It may seem strange to call this year the greatest in the history of Robbinsville High soccer when the Ravens forged a 4-12-1 record during the regular season.
But what followed in the post-season was unparalleled for Robbinsville, as it won a state tournament game for the first time ever, put four players on the Colonial Valley Conference’s Coaches Team and had one player selected for an individual honor.
“We had a talk,” head coach Jason Armstrong said. “You exit the season with only four wins. It doesn’t grab your attention by any means.
“But I told the guys we’ve achieved a lot. It’s probably the best year in the program’s history because we advanced in the state tournament, and some players got recognition in the CVC.”
The history-making tournament win came on Nov. 10 when Brenden Barca’s goal and Dave Pastuna’s 11 saves gave the 13th-seeded Ravens a 1-0 win over a fourth-seeded-seeded Spotswood team that finished 13-6-1. Robbinsville lost its second-round game with Long Branch Nov. 13.
“It was a long time coming,” Pastuna said. “It really helps kind of ease the pain of the last few years. It’s a huge stepping stone for our program. It’s one of those moments I guess that hopefully will have a residual effect.”
It was basically a case of getting over the hump.
“It was like, as a program you feel like you’re finally getting somewhere,” Armstrong said. “You play in the CVC, and those teams have a rich tradition we just don’t have. You always feel that somehow those teams will always pull ahead and pull out a win. Not that I’m comparing us to other teams in the CVC now, but with that win we were able to gain a little a foundation and have something to fall back on.”
Helping to build that foundation were this year’s four award-winning seniors, which started with Pastuna.
Once a reluctant goalie, Pastuna was named by the coaches as the CVC Goalkeeper of the Year. He is not only the first individual honoree for Robbinsville, but also the first Raven to ever be nominated for first team All-CVC.
“That’s huge for us, not just for Dave but for the team,” Armstrong said. “I really think he deserves it. He’s put in a ton of effort, he worked hard for four years.”
Pastuna came into the season as a serviceable goalie, and Armstrong pointed to Sep. 24 as the day he elevated into an outstanding one. A 29-save effort against Notre Dame helped the Ravens to a 2-2 tie against one of the CVC’s top teams.
“For a young program to be able to tie a team like Notre Dame was huge for us,” Armstrong said. “I think that game right there, he just found another level as a player. “He was in a zone ever since that game. He calms our defense just by his sheer presence. It allows us as a team to be more confident on or off the ball.”
Armstrong added that Pastuna was the key to Robbinsville’s transition game, as he would make a save and get a quick release to put the Ravens on attack.
In front of Pastuna was sweeper Dan Gavrushanko, a third-team pick.
“He kept our defense in check,” Armstrong said. “He tackles hard and plays aggressive. He wins most of the balls in the air that he can get too. He’s a real solid force in the back.”
Another third-team pick was Barca, who led the team with nine goals entering the Long Branch game.
“He was a varsity player for three years and it took him time to learn the game,” noted Armstrong. “I think this year he came into the season with just a will to score goals. In the off-season he worked hard every day and just improved.”
Rounding out the honorees was honorable mention selection Sam Acheampong, who started as a marking back but got moved to the outside.
“We originally had ideas of him being a marking back and being able to push up, because he can run, is physical and has good ball skills,” Armstrong said. “We ended up trying to work the flank with him. We moved some guys around and Sam found himself at outside mid. He’s a catalyst for our transition game because Dave wins the ball and usually gets it out wide to Sam.”
Other players who the coach felt had a strong year were senior stopper Tom Lynch and junior midfielder Chris Tan.
“We didn’t expect a whole lot out of Tom, it was his first varsity season,” Armstrong said. “But he came into his own and was a real solid force in the middle of the field.
“Chris Tan is just a workhorse. He allows our team to transition the way we do.”
And in looking at the season as a whole, Armstrong hopes the transition from also-ran to quality program may have started this year.
