HOLMDEL – The Holmdel Hornets started and finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Shore Conference after their historic run through the postseason stamped them as one of the all-time greats in the annals of Shore Conference boys soccer.
The Hornets (22-1-1) put an exclamation point on their season when they defeated Dover, 4-1, for their first group title since 2010 and second in program history.
In the NJSIAA Group II semifinals, Holmdel upset Delran (19-4-2) – ranked No. 5 in the state at the time – 3-1, for its second sectional title in three years and a shot at the state championship.
“In July, there was a special feel about this team,” Holmdel head coach John Nacarlo said. “We talked about coming together as a team, and that’s what we really focused on. And with the talent, physicality and mental toughness, we’re just a tough team to beat.”
At the start of the season, all the talk was centered on the return of senior Justin McStay, who opted to not play high school soccer last season, and the addition of fellow academy standouts Cyrus Darvish and Matt Leon – both seniors.
However, with all the excitement surrounding the team focused on the addition of the talented trio, rising star Anthony Arena was somewhat overlooked.
And that was understandable because no one could’ve ever imagined that Arena would take such a gigantic leap from up-and-coming star to superstar.
Arena set a Shore Conference Tournament record when he scored five goals to lead Holmdel to their first-ever SCT championship – a 7-1 drubbing of Monmouth Regional. His second goal of the game broke the Holmdel High School record for goals scored in a season that stood at 29.
He was named the Shore Sports Network Player of the Year after leading the Shore Conference in goals scored (35) and assists (25) and the accolades will keep pouring in as the season-ending awards are announced. The standout junior scored three goals in a game six times this season including twice in the postseason including the SCT final and sectional final.
But the Hornets success this season was truly a group effort.
“Anthony struggled a little in the group final, but he contributed however he could and we have a lot of other weapons we can use,” Nacarlo said. “If one guy is off, kids step up and that’s what we did.”
Not to be overshadowed, McStay had a monster year finishing with 26 goals and 18 assists.
“He has 26 goals, which would be the school record if Anthony didn’t score 35 this year,” Nacarlo said. “But it’s the other stuff he does that gets overlooked because he scores a ton of goals. What he does defensively, on free kicks, winning balls – he does everything you need to win and he never complains.”
Leon added 17 goals and 14 assists this season and Darvish 12 goals and six assists while fellow senior Mike Neff chipped in with nine goals and eight assists, including a goal in the group final in which McStay, Leon and senior Joe Arena also scored with Anthony Arena assisting on one goal.
In their 3-1 semifinal win versus Delran, Anthony Arena, Leon and McStay all scored.
McStay, Neff, Joe Arena and senior Torre Avitable were all starters on the 2015 team that reached the Group II final before losing to Garfield, 2-1. In that game, the Hornets took a 1-0 lead into the final three minutes, only to see it disappear over the final 2:30 in a devastating loss.
So you can see how gratifying winning the state championship this season must be, not only for these four, but for the entire squad that had that loss hanging over the program’s head.
In the final NJ.com boys soccer Top 20 the Hornets ended the season ranked fourth in the state for their highest state ranking since 2010 when they also finished ranked No. 4.
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