Randolph Boys Soccer ended their season with a 9-9 record after a 2-1 loss to Colonia in the state quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 28. Junior Brian Garcia led the team in goals (5) and points (12), and sophomore RJ Dougherty led the team in assists (4). Here are some game highlights from the 2023 season.
Sept. 13.- Sept. 19: Randolph Starts Off Season at 1-3
The Rams began their season at home against perennial powerhouse Delbarton. Although the offense was contained for the length of the match, Randolph’s defense held strong, led by captain Connor Rodrigues. The game was scoreless until 55 minutes in, when Delbarton put one in the back of the net, ending the game with a 1-0 victory.
Later that week Randolph faced off against a strong, experienced Mendham team. The result was a 2-1 loss for Randolph, despite the best efforts of star players Garcia and sophomore goalie Gavin Vichengrad, who racked up 7 saves in the game.
After the Mendham loss, Randolph grabbed its first win of the season in a high scoring matchup against Montville. The 3-2 win was credited to Randolph’s strikers and midfielders. The game featured exceptional goals by freshman Andrei Nitulescu, junior David Martinez and Dougherty. Randolph midfielder Garcia added on with 2 assists in the game. The combined efforts from Randolph players secured them a well-deserved victory.
Randolph finished the week with a 2-1 loss against Morris Hills with Nitulescu scoring the lone goal for Randolph.
Sept. 22 – Oct. 2: Randolph Goes on 4-Game Winning Streak to Turn Season Around
Randolph displayed incredible resilience and determination after a challenging start to the season. In a short period of time, the Rams turned their season around when they secured victories against Chatham (1-0), Roxbury (2-1), Montville (3-2) and Mendham (2-1).
“We gained a lot of confidence from it,” junior Jayden DeCarvalho stated.
Goals were scored by senior Luke Wilkins with 2, Rodrigues with 1, DeCarvalho with 1, Garcia with 3 and Martinez with 1. Another standout during the week was midfielder Dougherty, who tallied 4 assists in 4 games.
Oct. 4- Oct. 23: Randolph Finishes Regular Season 1-4 in Final 5 Games
Starting the week, Randolph faced off against Delbarton again, hoping for a different result. The first half was played mostly in Randolph’s end. By halftime, Randolph was down 2-0.
Starting the second half, Randolph came out firing. The ball was rolling around in Delbarton’s box when senior striker Kyle Milluzzo struck one into the goal, making it a 2-1 game with 9 minutes left on the clock.
Randolph had one more chance in the game when Dougherty lined up for a free kick after a Delbarton foul. The ball was outside the 18-yard box, making it a difficult shot. He shot the ball with less than two minutes left in the game, but it hit off the crossbar.
“We need to stay consistent and continue to work hard,” DeCarvalho noted.
The team then headed to Hunterdon Central where they were defeated, 1-0, after a goal late in the second half.
The next game for the Rams was against Chatham on Teacher Appreciation Day. The Rams saw a lot of unfamiliar faces on the field, including senior goalkeeper Alex Sabatino, who was subbed in during the second half in a 1-1 game. He proved to be a force in net, making multiple saves to keep Randolph in the game.
Sophomore Jake Rubin netted a goal in the first half, giving Randolph a spark, which would later prove to be too much for the Chatham Cougars, as Randolph won, 2-1.
The next week the Rams faced off against Morris Hills and Roxbury but lost 1-0 and 3-1 respectively.
Morris County Tournament: Rams Make Run to Semifinals
Randolph took the No. 5 seed in the Morris County Tournament, giving them a first-round bye.
In the second round of the tournament, the Rams faced off against No. 12 seed Parsippany Hills. A goal by junior midfielder Tommy LaDieu and a strong game in net by Vichengrad was all Randolph needed to move on to the county quarterfinals.
Randolph was up against Morris Hills in the quarterfinal game. The Rams went into the game as underdogs but stayed with Morris Hills during regular time. The game went to sudden death overtime; after a foul on Dougherty, he lined up to take the free kick. The goalie bobbled the kick, as Rodrigues kicked it in the net and gave Randolph the win to advance them to the County semifinals.
“This was a great win, but we knew we had it in us,” senior Aidan Fisher said after the game.
The highly anticipated rematch against Delbarton was played at Mount Olive High School, with a trip to the county finals on the line. The game was filled with action from the start, but the scorecard remained empty until Delbarton put one in the back of the net off of a rebound to put them ahead with 12 minutes remaining. Randolph was unable to come back, losing 1-0.
After this game, the team set their eyes on the NJSIAA State Tournament where they earned the No. 9 seed. “We’re excited to play and pull off some upsets,” senior midfielder Jack Grech said.
The Rams unfortunately lost to first seed Colonia, 2-1, in the quarterfinal round of states, putting an end to their season.
