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Falcons soccer honored for historic season
Falcons soccer honored for historic season
Published: February 10th, 2026.
By: Eric Kautz '27
On Tuesday, January 20th, the Saint Joe’s soccer team was honored for their prestigious season. The team was honored at halftime of the Falcons' basketball win against Woodbridge.
The Falcons had one of the best seasons in program history. The boys coached under Sam Roca put together an 18-1 season with their only loss coming to Pingry in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A Tournament.
In the season, the Falcons claimed the title of back-to-back GMC Champions in a thrilling shootout win over Monroe, capped by a phenomenal Robert Boyke ‘26 save. The club went undefeated in the regular season, tallying ten shutout victories with a +55 point differential on the season.
Alongside the team's GMC championship victory, one of the team's top signature wins came when they upset highly ranked Notre Dame Academy in front of a very vibrant student section, 4-0, behind a hat trick from Joe Marinello ‘26.
The team included numerous individual awards for their outstanding play. Zachary Smith ‘26 and Marinello were both awarded First Team All-State Non-Public. Boyke, Ilan Mena ‘26 and Derian Wubbenhorst '26 were honored with Second Team All South Parochial. Coach Roca won the Private Coaches Coach of the Year Award. All players listed for those awards plus Phillip Cui ‘26 were also given GMC individual awards.
In a very strong senior class, the team will send numerous seniors off to continue their soccer careers in college. Goalie Boyke will play at Stevens Institute of Technology, Wubbenhorst at Delaware Valley University, and Smith at Muhlenburg College.
Key contributor Caleb Ward '26 said, "being able to play with my brothers and dominate the way we did , its something ill never forget... the future is bright for the underclassmen and I am very excited for them." Ward recorded seven points on the season as a defender.
A graduating class of twelve seniors will be big shoes for next year's Saint Joe’s soccer team to fill, but the 2025-2026 season will never be forgotten on Plainfield Ave and will be cemented in history forever.
Falcons Shut Down Fighting irish
Falcons Shut Down Fighting irish
Written by: Richard Adenau '27
Edited by: Santino Oliveti '26
On November 6, the fourth-seeded Saint Joseph Falcons sent the fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish home, defeating them 4-0 in the Quarterfinal Round of the NJSIAA Tournament.
The game started slowly for both teams due to the nerves caused by the game's importance. Neither team could create a real chance to put them ahead. However, with 15 minutes left in the first half, Captain Joseph Marinello ‘26 overcame the pressure and scored the game’s first goal thanks to a through-ball from Patric Cui ‘27.
It didn’t take long for the Falcons to extend their lead in the second half. With 32 minutes left, Joseph Marinello ‘26 scored his second goal of the game courtesy of another through-ball from Patric Cui ‘27. With 13 minutes left in the game, Carter Stetz ‘27 sent a Hail Mary pass down the field in the direction of Joseph Marinello. He was able to beat the defender with pace and finish with his left foot, scoring his third goal of the game. This is Marinello’s second hat-trick of the season. At this point in the game, Coach Samuel Roca subbed in a lot of bench players. One of these players included Luke Murphy ‘26, who scored his first goal of his St. Joseph career, assisted by Braeden Sheppard ‘29.
On the defensive side, Goalkeeper Robert Boyke ‘26 made 3 crucial saves and kept a clean sheet.
The Falcons advance to the Semifinal Round and will face off against the first-seeded Pingry Big Blue.
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