on the field today and they did a nice job. We're trying to work on our formation and spacing and things like that. Each quarter we improved and had a lot of scoring opportunities. The game could have gone either way."
The Lady Mustangs have also been working out this summer. Sussex County Sports Hall of Famer and varsity girls head coach Ed Paiva said, "Since the eleventh of August we have been practicing daily except Sundays. The girls are working hard. In camp we go over a variety of things such as possession, foot skills and the like that can transfer into a game situation. There is a fitness level that has to be achieved. We start practice at 9 a.m. and they last for two hours. We want to improve on a daily basis and get better game by game."
Both Sussex County Tech varsity soccer coaches hope their summer sessions will translate into a successful fall season.