The Bergen Community College Bulldogs men’s soccer team celebrated after a double overtime win on penalty kicks in the Region XIX championship against Sussex County Community College Nov. 1.
PARAMUS, N.J. – The results are in: Bergen Community College athletics has completed its most successful autumn in its near-50-year history.
This fall, Bergen boasts two National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region XIX championship teams (men’s cross-country and men’s soccer), a player of the year (soccer forward Malik Stewart) and a coach of the year (men’s soccer coach Fredy Herrera).
“Student success takes many forms,” Managing Director of Athletics Jorge Hernandez, of Teaneck, said. “This group of students delivered the greatest autumn season in the history of Bergen athletics – that’s no small feat for an institution with a storied history such as ours. I am incredibly proud of our teams for their accomplishments on the field, but even more proud of their dedication and commitment to achieving a successful balance of athletics and academics.”
Deadlocked 2-2 after two overtime periods during the region final Nov. 1 in Berkeley Heights, the men’s soccer Bulldogs topped Sussex County Community College on penalty kicks 4-3 to earn the right to advance to the national tournament beginning Nov. 11 in Herkimer, N.Y.
En route to Bergen’s first men’s soccer regional title, the team broke the institution’s 1980 record for wins with 15 after a 4-0 semifinal victory over Northampton Community College.
Led by Herrera, of Hackensack, a Bulldogs soccer alumnus and two-time first-team all-region star, the team also ranked No. 1 in the nation for shutouts with 10 – a mark that broke a 20-year-old Bergen record. Herrera has compiled a 35-14-1 record in his three years as the College’s coach.
First-year forward Stewart, of Teaneck, represents Bergen’s first Region XIX player of the year. He tallied 24 goals, which ranked eighth in the nation. Defender Paul Nganansou, of Congo, joined Stewart on the region first-team. Midfielder Nikola Nikoloski, of Leonia, earned second-team honors.
Meanwhile, the men’s cross-country team ran to the top of the region Oct. 25 in Newark, delivering the College’s third title in the sport – its first since 1981. Second-year coach and former Bergen athlete Deana Dedovitch, of Carlstadt, directed a roster of nine runners, including top 20 region finishers Conner McGillick, of Saddle Brook, Aneudy Nunez, of Hackensack, and Porfirio Olivas, of Garfield. The team will compete in the national championship in Westfield, Mass. Nov. 7.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls 16,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.