Bryan Meredith at MLS Combine

If anything has typified Bryan Meredith’s career until now it has been his ability to ascend seamlessly to the next level of competition. From becoming the first freshman to start at goalie at Scotch Plains Fanwood to leading the nation in lowest goals against average at Monmouth University, Meredith has conquered every challenge in his path.
Having just completed his final year of college eligibility, Meredith now faces a gargantuan leap in upward mobility-a professional career. Meredith was one of only five college goalies chosen to the MLS combine which is a showcase for MLS prospects prior to the MLS draft.

The initial player list of 54 college seniors was chosen by a panel of Division I college coaches, representing all conferences, who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. The players, plus those from the Generation Adidas Program, Division II and II schools, and NAIA schools, will be added in the coming weeks and will participate in the 2011 Adidas MLS Player Combine at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 7-11. The Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature two games per day on Jan. 8, 10 and 11.

Although he did not play at one of the marquee names in NCAA soccer Meredith had some of his finest efforts against teams like UConn, West Virginia and Seton Hall and never lost to a Big East team during his career.

“It's always a plus to have a good record against teams from powerhouse conferences, especially when we are from a small league like the Northeast Conference” said Meredith, who led Monmouth to a 14-2-4 record this season and a top twenty ranking.

His college coach Rob McCourt a former professional player is confident that the 6’2 175 pound Meredith, who had 11 shutouts this season and 36 for his career, has the proper combination of talent and intelligence to ascend to the highest level.

“Bryan has the perfect size for a keeper and he is extremely quick. He also anticipates what the opponent wants to do and works very well with his defense” said McCourt, who added that perhaps Meredith’s finest skill is his overall soccer ability.

“Bryan was used in the field in high school and that is quite apparent when you see how accurate he is with his punts or goal kicks and how well he handles pass backs. Many of our best counterattacks over the last three years were started by Bryan” said McCourt.

Meredith’s high school coach Tom Breznitsky felt torn between moving Meredith out of a position he dominated to supplying the Raiders with needed offense.

“Bryan was so good with his feet and such an offensive threat that in certain games we thought he could help us more on offense. I had another good keeper and Bryan’s attitude and ability made the move easy,” said Breznitsky, who became aware of Meredith’s ability while in middle school.

“We had seen him play some club games and we had no experienced returning goalies so it was an easy decision to move him in as a freshman” recalled Breznitsky who had never started a freshman in the high pressure goalie position.

Meredith would respond immediately, not allowing a goal until his eighth game and took command of a veteran team, leading the Raiders to what would be the first of three straight section crowns. He was a four time selection to all county and was all state his senior year,

“He is the best goalie we have ever had at Scotch Plains and we have had many good ones but Bryan was great for four years” said Breznitsky.

“Bryan has made some saves at Monmouth that had to be seen to be believed and of course he stopped an all American (Mike Pezza of UConn) in a penalty kick shootout in an NCAA game (2009)” added McCourt.

“I am confident Bryan has everything needed to make it at the next level and will outwork everyone like he always has. He wants to totally master his position.”

For Meredith a superb athlete, who eschewed other sports for only soccer while in high school, the invite to the combine is the culmination of a lifelong dream fashioned from countless hours of practice with his PDA club and his school teams. A good student who will graduate with a communications degree, Meredith has no immediate plans to work a normal 9-to-5 occupation.

“It has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to play professional soccer, so I am going to try everything I can to play professional soccer.”

Brez nears 600

From December 2010 Patch


If it had been one of those formula Disney sports movies, then the Scotch Plains Fanwood Boys soccer team would have won the Group 3 State final in dramatic fashion and carried their emotional coach off the field with his 600th career victory. But the Raiders’ Cinderella run through the state tournament ended in a sectional finals loss to Chatham and Breznitsky will return for a 37th season in 2011 four wins short of becoming the fourth coach in New Jersey history to reach the 600 mark. Ironically enough, in a season where the Raiders finished with a pedestrian 10-8-7 record, there were many that thought Breznitsky did one of his finest jobs taking a team that had only three experienced players and molding them into a squad that nearly won the county title before losing in overtime in the finals and then won three road games to make the section finals.

“It's hard to say if it was the best coaching job or not; the way it turned around was dramatic, but every year just as much work goes into the job. He is incredibly passionate about the program and spends all his time thinking about the team and what he can do to help improve it. He is without a doubt the most dedicated high school coach I have ever known,” said Joe Mortarulo a former player in the 1980s who has been an assistant coach the past 17 years.

(Note) The Newark Star Ledger named Breznitsky the Union county coach of the Year for 2010.

