On November 11, the 2025 Tenafly Varsity Boys Soccer team’s phenomenal season came to an end with a tough 2-0 state sectional semifinal loss against the defending champions Randolph High School. Nonetheless, the soccer team made Tenafly history this year by having the first undefeated regular season in 30 years. The boys finished the season with a remarkable 14-0 regular season and 17-2 final record. Additionally, the soccer team progressed far in the county and state sectional tournaments, making it to the semifinals in counties for the first time since 2015 and the semifinals of the sectional tournament for the first time since 2014.
The Tigers came into the season with one of their best starts to a boys soccer season ever, winning their first 14 games in a row. Before their first loss, Tenafly was one of the last four boys soccer teams in the entire state to be undefeated. With each win, it became clear that Tenafly soccer was chasing history. Each possession, each save, each scored goal was a step towards something greater. The undefeated regular season is a testament of Tenafly’s incredible achievement and the culmination of months of hard work by both the players, coaches, and staff.
The boys soccer team played with heart the entire season. Led by Head Coach Michael Carrasquilla and Assistant Coach Colin Hollis, the entire team functioned as one cohesive unit. Tenafly played in a 3-5-2 formation with an almost all-senior starting lineup, but also had capacity to be able to rotate the wingback pairs every ten minutes without dropping its level of play. Not many other teams in the state could boast the depth that Tenafly had. The boys were also exceptional both on the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. One of the driving forces behind the soccer team’s offense this year was its unselfish play; Tenafly was able to score a league-best 68 goals over the course of the season. The offense was led by senior striker Ori Oelsner (’26), who amassed 27 goals throughout the season. On the defensive end, Tenafly was led by a back three of Max Romanov (’26), Nikhil Seth (’26), and Ethan Schwartz (’26), who conceded only 14 goals over the course of 19 games. Jason Baer (’27), the goalkeeper and anchor of the defense, tallied over 80 saves over the course of the season. Tenafly’s tenacious defense resulted in ten clean sheets, or games in which the team conceded no goals.
However, soccer is not just about the statistics, and it is clear that this season meant more to the players than just the results of the games and practices. Under the guidance of the “Leadership Council,” a council of seven veteran varsity players, the team found a balance between having fun in practices while also striving for improvement. Oelsner explained his thoughts on the leadership council and how that affected the team’s success.
“I think the season went well because our seniors really stepped up and our leadership council was very impactful,” Oelsner said. “Being a leader on the team is really about trust and communication . . . I think that’s what has led to our success: our ability to truly trust each other on and off the field.”
As a senior, Oelsner also reflected on how he would miss the routine of being part of the team: “I’ll miss coming to practice and seeing my teammates every day. This year, we were all united, and it truly meant a lot. Our team felt like a family and we were able to trust each other on the field. I think that’s what I’ll miss the most: the bonds and the chemistry we had on the team.”
Tenafly’s only two losses of the season came in the county and state tournaments, in which Tenafly entered as the third seed in both. In counties, Tenafly lost in the semifinal round to second seed and back-to-back-to-back-to-back (Yes, four-time, now five!) defending champions Ramapo High School. In the state sectional tournament, Tenafly lost in the semifinal round to the second seed and defending champions Randolph High School.
One moment to remember came during the quarterfinal round of the county tournament against Wallington High School. Tenafly went 1-0 down halfway into the second half, marking the first time in the entire season that it had ever been losing in a game up to that point. The Tigers would respond with a goal to tie the game 1-1, and senior James Jung (’26) would score the winning goal in overtime to win the game for Tenafly, 2-1.
“I still remember when Wallington scored on us—and instead of putting our heads down like we might’ve done in past seasons, we huddled up, locked in, and went right back at them,” Jung said. “We scored two goals after that and won the game. That moment summed up our team: we played with heart every time we stepped on the field. We didn’t quit. We trusted each other.” This idea of trust between all of the team members of Tenafly is a key reason for the success of the soccer team this season, and the juniors hope to carry this brotherhood into the 2026 season.
“Everyone played for each other,” Sebastian Mendez (’27) said, a junior wingback and center midfielder who will play a core leadership role in the team next year. “I love how the 2025 team felt like a family. What I plan to build on from this season into the next is the same drive to play for one another. I hope that everyone will have the hunger to win everything, and I hope our chemistry will be as good as it was this year, if not better next year.”
The coaches and players of the varsity soccer team were recognized for their remarkable accomplishments this season. They are listed below and are a demonstration of the sheer dominance and quality of the soccer team this year. This season was a breakthrough year for the Tigers, and the future looks bright for Tenafly soccer.
Coaching Staff
Coach Michael Carrasquilla: Coach of the Year, Bergen County Coaches Association
Coach Michael Carrasquilla: Coach of the Year, North 1 NJ state section
All-County Recognition
Max Romanov (’26): 1st Team All-County
Ori Oelsner (’26): 1st Team All-County, Jerry Lewis Best 11
Davin Shin (’26): 1st Team All-County
Ethan Schwartz (’26): 2nd Team All-County
Nikhil Seth (’26): 3rd Team All-County
All-League Recognition
Max Romanov (’26): 1st Team All-League
Ori Oelsner (’26): 1st Team All-League
Davin Shin (’26): 1st Team All-League
Ethan Schwartz (’26): 1st Team All-League
Nikhil Seth (’26): 1st Team All-League
Jason Baer (’27): 1st Team All-League, Jerry Lewis Best 11
Peter Bell de Miguel (’26): 2nd Team All-League
Roan Drabo (’26): 2nd Team All-League
James Jung (’26): 2nd Team All-League
Jeffrey Rico (’26): 2nd Team All-League
Diego Aldeco-Ortiz (’27): 2nd Team All-League
Joshua Santosh (’27): 2nd Team All-League
Mathew Seigerman (’27): 2nd Team All-League
Evan Kim (’27): All-League Honorable Mention
