Delran boys soccer beats Ramsey in Group 2 final on late tally by Roskos

SOMERSET — Last November, Erik Braga was putting away his cleats and handing his football equipment back in. Braga made the switch to the soccer pitch heading into his senior season and found himself in goal for the Bears in Sunday's Group 2 final against Ramsey.

Braga has been solid in net for Delran all season long and had a clean sheet in the Group 2 final as Delran won its 10th group title with a 1-0 victory over the Rams.

"This is what we worked hard for all year," said Braga. "I'm just happy to be a part of it."

Braga was a star for the Bears, but a freak collision on a free kick in the first half forced the goalie off for a short time. Braga punched the ball away but contacted his own defender, falling down and suffering an injury to his nose. Braga had the blood cleaned up and returned a short time later with a bandage on his swollen and possibly broken nose.

"The nose feels amazing," Braga joked after the game. "It doesn't even matter right now."

Braga was back in before halftime, ending the match with eight saves and the sixth clean sheet of his season. For Delaron head coach Tommy Orr, there was never a doubt that his tough keeper would return to the game if he could.

"We joked when we found out that he was okay about how he was a football player and how this should be nothing for him," said Orr. "Honestly, he's been such an important part for us this year and when you see your goalie break his nose and want to stay in the game, it gives energy to the rest of the team."

Delran needed that energy after a back and forth effort with Ramsey, the same team they faced in last season's Group 2 final. Last time, the Bears had a two-goal advantage and ended up fending off a late Rams surge despite playing down two players in the final minutes. This time around, it remained 11-on-11 and scoreless until the final minutes of regulation.

That's when Drew Roskos did what he has done so often for this club, striking one off a rebound in the 75th minute for the lone goal of the match. It was the 25th goal of the season for the junior and the 59th of his eventful Delran career.

"I have a lot of grit and I wanted to get to that ball," said Roskos. "I just put my toe on it and finished it with my left foot and it felt like a dream."

Roskos was on cloud nine a few minutes later when the clock struck zero, completing a return to the title for a Delran club that was not expected to make the return trip. Delran entered the state tournament as the No. 6 seed in South, Group 2.

"I knew this year was going to be a really tough year for me because a lot of focus was going to be on me," said Roskos. "All that does is opens up play for my teammates and I give all the credit to my teammates. Without them, we wouldn't be here right now."

Now, Delran ties the state record for group titles in boys soccer at 10. It's a special program moment for Orr, who has brought two of those group titles to Delran, his alma mater.

"Being an alum and having some success in some of my prior years, I feel like we put our stamp on South Jersey and New Jersey soccer a while ago," said Orr. "I'm just trying to build on what was passed down to me by coach Otto and these kids just really care. The culture is through the roof and this speaks to that."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Delran NJ boys soccer beats Ramsey in Group 2 final