Boys soccer: Here are the 2023 All-North Jersey teams
After an exciting season, the following players have been selected to the 2023 All-North Jersey boys soccer teams.
The North Jersey Boys Soccer Player of the Year will be announced at the North Jersey High School Sports Awards show in June. All first-team players are nominees for Player of the Year.
FIRST TEAM
Antonio Spina
Ramapo senior goalkeeper
Spina backstopped the Raiders to a share of the Bergen County title by allowing one goal all tournament long. For the season, he stopped 80-of-88 shots for a first-place team.
Jacob Marcos
Ramapo senior defender
Great defense is a big part of the Raiders' identity, and Marcos carried on that tradition as the only returning back. At stopper, he had three goals and two assists for a team that earned 10 shutouts.
Max Nierenberg
Ramsey senior defender
His decision to play one more year of soccer was a pivotal moment for the unbeaten league, county and state champions. The 6-4 outside back who plans to play point guard in college pushed his team over the hump with four goals and four assists, including the winning header in the Group 2 final.
Cosimo Tristani
Bergen Catholic senior defender
Tristani made a huge impact with his IQ and passing ability after coming over from the Cedar Stars Academy this season. The Fordham commit held opponents to a goal per game and produced four goals and two assists of his own.
Patrick Weir
Ramsey senior defender
Weir was the steadying force on the greatest team in Ramsey history, anchoring a defense that allowed eight goals in 24 games. The Penn commit got it done on the offensive side, too, with 12 goals and five assists from the centerback position.
Johannes Alvarez
Garfield senior midfielder
Alvarez quarterbacked one of the top offenses in the state and helped the Boilermakers win the Group 3 title. He chipped in six goals and a Bergen County-best 17 assists to spark a lineup full of juniors.
Vitalii Datsyk
Clifton senior midfielder
Datsyk was the experienced field general for a team that brought home league and county titles. He scored in double-figures for the second straight season with 11 goals to go with 12 assists.
Kevin Contreras
Old Tappan senior forward
Scoring 18 goals and two assists is hard enough, but it's even more impressive for Contreras who took on a rigorous league and crossover schedule in the Big North National. It all culminated with a last-second winner in the sectional semis after missing four games with a bad anke.
Andrew Armstrong
Pompton Lakes senior forward
The Dayton commit turned in a historic senior year by breaking school records for goals in a season (37) and a career (88). He finished atop the North Jersey scoring race this fall and added 11 assists for a divisional champion.
Luke Ernst
Ramsey senior forward
So much of the Rams' offense was tailored around Ernst, who used his speed down the left side to burn defenders or create openings for his teammates. The Rams' captain set career highs with 11 goals and 12 assists and drove the program to its first county title.
Sebastian Ortega
Bergen Catholic senior forward
No one in the Big North scored more points this year than the Crusaders' savvy, sharp-shooting striker. Ortega racked up 25 goals and 12 assists on the year and climbed into the top 10 all-time in program history for both.
JJ Ruehlemann
Waldwick junior forward
Ruehlemann picked up 31 goals and 13 assists while serving as a vocal captain for a team with just one senior starter. A growth spurt and a move up the field made him one of the game's most improved players.
SECOND TEAM
Axel da Silva, Waldwick junior goalkeeper
Steven De Pinto, Ramsey junior goalkeeper
Cameron Zutic, Clifton senior goalkeeper
Jett Aktan, DePaul senior defender
Justin Leach, Clifton junior defender
Joseph Lee, Bergen Catholic senior defender
Skyler Saric, Cliffside Park senior defender
Frankie DeFrancesco, DePaul senior midfielder
Ryan DeKorte, Ramapo senior midfielder
Aidan Linnington, Ridgewood senior midfielder
Nicholas Vaimakis, Tenafly junior midfielder
Shahan Zamanian Rad, Don Bosco senior midfielder
Leland Gonzalez, Garfield junior forward
Steven Gifford, Pascack Valley junior forward
Cameron Linnington, Ridgewood junior forward
Dominic Valenzuela, Wayne Valley senior forward
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ boys soccer: Here are the 2023 All-North Jersey teams
