What an absolute thriller under the lights! The North Hunterdon Lions Unified Soccer team wrapped up their season in unforgettable fashion on October 28, 2026, hosting the Hackettstown Tigers for a high-scoring, action-packed Senior Night showcase. Before the opening whistle, North Hunterdon celebrated its graduating seniors—Zach Baratta, Aliya (A-Train) Bello, Joe Hubert, Jacob (The Jet) Lescota, Kirsten Obiedzinski, Ashley Olsen, Samantha Peterson, KJ (The Spark) Steidle, and absent honorees Tige Larkin and Deep Patel—honoring their immense dedication to building an inclusive community through sports, leadership, and friendship. Click HERE to review the Senior Night Script.
Once the game kicked off, both offenses put on a complete clinic, delivering a frantic 24-goal shootout!
First Half: A Fast-Paced Shootout
The first half set the stage for a wild track meet. Hackettstown built a strong early rhythm behind dynamic offensive drives. Isaac (The Maestro) Jaramillo conducted the offense masterfully, striking twice with two first-half goals. The Tigers kept the pressure on with early tallies from Andy (The Dynamo) Djongang, Axel (The Axxelerator) Amaya, Evan (Electric) Humphries, Zach (Zig-Zag) Gallis, Eli (Eli-vated) Koscuik, and Emma (The Spark) Conklin. Max Nash added to the action by picking up a first-half assist.
North Hunterdon fought right back with plenty of fireworks of their own. Maria (Storm) Clara Sousa flexed her multi-talented skills early, storming past the defense to net two first-half goals. KJ (The Spark) Steidle lived up to his nickname by igniting the Lions’ offense with a first-half strike, while Bettina (Bat Girl) Manasseri Castro swooped in to add another goal. The Lions moved the ball brilliantly with first-half assists setting up key plays from Tige Larkin and Ashley Olsen.
Defensively, both teams leaned on giant performances in net. For the Lions, Elena (Supernova) Plaza lit up the box with two big saves, while Colby Hender turned away another attempt. Bettina (Bat Girl) Manasseri Castro also pulled double-duty by making two saves. When the halftime whistle blew, Hackettstown held a narrow 8–5 edge.
Second Half: A High-Octane Finish
The energy doubled in the second half as both squads traded electrifying plays.
Hackettstown’s offensive momentum was powered by CJ (Speedy) Gonzales, who set up his teammates all afternoon with two second-half assists. Gabby (G-Force) Dinkelspeil brought unstoppable force to the field, recording a goal and two assists of her own in the half. Axel (The Axxelerator) Amaya, Evan (Electric) Humphries, Zach (Zig-Zag) Gallis, and Eli (Eli-vated) Koscuik all continued their relentless attack, adding key goals and assists to keep the Tigers ahead. Emma (The Spark) Conklin finished off a massive three-point day by striking twice more in the final frame.
Refusing to back down on Senior Night, the Lions rallied with a heroic second-half charge. Jamie (Luck of the Irish) Sullivan put on an absolute clinic, exploding for three second-half goals (four total on the day!) to keep North Hunterdon within striking distance. Aliya (A-Train) Bello went full throttle down the pitch, chugging through the defense to pile on two second-half goals. Marlee Ceglia and Samantha Peterson provided crucial second-half assists to fuel the comeback attempt.
The second half featured highlight-reel defense from both sides. Tigers keeper Max Nash came up with a pivotal second-half save. For North Hunterdon, Carly (Xena Warrior Princess) Moore was a warrior in front of the net with two big saves, matched by Colby Hender who added two more second-half saves of his own. Joe Hubert added a clutch save in net to cap off a thrilling defensive effort.
When the final whistle blew, Hackettstown walked away with a hard-fought 14–10 victory in a spectacular, non-stop matchup.
Celebrating the Spirit of Unified Sports
While the scoreboard showed 14–10, the real victory belonged to every athlete, partner, coach, and fan on the field. Guided by Head Coaches Ashley McManus and Chris Link for the Lions and Rebecca Bordi and Kristen Meister for the Tigers, both teams embodied everything that makes Unified Sports special—friendship, passion, and pure fun.
A special thank you goes out to referee Ms. Thorsen, scorekeeper Mrs. Anderson, Athletic trainer Tyler Roseberry, Unified Coordinator Mrs. Byron for making Senior Night an incredible success. Congratulations to all the seniors on an amazing high school Unified soccer career! Click HERE to review the Statistics.
