Boys soccer remains undefeated as Nygren gets 400th win

Rarely has there been such a special moment on a Thursday afternoon. For the Pascack Valley boys soccer team though, the Indians left the field Thursday night as they’ve left every game, undefeated.

However, the October 13th game proved to be more than just another number in the win column and proved to be more than just another Thursday, as head coach Roy Nygren totaled 400 wins in his career as a high school soccer coach. The 4-1 win for PV (9-0) came in Montvale against the St. Joseph Green Knights (3-7-2).

“[Winning 400 games] gives you an opportunity to reflect on where I’ve been and where I am now,” said Nygren, who took over at PV nine years ago. “It brings back a lot of good memories.”

Valley carried out a typical game plan in the first half, playing solid defense, rarely allowing SJR to get shots on goal, and putting the ball as close to the opposing goal as possible for multiple scoring chances.

The Indians dominated possession time early, keeping the ball and going on the attack multiple times against Joe’s defense. Each team had a shot on goal before the scoreless tie was broken, as PV’s senior forward Mike Lin’s header was saved and as Joe’s nearly put away a redirected free kick.

Junior forward Alex Lin came off the bench and was the first to score in the game, taking advantage of a blunder by the St. Joseph’s goalkeeper and scoring in close. He scored once more in the second half from another spot near the goal finish the off Valley’s scoring.

Mike Lin added a few more shots on goal and scored twice, once in the first half on a shot inside and once on a second half penalty kick.

Junior goalkeeper Josh Ulin highlighted a typically strong Valley defensive performance, as the Indians kept their opponent limited to one goal, which they have in every game this season. Ulin recorded six saves, as he showed off his skills in stopping a breakaway one-on-one and saved a penalty kick that was rebounded for SJR’s only goal.

Nygren seemed to have wanted to share this moment with his entire team, as he substituted in some of the bench players that haven’t seen much playing time this year, such as seniors Drew Aral and Petar Micevski.

“We’re proud of our coach,” said senior defender Emilio Quevedo. “You really see how far we’ve come as a unit with all the work he’s done with this team.”

The No. 2 seeded Indians take on No. 7 Don Bosco Prep at home on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County tournament. Nygren previously spent 11 seasons at Don Bosco, where the Ironmen won six Bergen County championships.

During Nygren’s tenure at Don Bosco, the Ironmen compiled a 220-31-8 record winning 11 consecutive league championships, nine appearances in the Bergen County tournament final, and six state sectional final appearances.