MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Holmdel (N.J.) Hornets have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its eighth year honoring soccer.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For soccer, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 34,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Hornets ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Glen Rock 3-1 in the
NJSIAA Group 2 state championship contest on Saturday, November 17 marked the completion of an incredible 22-0-1 season — and earned Holmdel an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
It took Glen Rock 32 minutes to build a 1-0 lead over the Hornets. But Holmdel wasted little time in evening the score moments later. The defending champions then added two more goals on their way to winning a second straight state soccer championship at Kean University.
Jack Giamanco responded to Glen Rock's only goal by scoring a team-high 23rd goal of the season on an assist by Anthony Arena to knot the score at 1-1. Then, in the 64th minute, Mark McStay tallied the championship-clinching goal by heading in a free kick from Jack Russo. Arena added some insurance when he chalked up his school record 65th career goal to push Holmdel's final margin of victory to 3-1.
Anthony Arena scored a goal and was credited with an assist, while Russo and Joe Arena chalked up an assist each. Solid in goal, Jack Murray allowed just one score and made a couple of saves, including a kick save from point blank range that kept the score tied at 1-1. The Hornets out shot Glen Rock 19-6.
The Hornets opened postseason play with an 8-0 trouncing of Hillside. Holmdel then upended Robbinsville and Voorhees 8-1 and 7-0 respectively before kicking in the door to the Final Four with a 4-0 blanking of Shore Regional. John Nacarlo's club bumped Delran from state championship contention with a 2-1 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Glen Rock. The Hornets outscored six playoff foes 32-3 collectively. Holmdel opened the season with a 4-0 shutout of Middletown South. Then, following a 7-0 blanking of Raritan, the Hornets upended Colts Neck 3-0 to open the season 3-0. Holmdel did not lose a game all year, with their lone blemish being a 2-2 draw with Ocean Township. The Hornets outscored their competition 88-12 and posted 12 shutouts on the year. Nacarlo's squad held 22 foes to one goal or less, while scoring a season-high eight goals in back-to-back playoff wins over Hillside and Robbinsville. The Hornets matched a school record with 22 wins in 2018.
Having won seven straight contests to end the year, and 22 of 23 matches on the season, the Hornets, who are being honored on the Tour of Champions for the second straight year, set themselves up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only is Holmdel ranked No. 2 in
MaxPreps' New Jersey Rankings, the Hornets are the No. 13 club in
MaxPreps' National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Holmdel Hornets an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the Commons for a lunch assembly as we celebrate with the boys soccer team, coaching staff, students and fans on Tuesday, January 15 at 10:25 a.m.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