“This season I could not be happier for the boys. They did a great job all year and were an absolute pleasure to coach,” said Breznitsky, who added he is not motivated by career wins numbers but by the challenge and enjoyment of molding a new group of young men into a successful unit.

“I don't coach for the wins. I coach for the kids and because I enjoy it. 596 or 621 wins are just numbers. As for retiring I have no plans to do so,” said Breznitsky.

Breznitsky’s biggest challenge this season may have been getting his young team to believe that they were good enough to win.

“We had a very young and inexperienced team. We had been working so hard in the first half of the season, and each game we found a way to give away a positive result. We never took our eye off the next opponent. And that kept the entire group focused,” said Mortarulo.

It was September of 1975.when Breznitsky was coaching his first varsity soccer game. Amazing as it may seem today, Breznitsky thought he would only coach soccer until he could become head baseball coach, a sport he was much more knowledgeable about.

“I figured I would keep coaching junior varsity baseball and eventually take
over as head coach, but the coach never left,” said Breznitsky with a chuckle.

While seemingly as intense as ever, Breznitsky seems to have his imminent achievement in the right perspective.

“600 wins tells you have had some longevity and you’ve been lucky enough to have had some great players.”

It took Breznitsky some time to build the soccer program into the dynasty it is today. He credits an exceptional group of players led by three times all state player Lino DiCuollo, who Breznitsky considers his best player.

In addition to DiCuollo, who was a college All American at Rutgers, other key members of his first state finalist team in 1985 were such Scotch Plains legends as Victor and Alex Passucci as well as Mortarulo. In their first game of the 1985 season they made a major statement by winning 3-1 at Wall, one of the state’s top soccer powers, before a packed house.

“Coach told us that we had nothing to fear and we played with a lot of confidence,” recalled Mortarulo.

Although he was an exceptional talent, it was still considered a novelty when DiCuollo started as a freshman.

“He was ahead of his time. Nobody put freshmen on varsity at that time
but he was not afraid to play his best players not matter how old they were” said DiCuollo, who now works as a Player Personnel/International Business Director for Major League Soccer (MLS) in New York.

After playing professionally in Germany, DiCuollo enrolled in law school and practiced at the private law firm in Newark before being hired by Champions World. At SPF he was the first three-time member of the Star-Ledger All-State First Team and led his team to the 1987 Group III title.
DiCuollo was recognized as one of the nation’s premier forwards during his career at Rutgers. He was a 1989 All-America choice following a year where he was also named Atlantic 10 East Division Player of the Year. In his four years, he led Rutgers to a 71-15-8 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He stands third on the Rutgers career points list with 122, fourth on the goals scored list with 48 and fourth on the assist list with 26.

“We had a great time in high school and a big part of it was the coach letting us play and realizing that we could use our individual skills within a disciplined system. It is not surprising to see what the program has become over the last 25 years.” added DiCuollo.

The sophomore-dominated team would lose to West Deptford in the state finals. Breznitsky considers the 1986 team perhaps his best ever but that team was upset by Randolph in the sectional finals. Finally in 1987, Breznitsky broke through defeating Wall 4-0 for the first of his seven group championships. That team outscored its opposition by an astounding 120-6
and nine of the eleven starters wound up playing at Division I universities.

If DiCuollo is the number one player in SPF history then Todd Moser (1995-8) may be 1A. His most impressive feat was playing four consecutive Group III championship games losing only in the finals his sophomore year. As a freshman in 1995 the Raiders shared the title and won in 1997 and 1998. The 1998 team set a still standing school record of 24 wins. He was named all state junior and senior years and was voted the NJ State Player of the year. He was also voted as one of the top ten players of the 1990’s decade by the Star Ledger.

Like DiCuollo, Moser also went on to play college soccer at Rutgers from 99-03. He was team captain for three years and was voted All Big East and All American in 2001.

Moser currently work in logistics for Dotcom Distribution as a Sales Manager and also coach youth soccer at the Players Development Academy (PDA) in Zarepath, NJ. His wife, Amanda teaches at SPFHS and he is the father of a nine month old son.

“His pride in SPF soccer continues to resonate through generations of players. I attended a game recently and there were former players there to watch who had graduated over the past four decades, this is because of him and what he has built. When I was younger I watched my brother’s teams and dreamed of playing for the Raiders one day. 15-20 years later you still see younger kids as ball boys with that same dream. It’s called tradition and I do not see it or Coach Brez slowing down anytime soon,” said Moser who recalled a contentious relationship his senior year.

