Team: Ridgewood
Trainer: Aidan McCluskey
Last year’s record: 13-5-1
Final ranking 2023: No. 12
Rearview mirror
The best of Ridgewood seemed to come from playing with the best last season.
The Maroons secured a share of the Big North Freedom title by sweeping Bergen County co-champion Ramapo — becoming the first team to beat the Raiders twice in a year since Paramus in 2018. Along the way, Ridgewood also split two games with Clifton and held Bergen Catholic to a tie.
When asked how he rose to the challenge, McCluskey boils down his answer to the fact that good players make a better coach.
“We had good players who could compete against strong opponents, and we played against a lot of strong opponents,” said McCluskey, whose team reached the quarterfinals in Bergen and the semifinals in North 1, Group 4.
“I think our schedule last year was one of the toughest in the state. This year it’s even tougher.”
Best assets
Ridgewood returns five starters, including three seniors who have held that role since their sophomore year. One of them is forward Cameron Linnington (18 goals, two assists), who led the team in scoring for two consecutive years and recently transferred to Gettysburg. While Linnington is known as a natural finisher, McCluskey said his game and overall play have taken a big step forward since he first joined the program.
Providing support at the back are two other college talents: senior left back Trevor Rose and defensive midfielder Julius van Schijndel, both of whom were key players in Ridgewood’s run to the 2022 Bergen County final.
Seniors Daniel Kim (1 goal, 5 assists) and Niko Martirossian (3 goals, 2 assists) will be called upon to provide offensive support, especially early on, as their classmate Minkang Choi is still wearing a boot due to a broken foot.
Ridgewood always prioritizes possession and McCluskey believes the spine of this team will be strong. That should help as Ridgewood looks to incorporate three new defenders and a new goal duo.
Expectations
If Ridgewood stays healthy, expect it to be in the race for the division and secure some home games in the postseason.
With 21 seniors to replace, the Maroons will fill out their roster with a bevy of new recruits from the junior league, but that’s part of the annual process for a school of its size.
“We try to practice and do the same things we do on the varsity team,” McCluskey said. “So they’re somewhat prepared. I think the guys coming in from the junior team will help tremendously. We’ll probably have players from the freshman team as well.”
