Victor Larra celebrating the goal that pushed Waldwick past Glen Ridge, 2-1, and into the Group 1 state final.

BLOOMFIELD – Waldwick is a Group 1 boys soccer powerhouse. This season marked the eighth straight year that the Warriors earned a spot in the state sectional final and they have now won seven state sectional titles since 2011. With a 2-1 win over Glen Ridge on Tuesday in the Group 1 state semifinals Waldwick is heading back to the state final for the third time in four years having won it in 2021.

John Nochese has been the head coach through all of it. He took charge 27 years ago and he still has the energy, the passion and the same assistant coach that he started with. Joe Kelly has been there since the beginning.

“We have been at this for 27 years and I have not won one game without him,” said Nochese. “We’ve been together the whole time and that is not something that you hear about a lot.”

Kelly was already on the coaching staff as an assistant when Nochese took the head job and immediately they went to work in tandem to raise Waldwick boys soccer to new heights. The product has proven to be resilient.

“When he came in Waldwick was three years removed from a state championship and we had 27 kids in the program. We had to build it back up and it took time,” said Kelly, standing on the field at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield after the Warriors’ win over Glen Ridge. “It’s become what it has become and I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish.”

Cole Moshos heading in Glen Ridge's goal.

Waldwick’s most recent accomplishment is this year’s state tournament run that has now been extended to the final day of the season. The Warriors trailed at halftime in the North 1, Group 1 semifinals against Indian Hills before scoring twice in the second half. Waldwick then eliminated conference rival and top-seeded Emerson, 1-0, in the final on the road.

Against Glen Ridge, Ethan Brezdon’s goal with 11:22 left in the first half gave the Warriors the lead for good. It was the product of Noah Ysern’s run up the left side that covered some empty space. When the defense finally reacted, Ysern picked out Brezdon with a through ball into space.

“I saw that run in behind and Noah played me a great ball. It was straight into the corner from there,” said Brezdon, a junior. “It feels great to be able to show up for the team and help get us to a state final, but we have more work to do now.”

Waldwick doubled its lead seven minutes into the second half when Victor Lara won the race to a through ball, held off a defender in a shoulder-to-shoulder sprint and then slotted past the on-rushing keeper to make it 2-0.

Lara was sent in by JJ Ruehlemann, the senior target man who kept the Ridgers’ defense occupied for the full 80 minutes. Ruehlemann always draws a crowd, but deft first touch and his ability to control the ball in tight spaces make it hard an opponent’s backline. He is also unselfish, which opens lanes for others.

Ethan Brezdon scored the first goal for Waldwick, which will play Haddon Township in the Group 1 final on Sunday.

“Everybody was attracted to JJ. I found the space on the right and JJ passed it to me. I saw the keeper coming out, so I placed it bottom left,” said Lara. “It’s my senior year, so this feels great. We are so together, we trust each other and that is what makes us good.”

In the final 20 minutes the pressure mounted as Glen Ridge pressed forward and Waldwick ceded everything up to the midfield stripe. The Ridgers got close when Max Fleischer ripped one just wide left, but before Waldwick could get the ball to the other end, Cole Moshos flicked in a header to get Glen Ridge in the board.

From there it was a matter of absorbing pressure and then trying to get the ball to Ruehlemann as soon as Waldwick won possession so he could try to run time off the clock with his hold up play.

“It is really just having a lot of faith in our defense and our midfield to stop that pressure and I was just itching for the opportunity any time we could play the ball long. I just went for everything and try to relieve some pressure,” said Ruehlemann, who will play next season at Williams College. “This is just incredible. To do this, to get to the state final, with this group of guys…it is just hard to put into words. It’s been such a great experience.”

Waldwick last won a state title in 2021 and last went to a state final in 2022 when it lost to Haddon Township. This season will be a rematch with the Group 1 state final to be played on Sunday in a 3:00 p.m. start.

“In the ’22 final, four of our boys started in that game. We were kind of young that day, o it is going to be nice to bring them back as seniors. That is going to be fun,” said Nochese. “A couple of these boys were freshmen when we won the state title and they were on the bench. They have been around; they are ready to go back. It’s been a goal all year. We didn’t verbalize it; we kind of just keep it inside. We don’t just want to make it; we want to do something special for the town and for the boys. It’s a special town, Waldwick. Everybody pulls together and they love the game of soccer.”

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