“He was pretty tough on me that year,” said Moser. “We had a very young team and he wanted me to set an example. He set the bar for me at a very high level and I wasn’t always able to reach it but it made me a better player and made us a better team,” said Moser, who vividly recalled a rousing halftime talk that Breznitsky gave in the 1997 finals with the Raiders trailing 1-0.

“We were losing and spirits were down. Guys who had played together for 10 years started questioning each other. Brez looked us in the eye and rallied us. We came out, scored two goals, and won the first state title outright since 92,” said Moser.

“Personally, I never had a coach in my entire career that, made sure I gave everything I could. He pushed me, not just physically but mentally too. Since I graduated SPFHS he has been there for me during the good and bad times, came to my wedding, and is now a good friend,” added Moser.

The new millennium could not slow the Raider soccer express. The 2000 season was the debut of Breznitsky’s son Ryan, who would be a three time all county player and a two time all state selection and followed DiCuollo and Moser to Rutgers.

Ryan’s’ final two games in 2003 were truly special, leading the Raiders to the section title in a melodramatic double overtime battle with Middletown South. It gave his father his eleventh section title and first since 1998, a major drought for Scotch Plains. In the state semi-finals against Ramapo, the younger Breznitsky scored two goals to lead the team back from a two-goal deficit in the second half only to lose in a dramatic penalty kick shootout.

“Coaching my son was a great treat. It was much better than people had said it was going to be,” said Breznitsky.

The younger Breznitsky not only survived the huge spotlight he was under but seemed to embrace it and thrived.

“It was fun, but also challenging. I was never given any special treatment by him during training or games. We both knew the microscope we were under and that made it competitive, which made it fun for me. I enjoyed the challenge of being the son of "Brez" and having to live up to the expectations,” said Ryan Breznitsky, who is following in his father’s footsteps, as an assistant coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

Ryan Breznitsky had a relatively simple college decision to make.

“Rutgers was where I was going to end up from the beginning I think. I had spoken with guys like Todd and Lino about it quite often and liked what they had to say. I had known Coach Reasso for a long time and knew that he was competitive and wanted to win like I did. Also being a "jersey guy" I wanted to stay close to home and be able to have my family and friends come to games,” added Ryan Breznitsky, who at the age of 24 already has two Division 1 coaching seasons behind him.

“As for my coaching, I don't know if it gives me a head start, but having my father be as successful a coach as he is gives me motivation to hopefully achieve that same success one day.”

Another key player on those teams was Michael Hessemer whose younger brother Brian would also make his mark in SPF history. Hessemer anchored the defense for three years and had an outstanding college career at Lehigh. After starting in several games as a freshmen and sophomore Hessemer was the captain and started every game his junior and senior years.

“Playing at Lehigh would not have been possible if it weren't for the time I spent playing for and learning from Coach Brez and Joe Mortarulo. Coach Brez knows how to push young high school athletes to reach their potential” said Hessemer.

Hessemer keeps active in soccer by coaching the U8-U10 teams at PDA and currently plays in the Garden State Soccer League on a Scotch Plains - Westfield - Cranford based team with many former Scotch Plains players. Hessemer has worked for the past three years at the Louis Berger Group, a Civil Engineering Consulting firm based in Morristown. Currently, he works in the New York office doing Construction Management for the World Trade Center.

The goalie on the 2003 section champions was freshman Bryan Meredith, who has just completed a remarkable career at Monmouth University and has a very good chance of playing professionally in the Major League Soccer (MLS). Breznitsky had never started a freshman in the high pressure goalie position but Breznitsky was able to look beyond Meredith’s youth and relied on what he saw on the field.

Meredith would not allow a goal until his eighth game and led the Raiders to three sectional titles including finals appearances in 2004 and 2005 and was a four time selection to all county and was all state his senior year, But Meredith was even better in college.

As a junior he led the nation in goals-against average, allowing .306 goals-per-game and stopped a penalty shot in an NCAA tournament victory over UConn. Meredith was just as good this year finishing with 11 shutouts and 36 for his career.

From the Passuccis to the Mosers to the Hessemers, Breznitsky has always been blessed with multiple players from the same family. Sophomore Andrew Leischner, who calmly scored twice in a penalty kick shootout victory in the county semi finals this year, is the third member of his family to play for Breznitsky. Freshman Christian Zazzali, who showed flashes of brilliance, is the second family member joining his older brother Ed who graduated in 2004. Their father Ed played on for Breznitsky on the 1974 Junior Varsity baseball team and was a member of his first soccer team. Zazzali has a unique perspective on his and his son’s coach.

“I guarantee the baseball program would have had all the accolades if Brez had coached baseball. Kids and Parents come and go, but the expectations remain very high, and Brez wants it that way. “