Thursday,
October 22, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Junior Ervin Gjeli scored four goals and assisted on two other for Hasbrouck Heights, which beat Saddle Brook, 6-1, on Wednesday afternoon. |
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS – Having a player that is a threat to put the ball in net or deftly set up a teammate for an open shot is a hard commodity to find in high school soccer, especially on the Group 1 level where the talent pool is shallower. There are less players to choose from and those with perceived exceptional talent might be tempted to go elsewhere.
Hasbrouck Heights, however, has one of those special players in junior midfielder Ervin Gjeli, a player so dangerous that he can change the course of the game without having to touch the ball much. Against Saddle Brook on Wednesday in a match that had implications for state tournament power points, Gjeli showed why he is of All-County caliber and why the Aviators are state sectional championship contenders.
Gjeli scored just over two minutes into match. That was just the beginning as he had his hand in every one of his team's goals by scoring four goals and assisting on two others in a 6-1 triumph over Saddle Brook in Hasbrouck Heights.
It took just one touch for Gjeli to make his presence felt. He ran onto a through ball and ripped a shot from 15 yards out. The keeper was able to get a hand on the blast but not enough of it as it rolled off the right post and in for a quick 1-0 lead.
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Brian Burns came on in goal and made four saves for Saddle Brook. |
“We wanted to get off to a good start and scoring first always gives us a big lift,” said Gjeli. “It was a great buildup from winning the ball in the back until the through ball that I ran onto. That's really what we're known for. Possessing the ball and moving it until someone gets a good look at the net. Once we got that first goal everything started rolling for us.”
Saddle Brook had its best stretch of play following the opening goal and nearly tied it minutes later on a well-struck volley from Kacper Wrobel that went just over the crossbar. From that point on, it was all Hasbrouck Heights with Gjeli leading the way.
The second goal showed that Gjeli is more than just a scorer, but also a hustling player who does not give up on any play around the net. With a Falcon defender trying to shield a rolling ball from going over the end line for a goal kick, Gjeli alertly took a wider run and was able to get around the defender and poke a pass back towards the middle of the box. Nick Bini was wide open and knocked it home to make it 2-0.
“I saw Nick (Bini) in the back, I knew if I could get it to him that he would get there to finish it and he did,” added Gjeli.
Gjeli put the game away with two goals in a three-minute span late in the first half. After dribbling through four Saddle Brook players he used the outside of his right foot to place a ball into the lower right-hand corner. Minutes later he pounced on a loose ball at the back post and slammed into the top of the net as the Aviators, who tied Saddle Brook earlier in the season, held a commanding 4-0 lead at the intermission.
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Mike Kashuba and the rest of the defense were solid for Hasbrouck Heights, which improved to 9-2-2. |
The second half was more of the same with Gjeli being a nightmare for the Falcon defense every time he touched the ball. He scored 10 minutes in and followed a few minutes later with a picture-perfect through ball that Scott LiVecchi put in the back of the net to make it 6-0.
Gjeli now has a North Jersey-leading 39 goals. Sweeper Jason DiGiacinto and outside back Mike Kashuba had strong performances for Hasbrouck Heights (9-2-2). Salman Anjum had the lone goal and Brian Burns came into net after the fourth goal was scored, finishing with five saves for Saddle Brook (7-7-2).
The Aviators have hit their stride and they are doing so at the perfect time. They have league showdowns against Wood-Ridge and Wallington still ahead with all three teams still with a chance to win the title. Then they head to the state tournament where this win becomes even bigger. With this being the last game where they could secure valuable power points, the 6-1 win likely locked up a top-four seed in North 1, Group 1 and home games in the first two rounds.
“With this win we should definitely be in the top four in our section somewhere, which would be the best we've ever done here,” said Hasbrouck Heights' head coach Vin Marchese. “To graduate eight starters and have a better seed than we had last year, we're very fortunate. We still have a possibility to win the league and we're playing good soccer towards the end of the season, which as a coach is something you look for. We have to keep building forward and always look to improve.”
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