Kearny Keeps the Championship Title for Another Year!

Victoria Kulikowski

Last year’s Hudson County Championship soccer game was one to remember, with Kearny redeeming their title as New Jersey’s soccer town. This year’s excitement was doubled, with both KHS soccer teams sweeping their opponents for a clean win. 

The first game of the 2022 Hudson County Championship finals was at 5 pm, the final girl’s teams being Kearny vs. Bayonne. Bayonne looked ready to win this. A majority of the fans that came to support the game were cheering for Bayonne, with their team colors and all. Bayonne was so ready to win that their mascot came! Although our mascot was not present, Kearny’s cheerleaders were up and ready to make sure the Kearny team felt their support. 23 minutes into the game, Kearny’s first goal was scored, going through two defenders and the start of an absolute showdown. That is all of the action in the first half, although Kearny did lock in their standing with a second goal with 18 minutes left of the game, leaving the score 2-0. We are sure the team appreciates both scorers of the night, Gianna Charney and Maci Covello!

The second game of the night, the boy’s soccer finals, came with a lot more spectators. Contrary to the last game, most fans were from Kearny and were wearing merch, red clothing, and face paint to cheer them on. The game starts, and immediately fans notice that Union City’s footwork is much more compact than Kearny’s, of which our players were slightly showing off their confidence with tricks and new skills. This confidence proved to be true, as Kearny took the first goal in the 24th minute, and managed to score another goal just minutes apart, around the 28th minute of the first half! With the score 2-0, Union City is at the losing end and there may not be enough space for three goals in the second half. With the second half winding down, fans are sure that Kearny will win, and it proves true with a similar timing to the last game. At the 62nd-minute mark, Kearny defeats Union City 3-0 with two goals and an additional one from a penalty kick. Shout out to both scorers here, Alejandro Alvarado with two goals and Johan Baez making the penalty kick. 

With two big accomplishments so far this season, impressive work from both soccer teams!