Boys soccer team is 4-0

The Wallkill Valley High School boys soccer team has won its first four games this season.

The Rangers opened the regular season with a 3-0 victory over North Warren on Sept. 4. They went on to beat Kittatinny, 2-0, on Sept. 6; Hopatcong, 3-0, on Sept. 10; and Jefferson, 1-0, on Thursday, Sept. 12.

They were scheduled to host Sussex Tech on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Vernon at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.

“After winning nine games last year, we are looking to continue to build off of that,’’ head coach Sean Neal said. “We finished second in our division and lost a tough game in the first round of state playoffs in penalty kicks. This year, our goals are to compete for the division championship and advance in the state playoffs.

“Most of the guys on the varsity team are now three-year members so they have the experience to do so. We have a really good group of guys who enjoy coming to practice every day. We want to continue to get better every day in practice and improve every game as a team.’’

Key returning players include seniors Noah DeRenzo (defender), Kevin Stencel (defender) and Gabe Eason (midfielder) and juniors Aaron Eichler (midfielder), Dennis Aungst (defender), Eugene Davina (forward), Ivan Reyes (forward), Gavin Walker (forward), Kooper Nicolai (forward), Sean Beck (defender) and Samuel Eichler (midfielder).

Promising newcomers are senior Stephen Ciccone (goal keeper); sophomores Chris Delcalzo (forward), Nick Delcalzo (midfielder), Zachary Vierzchalek (defender) and Cayden Collins (goal keeper); and freshmen Miguel McCallum (defender) and Nolan Murray (goal keeper).

“Our team captain for the second season in a row is senior Kevin Stencel,’’ Neal said. “Kevin is a four-year member of our varsity team and has grown as a leader every year. Kevin knows how to be a leader naturally and does so every day in practice.

“He works extremely hard and has gained valuable experience since his freshman year which allows him to help the younger guys deal with different situations. He is a fantastic teammate, and we are lucky to have him as our captain.’’

The Rangers compete in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Colonial Division along with Lenape Valley, Hopatcong, Kittatinny, Sussex Tech and North Warren.

“We want to be a contender for the division this year,’’ Neal said. “We know that our division is tough and anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We need to show up ready to play every time we step on the field.

“Lenape Valley won our division last year, so they are the team to beat. However, we want to approach every game one game at a time and focus on that. Every game is a new challenge and we believe that we will be best if we can focus on what we need to do to be successful.’’