Most know how successful the football and wrestling teams have been at Brearley this decade, while the baseball and softball teams have had their share of success as well.
Brearley has not won any championships in basketball, but the boys’ and girls’ teams have held their own with winning records.
This fall, both soccer teams had outstanding seasons, with each reaching their sectional finals in Central Jersey, Group 1.
Soccer has become a big time sport in Kenilworth, translating well to when the kids reach the varsity level.
For the boys’, their 15-5-2 success was nothing new. Winning records and state tournament appearances are earned regularly by the Bears as head coach Vince McGowan has been one of the more successful Group 1 coaches in North Jersey for more than a decade, leading Brearley to the 2005 North 2, Group 1 crown for example.
The girls’ finishing 12-7-2, however, is news because it’s the first time they posted a winning record since Brearley re-opened in 1997. As the second-seed, Brearley beat third-seeded Highland Park 1-0 to reach its first sectional final where it fell at top-seeded Robbinsville 4-0.
The third-seeded boys’ played fifth-seeded South River at Elizabeth on Nov. 14 in their sectional final because the football team needed Ward Field for its first round playoff game against Glen Ridge that night.
Brearley took South River to double overtime on the field turf surface at Williams Field before falling 1-0.
The Bears were led all season long by the scoring of senior forward A.J. Kuroski, who proved to be among the top finishers in not only the Mountain Valley Conference but in all of Union County.
Kuroski scored two goals and Rajbir Cheema one in Brearley’s 3-1 sectional semifinal home win over Roselle Park.
The Bears had a solid goalie in Kevin Hoagland, who made five saves in that victory. Hoagland also made five saves to blank New Providence 0-0 at home back on Oct. 10 for his fifth shutout of the season and fifth consecutive at that point. He later went on to post additional shutouts at home against Rahway in a 0-0 tie, at home against Dayton 1-0 and at Roselle 6-0.
Kuroski and Bryan Martins scored goals in Brearley’s 2-1 sectional quarterfinal home victory over sixth-seeded New Egypt, with Hoagland coming up with six saves.
In the game before that, Brearley won 2-1 at Johnson, with Cheema scoring a goal and assisting on the one scored by Mike Quiroga.
In the 6-0 win at Roselle, Cheema had two goals and two assists and Hoagland made four saves.
A header by Freddy DeAbreu in overtime won the 2-1 regular season game at Roselle Park on Sept. 25. A goal by Brian Almeida in the first half tied the game at 1-1.
On a Monday night home game Oct. 6, Brearley received the 10th goal from Kuroski, the fifth from Almeida and the third from Cheema in beating the Ranney School 3-0. Hoagland made four saves before backup keeper Louis Garzone came in for him and played well over the final 10 minutes – with the two combining for that shutout.
Michael Minniti scored both Brearley goals in its 4-2 loss at Cranford in a first round Union County Tournament contest.
In the 1-0 win at Dayton on Oct. 20, Kuroski scored the game’s only goal in the second half, with John Devigili earning the assist. Hoagland made five saves for the shutout.
Brearley had won a six in a row before falling to South River. When the Bears beat Ranney, it was their season-high seventh straight triumph.
When the girls’ team defeated Highland Park in their first state tournament game, it was their sixth win in eight matches (6-1-1). Brearley was shut out at New Providence 3-0 the game before. New Providence ended up capturing North 2, Group 1 before falling in the Group 1 semifinals.
Amanda Filippone scored in the first half of the Highland Park state tournament victory, with Becky Olivera earning the assist. Freshman goalkeeper Krissy Pinho did well to come up with four saves for the shutout.
Before its regular season setback to New Providence, Brearley defeated Solomon Schechter of West Orange 4-1 at home.
In between its 7-1 UCT first round loss at New Providence on Oct. 10 and its conference defeat at New Providence on Nov. 6, the Bears went 5-0-1, including an impressive 1-1 home tie against a Johnson team that was 13-0-1 at the time. Johnson went on to reach the UCT final for the first time since 1994 and also reached the Central Jersey, Group 2 semifinals, finishing 15-3-2.
Brearley did well to beat New Providence the first time the teams played in conference competition this year, winning 2-0 at home in a night game on Sept. 18.
So the Bears can say that they defeated one sectional champion – New Providence – and tied an undefeated team in Johnson that made it to its first UCT final in 14 years and reached its sectional semifinals.
In the Johnson tie, Filippone scored in the first half off an assist by Janine Casale. Johnson tied the game before halftime. Pinho made 11 saves.
In Brearley’s 7-1 road win over Dayton five days later, Filippone and Hanna LoBello both netted hat-tricks, while Pinho made six saves.
Samantha Hoag and LoBello assisted the two goals scored by Filippone in a 2-1 win at home against Dayton on Oct. 21.
Tania Miranda had two goals in an 8-1 win at Hillside on Oct. 14.
Filippone scored three goals and had two assists in Brearley’s first win of the year which was an 11-0 triumph at home over Sussex Tech on Sept. 13.
Brearley finished 8-12 last year after just missing qualifying for the state playoffs.
