FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — Ryan Miller sat on the turf at Franklin High School, shaking his head a little as Pingry head soccer coach Miller Bugliari shared kudos and his assistants waved the NJSIAA Non-Public soccer trophy in the air. The Big Blue goalkeeper had anchored a 2-0 victory against Delbarton. But “it hasn’t hit me yet,” he admitted, as he was pulled this way and that for photos and congratulations.
Miller, a sophomore from Chatham, knew the pain from Pingry’s loss to St. Benedict’s Prep last fall. Junior Julian Lopez, who scored both Pingry goals, had felt that anguish twice.
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But this time, the Big Blue left no doubt with a perfect 25-0 season. They also captured the Somerset County Tournament and Prep A this fall.
After the match, the players gathered with their fans at the far end of the field, singing Oasis’ “Wonderwall.”
The Pingry boys soccer team celebrates after defeating Delbarton in the NJSIAA Non-Public A final on Nov. 15, 2026 at Franklin High School.
“The past two years, we’ve been like, ‘Next year’s our year,'” said Lopez, who broke Pingry’s single-season (45) and career (78) goals records.
“The passion to win in this game is what fueled us all year. We won everything else the previous two seasons. This was the only thing the seniors had yet to win. It feels amazing to be able to add another championship.”
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The Big Blue had lost to St. Benedict’s Prep in the Non-Public A final the past two years. Delbarton had faced the same fate one round earlier. But this year, the Green Wave took down the Gray Bees in a Non-Public A semifinal, then outlasted Seton Hall Prep on Nov. 12 to get to the overall final.
Ranked third all-time with 13 NJSIAA boys soccer titles, this was Delbarton’s first trip to the Non-Public A final since 2018.
“There’s a little bit of pressure knowing what’s coming at you,” said Miller, who made eight saves in the final and credited his back line of seniors Ryan Stern and Brian Anders, junior Colton Gedroic and sophomore Josh Guberuk.
“But it’s been great with all these boys. I just love it every day.”
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This is Pingry’s seventh Non-Public soccer title, the first since 2014 when the team was still in the small-school division. Assistant coach Dave Fahey recalled how his own Big Blue playing career had ended in the 1998 Non-Public A final against Delbarton. He pointed out that Pingry has won five straight sectional titles, and been in the final three straight times.
An assistant to Bugliari since graduating from Boston University in 2003, Fahey dashed around celebrating with other alumni going as far back as the 1960s.
“This is family right here,” he said. “This is what it means to us.”
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Pingry stays perfect, topples Delbarton in boys soccer final
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
