The Delbarton Soccer Team had one of their most impressive seasons to date. Racking up 18 total wins with only two losses, the 2023 Delbarton Varsity Soccer Team surprised the state of New Jersey and made their mark in Morris County. To open the season, the Green Wave faced perennial opponent Seton Hall Prep on “the big stage” at Red Bull Arena. The teams played an exciting back and forth match that ended in a 3-3 draw, the Green Wave started the season off on the right foot.
Shortly after Red Bull Arena, Delbarton hosted three teams for their annual Delbarton invitational tournament. Facing off against the #1 team in the country, St. Benedicts, the Wave suffered their first defeat of the season 0-2, although still a promising game given the quality of St. Benedicts. Next, Delbarton faced off against Chaminade, an elite team from Long Island, where they managed to come away with a 3-1 victory.
Following this exciting start to the season, Delbarton embarked on a 9-game conference winning steak, beating teams such as Chatham, Mendham, Roxbury, Morris Hills, and Montville. These consecutive victories earned Delbarton the #1 seed in the Morris County Tournament. With their chance at winning some hardware, the Wave was triumphant over Mountain Lakes, Chatham, and Randolph, punching their ticket to the Morris County Final against Hanover Park. Hanover Park was a formidable team with a strong record, but the Wave proved to be too much, winning 3-0 comfortably. Sophomore Owen Miller scored all three goals for Delbarton, bagging a hattrick in the final.
With the Conference Championship and the Morris Country Championship already won, the Green Wave had just the state tournament left on the agenda. Once again, Delbarton had earned themselves the #1 seed with their almost undefeated record, giving them a bye in the first round. In the round of 16, Delbarton faced Oratory prep, where they comfortably won 4-1. Moving on to the quarter finals, the wave narrowly defeated Don Bosco in a close, hard-fought match. Delbarton scored early, but the real excitement came when Don Bosco won a penalty in the final quarter of the game. With the game on the line, the penalty shot sailed high over the bar, and the Wave went on to win. Now in the semi-finals, Delbarton had a rematch against the team they played in Red Bull Arena to start the season: Seton Hall Prep. Seton Hall scored early, finishing a cross in the box. However, the Wave fought back, with Brady Hyland scoring a header off a cross with 5 seconds left in the first half. Starting the second half 1-1, the game went back and forth, until SHP scored a header off a cross in the last 15 minutes of the game.
A bitter end to the season for Delabrton, but still a season of which the team could be proud. Many of Delbarton’s key players will be returning next season, and the Green wave has high hopes and a bright future for the 2024 soccer campaign.
