2026 Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Round-of-16 Preview, Predictions
2026 Shore Conference Tournament Round of 16
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026
No. 11 Freehold Township (11-4-1) at No. 6 Ocean (8-3-2), 2 p.m.
There were three rematches during the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament and all three went in favor of the team that won the regular-season meeting. That is bad news for Ocean, which dropped a 1-0 decision to Freehold Township in the Class A Central division opener for both teams back during the first week of the season. Since then, the Spartans have lost just two other games – a 2-1 loss to Manasquan and a 6-2 loss vs. Howell that was tied when a red card took an Ocean player off the field. That information alone suggests this one is close to a coin-flip, with the Spartans boasting enough firepower to keep the visiting Patriots honest and the experience in the back to keep Freehold Township’s attack in check.
Although this one can go either way, Freehold Township’s early-season road win plus its recent play does make the Patriots the slight favorite. A string of injuries contributed to a rough stretch of the season that led to the four losses and recently, Freehold Township has not only been sharp; the Patriots have been nearly flawless. Since senior striker Jaden Doaman returned from his injured stint on the sideline on Oct. 6, Freehold Township is 4-0 with an aggregate score of 17-0. Ocean saw a near-whole version of Freehold Township on Sept. 2, so there shouldn’t be any surprises on either side, making this one of the more appealing games of the day. Both teams would be dangerous going forward but Freehold Township looks a little more dangerous on paper.
The Pick: Freehold Twp., 2-1
No. 13 Rumson-Fair Haven (9-4-3) at No. 4 Toms River North (9-4), 2 p.m.
Despite a young roster, Rumson has been competitive from the start of 2026, opening the season with a 3-2 loss to a 14-win Howell side and dropping three other matches to teams ranked in top six of the Shore Sports Insider rankings: No. 1 Manalapan, No. 3 Marlboro and No. 6 Freehold Township. The Bulldogs also tied two other Top 10 teams in No. 4 Manasquan and No. 10 Ocean, so standing up to a ranked team has not been an issue for Rumson, save for the 6-0 loss to Manalapan. Friday’s challenge will be similar to those other six games and after getting by Toms River South on Wednesday, the Bulldogs should be a loose, inspired team.
The Mariners also have four losses and all of them are to the caliber of teams similar to the ones that beat Rumson: No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy, No. 5 Toms River East, No. 6 Freehold Township and Notre Dame. The main difference between Toms River North’s losses and Rumson’s losses are all of Toms River North’s losses are by a one-goal margin. On top of that, first three of those losses came before senior forward and Lakewood transfer Abraham Torres was eligible and since he joined the active team, the only loss was to Notre Dame in overtime. With Torres and Chris Ruggiero on the attack, the Mariners have as much offensive firepower as any team in the field – a far cry from last year’s offensive struggles.
The Pick: Toms River North, 3-1
No. 18 Lacey (9-5-1) at No. 2 Marlboro (10-3-2), 2 p.m.
A stellar defensive effort and some opportunistic offense carried Lacey to a round-one win at Wall, making the Lions one of the highest-seeded team to advance out of the first round. Lacey is playing the best it has all season, with a 3-1 record since the start of October and the lone loss coming against Toms River East in a 1-0 nailbiter. Tackling Marlboro will be every bit the challenge that Toms River East was and it will be on the road on the Mustangs’ turf. Winning at Cherry Hill East two weeks ago gave Lacey a taste of what it takes to win a big road game so there is recent precedent for a big upset here.
As for Marlboro, the Mustangs have been sharp since dropping a 4-1 decision to CBA during the third week of the season, with their only loss during that stretch coming at Kearny, 2-1. Marlboro’s success is more about controlling the ball and organization that offensive firepower, but the Mustangs have a well-rounded attack that is capable of producing enough chances to generate the scoring they need to back up a well-schooled defense. The test for that defense will be staying at the ready against a Lacey team that is adept on the counter-attack, which could be a problem if Marlboro finds breaking through vs. Lions goalkeeper Dylan Graham to be especially difficult. It could be tense, but Marlboro is built for the close ones, no matter the opponent.
The Pick: Marlboro, 2-0
No. 12 Colts Neck (9-6) at No. 5 Jackson (12-1-3), 3 p.m.
With three goals in a round-one rout vs. Freehold Boro, Sean Moore reached the 100-goal plateau for his career, which now leaves no more individual milestones to reach for the Colts Neck star striker. He is the Shore’s all-time leader in goals and scoring, plus its first 100-goal scorer, so now, the focus is fully on a second Shore Conference Tournament championship in three years. Colts Neck will have to get it done on the road and, barring a late decision to move the game to a turf site, on grass to boot. Colts Neck is a grass team most days, but the natural surface could be a way for Jackson to slow down Moore and senior running mate Pedro Navroski.
Jackson has just one loss all year and its was a 7-2 loss at Point Beach that featured the Jaguars’ worst half of the season. For the rest of their schedule, the Jaguars have not made it easy on opposing attacks and their gameplan Friday will surely be geared toward surrounding Moore. Jackson has already beat one ranked team at home this season when it stunned Freehold Township in overtime, so Jackson is no stranger to finishing off a big win. Slowing down Sean Moore, however, is a different beast and the Colts Neck supporting cast has continued to develop around him.
