As any team knows, a season is very long and difficult, especially if you’re a Group I team: the smallest of the small.

That is not the case for the Park Ridge Boys soccer team.

Many teams often find themselves in trouble with either lack of numbers, or lack of varsity experience. Early on in the season, Park Ridge certainly turned heads, declaring themselves as a competitor in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Park Ridge essentially has the entire team coming back, and young talent that is certainly rising to the occasion. The team is off to a 4-3 start, with notable wins over Midland Park and rival Emerson. With loses by only one goal to stronger programs such as Waldwick and Hawthorne Christian, Park Ridge has shown they are here to compete. Following their first loss to Waldwick, the team rebounded with nothing short of a dominant win over Palisades Park, winning with a score of 5-1. Park Ridge has relied on

Junior Center Attacking Midfielder Nardi Lita, who as of September 20th had scored eleven goals in six games, which was the 5th best in the entire state at the time. Senior Defensive Midfielder Ricky Kuiters, who is very confident in the team, saying “There is a good mix between younger and older players to do well this season, and to also set up the team to do well in the coming years.” Kuiters also is impressed with his team’s possession in games, and how important it is to them.

“Our coaches knew that coming into the season (how important possession was) and they’ve done a superb job challenging our style of play to capitalize on possession.”

Park Ridge will be playing games against Waldwick, Emerson, Cresskill, and Hawthorne Christian, a string of games that could very well dictate their season. The team is ambitious in their hopes to qualify for the Bergen County Tournament, contending for the league title, and entering the state tournament with a high seed.

Whether or not the boys achieve all these goals, Park Ridge Boys soccer is certainly a threat in the coming years.