Delran Boys Soccer Outlook

Delran has long been among the top boys’soccer programs in the state. That is where Peter Vermes, who became a standout player for the U.S. National Team played, with 66 career CAPS, including appearing in the 1988 Olympics and 1990 World Cup. One of the all-time great women’s soccer players, Carli Lloyd is a Delran graduate.

Over the years the program has produced great players and teams alike.

More recently, the boys’ soccer program has been truly dominant.

Delran recently won eight straight sectional championships, a streak that ended last year. The Bears also twice during this century won consecutive state titles in 2003-2004 and 2021-2022.

So there is always a lot for the program to live up to.

This year coach Tommy Orr has a young team, where the expectations are high, but the experience isn’t. Still, by season’s end this should be a quality team, much like last year when the Bears advanced to the Central Jesey Group 2 final before ending its season
with a 1-0 loss to Robbinsville. This Bears began this week 5-4 while playing one of the top schedules.

Three of the losses were by one goal, to Group 4 contender Cherokee, Group 2 contender Cinnaminson and to defending South Jersey Group 1 champion Haddon Township, which again is a contender.

The other loss was 4-1 to Bordentown which entered the week 8-0 and the top team according to power points in Central Jersey Group 2.

Among the big wins was a 3-1 victory over Group 4 Lenape and a 1-0 triumph over a quality South Jersey Group 3 team, Delsea.

“We pride ourselves on just trying to be battle-tested,” said Orr, a 2006 Delran graduate who was an assistant coach for seven seasons before being named head coach in 2021. “We still play every game to win, but we try to just add different teams that will allow us to get better throughout the season and yet prepare us for the playoffs.”

This year’s team will require Orr to be patient.

“I think we’re a little young this year, a little inexperienced from prior years,” said Orr, who scored the game-winning goal in Delran’s 2-1 win over Harrison in the 2004 state Group 2 championship. “We are still trying to find consistency as far as hard work and winning 50-50 balls and things like that, but it’s a work in progress.

This year’s leading scorer in the first nine games has been captain Martim Marques, a creative senior midfielder who began the week with three goals and three assists. Marques has pinpoint ball control, with the ability to break down defenders 1-v-1.

“He has done really well for us and is definitely dangerous in the attack,” Orr said. “He’s also been a good leader for us.”

The other multiple goals scorers have been junior Pedro Dos Santos and senior Brandon Wynn, both with two goals. Senior keeper Anthony Salvitti has recorded three shutouts. Seniors Eamon McStravick and Tyler Guerra have been among the key

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defenders.

The remaining schedule is just as difficult for the Bears and it’s Orr’s hope that this team will be seasoned enough by the time the Central Jersey playoffs begin. It may sound like a cliché, but there are no easy games on the schedule and by the end of the season, the hope for Delran is that this will pay big dividends in the postseason.