Boys Soccer: Charmed North Brunswick Side Leaves Southern Seeing Red

BARNEGAT — With 17 goals scored in four games, including five-goal outbursts in each of its last two victories, the Southern Regional boys soccer team entered the NJSIAA Group IV semifinals as a juggernaut barreling toward its second straight appearance in the state finals.

Then the Rams ran into a team that has made a name for itself shattering dreams of dominant teams this November, and that squad made Southern its latest victim.

North Brunswick scored early, then benefited from two crucial second-half miscues by Southern in a 1-0 victory at Barnegat High School Tuesday that sends the Raiders to their first Group IV championship game since 2008.

“Nothing I say right now is going to make them feel better,” Southern coach John Nacarlo said of his seniors. “It’s the worst feeling in the world, especially for the seniors wearing the uniform for the last time. I’ll definitely have conversations with them over the next few days, but right now, there is nothing you can say.

“I went into the last game just wanting one more to win the section, so it was great for them to experience that in my first year here. Once we got by that game, I knew we were good enough to do it today. It’s just unfortunate it went the way it did.”

The No. 9 seed in the Central Jersey Group IV bracket, North Brunswick added Southern to its list of high-level teams it has beaten along the road to the final, and in this case, the “road” in that statement is literal. It started with a successful trip to 15-win Montgomery, then got serious with a road upset of No. 1 seed and section favorite Monroe in the quarterfinals.

North Brunswick survived a penalty shootout at Marlboro in the sectional semifinals, then rallied from its first deficit of the tournament to upend second-seeded Hunterdon Central, 2-1, in the Central Jersey Group 4 championship game.

“It’s been the ride of a lifetime,” North Brunswick senior defender William Tal said. “This is a special group. We have been playing together since grade school, and we all love each other. We’re just trying to keep it going.”

To win a fifth straight road game and reach the state final for the first time in 17 years, the Raiders would need to slow down a goal-scoring machine. It required another sterling defensive effort, along with a little bit of that good luck that has aided North Brunswick’s run to the final Saturday of the 2025 season.

Junior Ivan Pineda made his own luck in the sixth minute of the match to stake North Brunswick to a 1-0 lead. Classmate Chris Licona slid him the ball as Pineda made a run up the right side, then halted his run on the right side of the 18-yard box. Pineda curled a shot that banged off the far post and in for the first strike of the game.

“Scoring first is huge because I have so much confidence in our defense,” Tal said. “We’re so defensively sound, I tell my attackers, ‘If you get us two goals, you might as well mark it down as a win.'”

Southern’s first good chance to score came three minutes later, but the goal structure was not as kind to the Rams, as senior Nick Leiriao volleyed a shot off the crossbar that stayed in play. North Brunswick did squander a chance to extend its lead to 2-0 when senior Chris Branz found himself alone in the middle of the 18-yard box with only Southern junior goalkeeper Kyle Sininsky standing between him and the net. Branz got off a clean shot, but it clanged off the left post and away in the 31st minute.

The Rams made it to halftime within a goal and were hopeful that Tuesday’s second half would mirror the second halves they have played throughout the tournament. Prior to Tuesday, Southern had scored 14 of its 17 goals during the state tournament after halftime and had been tied at halftime in each of its four previous state tournament games. Tuesday, however, marked the first time the Rams had trailed at halftime. In the sixth minute of the second half, their chances of making the state final — and winning a second straight Group IV championship — became much bleaker.

Senior Brody Nacarlo tallied three goals and an assist in Friday’s second half against Cherry Hill East in the South Jersey Group IV final, and he led the charge out of halftime against North Brunswick. Nacarlo received a pass 35 yards from the goal with his back to the goal and Tal right on his back. When Tal bumped Nacarlo as he passed the ball backward, Nacarlo turned around and retaliated with a kick to Tal’s shin. The 6-foot-4 Tal hit the ground hard and after he watched the play unfold, the center referee issued Nacarlo a straight red card.

“That was tough,” John Nacarlo said. “It was just stupid. He (Brody) was getting hacked from behind a bunch of times, and I don’t think it warranted a red in that situation. It wasn’t like he swung and kicked the kid. He gave him a tap on the shin guard, but it is what it is. It’s something he is going to have to deal with. It was a tough way to end a great year, but we’ll get through it.”

After taking a moment to let the sting wear off, Tal jogged off the field with a smile. The Rams were left to not only play with 10 players the rest of the way, but would be without Nacarlo for the remainder of Tuesday’s game and the championship game, should Southern rally for a victory.

“I was just defending him,” Tal said. “My hands were up, I didn’t realize it was a foul on me, then the kid came around me and sliced me in the leg. I told him if it was MMA, I would have checked him, but if you want to do that, go ahead. It was a great feeling because I knew he was such an impactful player, and he was definitely one of our ones to watch out for. When he was off the field, I knew it was going to be very promising for us.”

Shockingly, Southern was at its most dangerous while playing down a man. The two teams were tied in shots, 4-4, at halftime, and Southern went on to out-shoot North Brunswick, 9-2, in the second half.

“We definitely had the better of play,” John Nacarlo said. “We played a man down and still created a few good scoring opportunities, especially the (penalty kick). It was just unfortunate we weren’t able to get one in.”

“They did a good job in the air on the balls that were put into the box. They kept their box compact. Playing with 10 men, keeping our composure throughout the second half, it says a lot about our boys.”

In the 69th minute, the Rams finally appeared to catch their big break. Tal attempted to evade a bouncing ball in the box, but it popped up and hit his right hand on the way toward the goal. He was cited for a hand ball that gave Southern a chance at a game-tying penalty kick.

Leiriao stepped up to take the kick and rifled a shot that sailed over the crossbar, keeping North Brunswick in the lead.

“It was a big relief for me, especially since it hit my hand,” Tal said. “I knew even if it had gone in, I had enough confidence in us to go back up and do just like we did at Hunterdon Central when we scored three minutes after conceding. I have so much confidence in our team, and I think to make those runs, you kind of need that luck, and we’ve had that luck. Hopefully that continues.”

Southern played Tuesday without senior center back Kyle Schoepfer, who sustained a concussion in Friday’s win over Cherry Hill East. That prompted John Nacarlo to keep senior Caden Schweigart at center back to start the game, which is where he ended Friday’s game. Schweigart started the season at center back, then moved to striker and scored 17 goals to match Brody Nacarlo for the team lead.

In the final minutes Tuesday, Schweigart pushed forward in hopes of delivering the equalizer, but North Brunswick and goalkeeper Alex Andino protected their goal and finished off a clean sheet against one of the state’s most dangerous attacks in November.

“Coach (Mike Rohal) really prepares us,” Tal said. “We do a lot of defensive drills, and we have just kept getting better. We’re a true unit, and I think we can shut down the best.”

With five of its six top six scorers and 60 of the teams 67 goals from 2024 lost to graduation, this year’s Southern squad overcame questions heading into season and throughout the year to win a second straight South Jersey Group IV championship. It was also John Nacarlo’s first year as head coach and his ninth sectional championship as a head varsity soccer coach. The first seven were as the Holmdel boys coach and the eighth came as the Holmdel girls coach.

Next year’s team will miss the senior group that includes Brody Nacarlo, Schweigart, Leiriao, Schoepfer, midfielder Colton Davis, center back Nick Staiger, midfielder Tyler Houghton and outside back Jon Mandell.

“I knew coming in this was a good group of boys,” Nacarlo said. “They just needed to come together as a family and be successful, and they did a really good job of that. It was special that they got to run it back as sectional champs. There are a lot of coaches and players who play high school soccer who don’t get one championship, so it was cool that they got to win another one.”