The Pick: Colts Neck, 3-2
No. 14 St. John Vianney (9-7) at No. 3 Manasquan (11-2-1), 3 p.m.
After starting the season 0-5 with just one starter back from last season, St. John Vianney has gone 9-2 and just beat two-time defending NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV champion Southern in round one of the SCT. That lone returning starter is junior Ethan Eddleston and his monster year continued on Wednesday, when he posted a first-half hat trick in the 3-2 win. Eddleston’s 22 goals are more than any player that plays in the in the Class A North division and Manasquan will have to cool him off to avoid the upset.
Scoring has not been an easy task for any visiting team at Manasquan, which is 4-0-1 on its home field with two goals allowed in five matches. One of those wins was a 2-0 victory over CBA on Oct. 6 that wrapped up first place in the group and guaranteed Manasquan a top-eight seed and showcased how dangerous the Warriors could be on their home turf. St. John Vianney is a dangerous opponent for Manasquan and there exist the makings of an upset with the way St. John Vianney has improved while playing some of the Shore’s top teams, but Manasquan is also tested and the Warriors know exactly who they are.
The Pick: Manasquan, 1-0
No. 9 Christian Brothers Academy (12-4-1) at No. 8 Middletown South (5-9), 3:45 p.m.
Emotions ran high the first time these two teams played this season and that was only for a regular-season match. A year ago, Middletown South knocked off top-seeded CBA in the SCT semifinals en route to the program’s first ever Shore Conference championship and back in September, the Colts exacted a piece of revenge by beating the Eagles, 3-1, in Lincroft. Now that the two teams are paired up in the round of 16, the redemption arc of the Colts cannot be complete without beating the Eagles in a tournament setting, which will be at the Swamp thanks to Middletown South’s first-place finish in group play. At 5-9, it has been a rough year for the Eagles, but top scoring threats Connor Saul and Grant Pipercic returned to the lineup Monday vs. Middletown North and will keep the Colts defense honest on Friday.
CBA has made a case as the Shore’s best team throughout the year but its road to a 14th SCT championship is a difficult one because of that group-stage loss to Manasquan that sank the Colts to the group of second-place teams. That loss was one of the few games in which CBA has struggled to score, but the Colts have also lost a pair of games in which they put up three goals: a 4-3 overtime loss at Manalapan and a 5-3 loss at Bergen Catholic. Having to play at Middletown South will make this more challenging for CBA than if the game were at the Academy and the Eagles are a well-coached team with a formula that has worked before vs. CBA. The Colts don’t lose this early in the SCT and while the chances of it happening are higher this season than in most others, they will get by a game Middletown South team on Friday.
The Pick: CBA, 2-1
No. 17 Howell (14-2) at No. 1 Manalapan (12-1-1), 3:45 p.m.
Two years ago, Manalapan was the No. 2 team in the Shore Conference and finished first in its group going into the SCT and yet, the Braves had to play a first-round game vs. preseason No. 1 Howell, then had to the No. 1 team at the time, Colts Neck, in the round of 16. Two years later, Manalapan is living a similar nightmare as the No. 1 team in the Shore. Despite getting the top seed in the field and the corresponding bye, the Braves’ first game is against a 14-2 Howell team that has already handily beaten a pair of Top 10 teams in Freehold Township and Ocean. Should Manalapan survive on Friday, its next game will be against either CBA – the No. 2 team in the SSI Top 10 – or defending SCT champion Middletown South. Quite the treacherous road to a semifinal for a No. 1 seed.
Howell has already shown it can step up its game against top competition, although a loss to Shore showed what the Rebels can look like on a down day and a loss to St. John Vianney was a lesson that sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce the way of the 14-win team. For the Rebels to advance once more, they will have to cash in against a Manalapan team that was dominating the competition prior to an outlier 6-0 loss to East Brunswick on Saturday. Outside of that one game, the Braves have outscored their opponents, 48-5, and it’s not like it’s a collection of cupcakes. This is one of the best rivalries of the last 20 years in Shore Conference soccer and while it could truly go either way, the No. 1 seed has the slight edge playing at home and with a tad more big-game experience over the last three years.
The Pick: Manalapan, 1-0
No. 10 Toms River East (13-1) at No. 7 Shore (8-3-2), 4 p.m.
Toms River East has faced just one team from the Class A Central division all season long and that is also the lone team that beat the Raiders. Ocean took down Toms River East in group play, which is why the Raiders will be on the road against Shore, which had its best group-stage showing in the four years of the World Cup format. Shore will but Toms River East’s defense to the test with its dynamic attack, led by senior Silvio Pessoa, who will be a challenge to handle for a Toms River East team without a lot of seniors in its starting group.
Shore, meanwhile, will try to keep the ball on the field in an effort to prevent long throw-ins by Raiders junior defender Brady Gillen, who is the Shore’s most dangerous throw-in artist. Those throw-ins fed a 10-assist season as a sophomore and Gillen has already surpassed that number with 12 so far this season. Even without the throw-ins, sophomore Jack Gillen and seniors Ayden Salazar and Sam Los have been capable scorers who will test a solid Shore back line. There are a number of games that could turn out to be thrillers in this round, but this one looks like the closest one based on the talent on each roster. If there is a game that goes this distance in the round of 16, this looks like the one.
The Pick: Toms River East, 2-1, in overtime
Round One Picks Record: 8-0
