Tyler Kunkel got his junior season of boys soccer off to a memorable start.
The Bordentown Regional High School forward scored twice in the Scotties’ 2-0 win over Delran, last year’s unbeaten Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division winner.
“It was a really special moment to share with the team,” Kunkel said. “I wouldn’t have had it if it wasn’t for two great balls by Joey Klama and Anthony Crisostomo. I can’t really take all the credit, but the team has been working hard.”
The win was Bordentown’s first over Delran in a decade, and it was Delran’s first BCSL loss in three seasons.
“That was an exciting win,” said Scotties coach Jason Zablow, whose team was 4-1-1 in the BCSL Patriot Division as of Sept. 25. “Our guys kind of stepped up to the challenge. We always talked about not playing down to your opponent and we kind of challenged them to step up and play up to their end. The guys bought in and we blocked a lot of shots, competed in the air against a team that was bigger and stronger than us, and we found a way to score two goals between a set piece and counterattack and got a really good 2-0 result.”
The goals were huge for Kunkel, who had been slowed by injuries in his first two seasons on the varsity team. Keeping him healthy and on the field will be a big bonus for the Scotties. While Kunkel has gained playing experience over his first two years, his biggest takeaways are how to just stay on the field.
“Staying fit and healthy,” he said. “You’ve got to keep your body in shape and make sure you’re taking care of everything and eating healthy. Staying on the field is the most important part.”
Kunkel has been more vigilant about caring for his body since missing the early part of his freshman year with an avulsion fracture in his upper leg, then time as a sophomore due to a hip injury. His new maintenance calls for massage guns, ice, heat, stretching.
“I’ve definitely taken more precautions,” he said.
Kunkel wants to be available for Bordentown for all games this year. He’s shown flashes of brilliance in his time on the field in his first two seasons, and delivered offense for the Scotties.
“When I was able to get on the field, I was happy that I contributed,” Kunkel said. “I contributed to one my freshman year in Northern Burlington in a 1-0 win. I was pretty pumped about that and then sophomore year I think had a goal against BCIT that was pretty good.”
Though he’s not a senior year, Kunkel is one of the more veteran players that Bordentown has. The Scotties are young, particularly up front.
“We actually have a young nucleus of our attack,” Zablow said. “Like in our center midfield, we’ve been starting two sophomore three sophomores, a junior, and we only have one senior midfielder on the team that plays a ton and then our striker is only a junior. So we have a lot of young guys going forward which fortunately they got to play together as freshmen and sophomores last year, so they’re kind of starting to gel. They’re a really talented group kind of figuring out ways to score goals and when to step up to be the guy.”
Klama and Nick Carlini are senior leaders that strengthen the back of the defense. They have been vocal leaders and kept the team organized and accountable to each other.
“We have a good balance,” Zablow said. “We have a lot of young guys up front, but a couple of senior leaders in the back that helps kind of keep everything calm when things get crazy.”
Liam Mellor has filled perhaps the biggest question mark coming into the season. The freshman goalie stopped a pair of penalty kicks in his first two weeks of action.
“He’s playing great, great soccer, communicating for us, making big saves when we need it,” Zablow said. “He saved 2 PK’s so far this season, so he’s off to a great start. The guys are kind of gelling and I don’t think we’re at our finished product yet, which excites me as well because we’ve had different guys banged up with injuries that we’re trying to get everybody to come back and be healthy so we can see our best 15-16 guys all together.”
Kunkel is working to make sure that he’s one of the leaders on the field to supply some offense. While he plays a defensive back spot on his Match Fit Academy club team, he is up top for the Scotties. He stands out for his strengths he can bring to the attack.
“His 1v1 technical ability, the ball sticks to his feet, he’s creative and then he kind of sees the field and the runs and the movements that need to happen better than other guys,” Zablow said. “I think it’s because of the high level soccer that he plays. So he’s got that high level IQ where he’s able to kind of see a run before other guys and either go and make it or direct other guys to where they should be kind of going. He’s kind of our leader in our attack in terms of our playmaker, he makes stuff happen when things maybe aren’t going well, or we’re struggling a little bit, and he can take anybody up 1v1 and get dangerous at any point in the game.”
Kunkel’s goals this year are lofty. He would love a balanced line of 10 goals and 10 assists as he looks to be an engine for the offense, and his top goal isn’t one that you can put in the net.
“My goals are just I want to help my team get to the top of our division this year,” Kunkel said.
Having been through a couple of seasons, he understands how hard that is. And Bordentown followed up an overtime wins over Florence with a hard fought loss to Northern Burlington, and after picking up the historic victory over Delran they tied Holy Cross when the Scotties couldn’t hold a lead.
“When you’re playing division games, you always got to be prepared,” Kunkel said. “You can’t underestimate anybody in your division. It’s always going to be a hard-fought game and it’s just really who comes prepared and who wants it more at the end of the day.”
Kunkel has been fine-tuning his game since he put more energy into focusing on his sport. While he enjoys biking, playing video games and spending time with friends, he pours a lot of his free time into soccer. It began when he joined Players Development Academy before a year ago moving to Match Fit for the ECNL level opportunities. Club helped him develop his technical skills to prepare to take on older players when he got to high school.
“When you’re one of those smaller kids, club can really help you with your technical ability, trying to get around and using your skills and speed to get around those bigger kids and not getting bumped off the ball,” Kunkel said. “Really just getting used to that quick play to really help you exceed that level.”
He has continued to develop his skills in his time with Bordentown. He has two seasons to finish before he considers where he’d like to play at the next level, but Kunkel is hoping to play college soccer.
“I think I realized that freshman year coming in that I could really make an impact on the team and help everybody out and kind of realizing then that I can make it to the next level if I work hard enough.”
This year affords him another opportunity to develop as a player as one of the more experienced attackers on the field. He’s seen his game grow in several areas thanks to being a part of the Scotties program the last two seasons.
“I think taking a leadership role and kind of teaching other people and trying to use my ability to make other people better in those situations and kind of the technical ability and passing and shooting and everything.”
Kunkel will be counted on as a leader up top. The Scotties need him on the field for a group that already has shown a lot of promise in the early weeks of the season. Bordentown has the pieces to play a variety of styles to counter its opponents, and they’re learning how to better finish off games and where each player can help the team the most.
“In the beginning of year, when you bring the group together, you’re trying to learn each other’s movements and kind of patterns,” Zablow said. “They’re starting to figure that out more and more, and we’re kind of building on that each day as well.”
Big wins early gave Bordentown momentum, and with all their youth the Scotties figure to develop plenty as the season progresses. Tyler Kunkel wants to stay healthy to be a part of it and to help drive Bordentown to some big achievements in the BCSL.
“We’re a really young group,” Kunkel said. “I think we’re really hungry to make a name for ourselves and push Bordentown to the top of the group and just show everybody that we could be those top dogs.”
Tyler Kunkel (8) competes for a loose ball in Bordentown’s home victory over Moorestown Friends, 3-2, on Sept. 24, 2024. (Photo by Suzette Lucas.),
