Bergen County Tournament boys soccer final preview: No. 9 Garfield vs. No. 19 Ramapo

Saturday, Nov. 2 at Indian Hills, 6:30 | BRACKET
No. 9/9-Garfield (16-3) vs. No. 19/3-Ramapo (13-3)
Garfield
The Boilermakers have played in all four games up to this point and started things out with a commanding 5-1 win over 24th-seeded Leonia in the first round. From there, they picked up three one-goal wins in a row, first on the road, 1-0, over eighth-seeded Old Tappan in the second round. Then a goal with six minutes left helped them get past top-seeded and then-state ranked Ridgewood, 2-1, in the quarterfinals before punching their ticket to the finals with a 1-0 win over fellow NJIC foe and 20th-seeded Waldwick in the semifinals.
Ramapo
As the third seed, Ramapo got a first round bye, which set them up for a second round tilt with Tenafly. Ramapo won that game, 5-4, after being up 5-0 for much of the game. They then had an easier time in their next two games, downing 11th-seeded Dwight-Englewood, 3-0, in the quarterfinals before posting another commanding shutout against 18th-seeded Don Bosco Prep, 5-0, in the semifinals.
Garfield
The Boilermakers have never won a Bergen County Tournament title and are appearing in the finals for the first time in program history.
Ramapo
The Raiders have been the team to beat in Bergen County for decades. Starting in 1979, Ramapo has won a record 16 Bergen County titles, including the last three from 2021-23, though 2023’s was a co-championship with Ramsey. Ramapo won outright titles in 1981, 1986, 2000, 2005, shared 2006 with Paramus, won again outright in 2008 and 2012 and then went on its first four-peat from 2014-17 with another chance at a four-peat this year.
Garfield
Ramapo
Garfield
All tournament the Boilermakers, a Top 20 team the entire season and the reigning Group 3 state champs, have set out to prove that they were underseeded. They got the nine seed after back-to-back 1-0 losses to Glen Rock and Notre Dame, but coach Piotr Sala‘s has responded in emphatic fashion by getting to this point. They‘ve won nine in a row and three of their county games have been one-goal wins, so they‘re comfortable playing in close games. What makes Garfield‘s run perhaps even more impressive is the fact that they’ve done all this without star midfielder/forward Leland Gonzalez, who‘s out for the year with a torn ACL. In his stead, guys like Christian Ramirez and Julius Mesa have stepped up to drive the offense while Martin Czovek, Andrew Campos and Andrej Tutureski anchor the backline in front of Jakub Piszczatowski in net. There‘s talent all over the field for the Boilermakers, and while experience is key in these big games, Garfield found itself in uncharted territory last year in the Group 3 state final and looked just fine in that one, so there’s little reason to doubt them here or think the moment will be too big.
Ramapo
The Raiders have become synonymous with and the model of success in Bergen County over the last few years and decades. No team has won more county titles and no coach in the county has more wins than Evan Baumgarten, so this team especially knows what it takes to win one of these and how to play at its best come county tournament time. Ramapo has also won nine in a row and the Raiders have gotten key contributions from young players like Jacob Preziosi, who‘s emerged as the leading scorer this season, while players like Jake Weis, Damian DiLisio, Jordan Hunt and Brody Benner give Ramapo talent all over the field and make them hard to defend agains. They also have a goalie tandem of Julian Lora and Mike Latronica, both of whom are more than capable making big saves and keep Ramapo in every game. Ramapo has an edge on county final experience here that can‘t be discounted and the Raiders just always seemingly find a way to win this and play its best when it matters most. They’ll need to be in top form, especially considering as the top two seeds in North 1, Group 3, these two could see each other again in the section final.
Garfield 2, Ramapo 1 (2OT)
Jake Aferiat can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at @Jake_Aferiat.
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