Clifton boys soccer claims first Passaic County title since 2021 and 23rd overall
CLIFTON – The most storied boys soccer program in Passaic County lore added another chapter to its illustrious history.
Clifton, winners of the most county titles, returned to the top with a dominating, 4-0 win over Wayne Valley in the Passaic County championship on Saturday at Clifton Schools Stadium.
It’s the Mustangs first county title since 2021 and a record 23rd in program history.
Three different players scored for the Mustangs, who led 2-0 at the half. Wiktor Kiszkiel opened the scoring in the eighth minute and Vitalii Datsyk followed with 1:46 left in the first half. Simon Deossa put the Mustangs up 3-0 just 90 seconds into the second half.
“Every year there’s different personalities here. When you see these kids grow from day one and they buy in, it’s magic,” Clifton coach Stan Lembryk said. “They’re old-school, blue-collar kids. They roll up their sleeves and give it their all. Hats off to Wayne Valley. Our message was pretty clear today. We had to be ourselves. Today was about habits and details. It was a great performance with some really good goals.”
In a fitting tribute, Clifton (12-1-1) was awarded the Fernando Rossi Trophy, given to the annual tournament winner and named in honor of the iconic late Clifton soccer coach. Rossi’s family, including wife Cleonida, daughter Tina, and son, Giuseppe, presented the award to the Mustangs.
“Coach Rossi was my mentor and to have his son and family here and present this trophy for the first time means a lot to a lot of people who have been around this program,” Lembryk said. “I’ve been around Clifton soccer for 40 years since I was a kid and Clifton soccer is a special place.”
Kiszkiel put the Mustangs on the board when he converted a penalty kick in the eighth minute after getting knocked to the turf by a Wayne Valley defender in front of the box.
“It was an early goal, but a deserved goal,” Lembryk said of the penalty kick. “It came out of a lot of pressure and came out of pursuit of the ball. We created it and to finish it really set us in the right direction.”
After Datsyk scored right before the half, Deossa opened the second half with a quick goal.
“This feels great. We won as a team and it wasn’t just me,” said Deossa, who ran his season goal total to seven. “We really wanted it this year, especially after losing in the final last year. We got it and worked for it.”
The shutout was the eighth of the season for Clifton’s defense. Since dropping a 3-0 contest to Ridgewood back on September 28, the Mustangs have won seven straight games to conclude the regular season.
“The defense was rock solid today. Defense wins championships,” Lembryk said. “They are tough. They put their body on the line and they’re always covering for each other. The energy is non-stop. This win puts us in a good place. Having the ability to deal with pressure and being back here after last season is positive. I’m proud of them.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ boys soccer: Clifton claims first Passaic County title since 2021
