It was definitely the Year of the Bulldog in Hudson County soccer, as Emerson High School steamrolled to its second consecutive HCIAA championship and posted one of the greatest records in the school’s history, enjoying a brilliant 20-1 campaign.
Because of the fine season, it is only fitting that members of the Emerson soccer team highlight the 2003 Hudson Reporter All-Area team. Four members of the Bulldogs are among the 13 players selected to the team that honors the top performers in the area.
Headlining the team is senior forward Mauricio Castillo, who has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Player of the Year for the second straight year. Castillo had a brilliant campaign for the Bulldogs, scoring 24 goals and adding 18 assists. He leaves a legacy as being one of the finest players in the history of Emerson High School.
Also earning a spot on the team is junior forward Carlos Juarez, who was a goalkeeper last year, but was moved to the forward line this season and responded by scoring 24 goals (tying Castillo for team honors) and adding eight assists.
Senior defender Jeffrey Coral and junior midfielder Hernan Velarde also earned berths on this year’s All-Area team.
Veteran Emerson coach Angelo Avella, who enjoyed one of the finest seasons in his prestigious career, earned Hudson Reporter Coach of the Year honors.
It would have been a clean sweep of the post-season awards for the Bulldogs, had it not been for the brilliant play of Dickinson goalkeeper Miguel Perez, who earns the distinction as the Hudson Reporter Defender of the Year. Opposing coaches raved about the play in net of Perez, who almost single-handedly kept the Rams in every game this season.
North Bergen, which finished its fine season as the HCIAA runner-up to Emerson, also placed two players on the team, namely defender Walter Soto and midfielder Christian Mendoza. Soto earned the berth as a defender, where he played half the season, but it was his late-season scoring burst after moving to forward – scoring nine goals in six games – that helped the Bruins reach the HCIAA title game.
St. Peter’s Prep also placed two players on the team, namely standout defender Mike Rooney and talented midfielder Pat Mellea.
Also earning a spot on the team is Hoboken’s brilliant scorer Josue Quiros, who ended his career as Hoboken’s all-time leading scorer. Quiros, who scored 58 goals a year ago, tallied 39 more this season to give him 106 goals for his fabulous career. Quiros helped Hoboken capture the HCIAA Seglio Division championship for a second straight season. – Jim Hague