ORADELL, NJ - Enthusiasm levels were high for the start of the 2025 Soccer Season at The Jack  The Crusaders returned some major firepower with forwards James Melia and John Semelsberger and they were looking for payback to a Spartan team that handed them a loss in last year's opener.
     The competitive Spartans focused their defense on those two outstanding players, but were not able to corral the entire scarlet and gold eleven.  With the Crusaders creating a number of outstanding scoring opportunities in the opening half, they were not able to break through until Josh Arlison found Arcen Tambi who drove a shot to the back of the net, giving BC a 1-0 lead with 15:07 remaining in the half.  The two teams battled without scoring for the remainder of the half and then went another 23 minutes before Andrew Coyne came streaking down the field, James Melia saw him on the far side and threaded a pass that Coyne drove into the back of the net, providing much needed insurance and 2-0 lead.
     The Crusader defense was excellent, minimizing the number of scoring opportunities  their guests had all afternoon. It certainly made the game quite manageable for junior goal keeper John Coleman who gave an excellent effort, recording 3 saves in the shutout.
 

TEAMS	1	2	FINAL
DEPAUL CATHOLIC (0-1. 0-1)	0	0	0
BERGEN CATHOLIC (1-0, 1-0)	1	1	2

SCORING
Arcen Tambi            1 Goal
Andrew Coyne        1 Goal
Josh Arlison            1 Assist
James Melia            1 Assist

SAVES
John Coleman        3 Saves, 0 GA