The Lakeland Regional High School Lancers boys varsity soccer 2022 season did not end as many had hoped.

After a promising start to the season, the Lancers couldn’t capitalize in the back half of the season. They had high hopes after coming out to a 6-3 start to the season, but a late season slump resulted in a No. 16 seed placement in the state tournament and an early exit after a 5-0 defeat to the No. 1 seed Ramsey High School.

Highlights From The Season

The Lancers had many ups and downs throughout the season. After coming off with a great start to the season, they managed to finish with a 7-12-1 record. Despite the many tough losses the Lancers had, there were many great and well fought games.

As junior Piotr Widerynski explained, “I think arguably one of the best games that we played this season was our 2-2 tie against the best team in our conference, Wayne Valley.” They came into the game as clear underdogs to win, and shocking both themselves and their opponents, they were able to play an incredible game while ending with a much deserved tie. Despite losing their keeper, junior Victor Ciach, with seconds left, they were able to close out the game with a 2-2 tie.

The highly anticipated games between the Lakeland Lancers and the West Milford Highlanders occurred twice this season, with the Lancers able to come out with two big wins. As first year head coach Scott Bosma stated, “I would say beating West Milford twice in one season is always an unforgettable moment.”

There were many key players for the Lancers this season, including goalkeeper Ciach, defenders senior Aidan Delpino and sophomore Betim Zhuta, and junior midfielder John Gurrieri. Even with battling through injuries and illnesses, the team was able to come together to finish off the season strong.

Despite the Lancers record and their early exit from the state tournament, there is definitely a lot that they can take from this season and the progress that they made as a team.

The Future Is Bright For The Lancers

The team went into this season losing a handful of seniors and key assets for the team, and next year, the Lancers will have a lot of seniors for the upcoming season who are all very talented and have proven that they can compete at the highest level. They’ll definitely be looking for revenge in the state tournament, with the ultimate goal of winning it all.

As stated by Gurrieri, “We built our chemistry and now we are gonna come back stronger next year.” The Lancers will look to put in the work during the offseason in hopes to return to the state tournament and win it all.

There will be many players to look out for in the upcoming season, including juniors Gurrieri, Ciach, Xavier Diaz, and Widerynski, as well as sophomores Zhuta, Juan Perez, and Luke Struble, who all played a major role this season.

With many players returning for next season, the Lancers will look to continue their progression as a team so that they can return next season with the hopes of more success.

The End Of A Chapter For Our Seniors

This year’s Lancer team had six seniors who had to say their final goodbyes after their 5-0 loss to Ramsey High School in the state tournament. As stated by senior Kevin Krafton, “It’s a bittersweet feeling to end like this, but we’ve made so many memories together that have been amazing, and I’m definitely going to miss the program.”

Krafton then explains how he is grateful for the experiences that he has had. He has been able to make bonds and friendships that he’ll remember for the rest of his life. All of the seniors have high hopes for next year’s team, and they believe that if they put in the time and effort, they will be able to make it farther in the state tournament.

The seniors were not able to finish out their final season the way that they would have liked, but it was the incredible memories and experiences that they are able to take away from this that make it oh so worth it.