VIDEO: Warriors hang on to upset Buena for first-ever playoff victory

Posted: October 25th 2023

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

Wildwood High School first began fielding a boys soccer program in the late 1980s.

The 2024 version has done something never accomplished before.

The Warriors scored two early goals and made them stand up in earning a 2-1 victory in a first-round South Jersey Group I Tournament game at Buena Wednesday afternoon.

The victory is the first in the state playoffs for Wildwood.

“The boys came to play,” Wildwood coach Sal Zampirri said. “They really brought it.”

Wildwood’s Ryan Cruz stunned the home side by giving his team a lead it would never relinquish only three minutes into the contest by converting a crossing pass from Alex Osorio.

Freshman Alex Palomec, on his birthday, then doubled the Warrior lead off an assist from Yovani Barrios-Morales midway through the first half.

Buena (12-5), the sixth seed in the tournament, cut the Wildwood advantage in half with a goal shortly before halftime, but neither side scored in the second half.

No. 11 Wildwood (12-5-1) withstood some heavy Buena pressure late on, but Broc Denke’s 10 saves and solid defense in the back were enough to save the result for the Warriors.

“The boys were on a mission,” Zampirri said. “The goal before the season was to win our first division title or the first state playoff game or both. We came up short on the division title but they stayed on task, they were focused and they didn’t let down because they knew they had another goal in front of them. It was great to see them get that achievement.”

Zampirri credited the team’s seniors – Barrios-Morales, Dan Sanzone, Jaxon Grauel, John Shoemaker, Erick Lara and Buddy Morey – for leading the way.

“The seniors led us today. They really led the march,” Zampirri said. “We knew we had to raise the energy level, the camaraderie, the fire and the fight and take it to the next level in the playoffs, and those guys made sure we did.

“Every single one of our seniors, they didn’t stop pressing. They led us with their energy. They got us over the hump.”

Wildwood will travel to third-seeded Woodstown for a second-round game on Friday at 3 p.m. Wildwood lost, 5-1, at Woodstown earlier this season.

“We don’t want to get complacent here,” Zampirri said. “It’s nice that we’ll get another swing at Woodstown.”

(Video clips courtesy Steve Lerch/Wildwood High Athletics and Gina Miller.)