Projecting the Field: 2025 Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament

The Shore Conference Tournament field in boys soccer is almost set, with 23 of the 24 spots in the tournament officially clinched and one more on the line Saturday when Point Pleasant Boro hosts Freehold Boro with third place in Group 6 on the line. Every other spot is secured, which means it is time to forecast how the entire bracket will look once the seeds are officially released Saturday after the two teams play for the final spot at 10 a.m.

With Christian Brothers Academy done playing before the tournament is seeded, the Colts are a near-lock to be the No. 1 seed and Colts Neck is the overwhelming favorite for No. 2 as long as the Cougars can avoid stumbling vs. Red Bank on Friday. Beyond that, multiple teams have a case to be No. 3 and the only thing keeping that from being a total free-for-all is the structure of the tournament.

Speaking of the tournament structure, here is the rundown of the seeding. The field will be broken into three tiers – one each for the first-place, second-place and third-place winners from each of the eight groups from the group stage portion of the tournament.

The seeding committee will seed the eight first-place teams Nos. 1 through 8, then the eight second-place teams Nos. 9 through 16, followed by the eight third-place teams Nos. 17 through 24. Even if a third-place team has a head-to-head win over or a résumé deemed superior to a team that is in a tier above, the third-place team cannot be seeded higher than any team from the first or second tiers.

With that in mind, here is how the field looks heading into Friday’s action.

 

1. Christian Brothers Academy (10-1-4, 5-0-1; 24.537 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Colts Neck, Holmdel, at Howell, at Marlboro, at Rumson-Fair Haven
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: At Manalapan
Non-Division Wins: At Matawan (SCT), Manchester (SCT), Toms River North, Barnegat (SCT), at Toms River East (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Monroe
Non-Division Ties: LaSalle (R.I.), LaSalle (Pa.), vs. Old Bridge
Why They’re Here: Wednesday’s draw vs. Manalapan erased CBA’s perfect record against the rest of the Shore Conference, but with a head-to-head win over Colts Neck – and on the road, no less, there is still no argument against the Colts as the No. 1 seed.

 

2. Colts Neck (10-1, 5-1; 24.619 power points/game)

Division Wins: Holmdel, at Howell, at Manalapan, at Marlboro, Rumson-Fair Haven
Division Losses: CBA
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Brick (SCT), Freehold Twp. (SCT), at Middletown South, Monmouth (SCT), at Shore (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: None
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: At Red Bank
Why They’re Here: As easy as it is to pencil in CBA as the No. 1 seed, it is just as easy to slot Colts Neck at No. 2. The Cougars’ only loss is their 3-2 defeat vs. the Shore’s No. 1 team and they have taken down everyone else in their path. While they are not on an undefeated run like the one they authored leading into last year’s tournament, the defending SCT champs look the part of a serious contender again this fall.

 

3. Toms River South (10-1-2, 4-1-0; 22.075 power points/game)

Division Wins: Jackson, at Lakewood, Manchester, Point Beach
Division Losses: At Brick Memorial
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Central, at Asbury Park (SCT), St. John Vianney (SCT), at Toms River East, at Lacey, Red Bank
Non-Division Losses: None
Non-Division Ties: Toms River North, Marlboro (SCT)
Why They’re Here: The Shore Conference rankings have featured a revolving door at the No. 3 spot and that debate will leak into the SCT seeding. With only six teams from which to choose the No. 3 seed, the decision will not be quite as arduous, especially since Toms River South is on fire heading into the SCT. The Indians are unbeaten over their last 10 games after tying Marlboro on Thursday and their only loss was an overtime decision vs. Brick Memorial in the third game of the season.

 

4. Middletown South (8-3-1, 3-2-1; 17.62 power points/game)

Division Wins: Middletown North, Ocean, Shore
Division Losses: At Manasquan, at Wall
Division Ties: At St. John Vianney
Non-Division Wins: Holmdel, at Lacey (SCT), at Neptune (SCT), Red Bank (SCT), Howell (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Colts Neck
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: The Eagles have held onto a top 10 spot throughout the season despite a recent loss to Wall and close wins over two sub-.500 teams in Neptune and Red Bank. In that sense, Middletown South is in the conversation for a top-four seed and if the Eagles get one, finishing first in their group while Class A Central division champion Manasquan took second will be at least part of the reason. A convincing head-to-head win over Holmdel is another boost for Middletown South.

5. Holmdel (7-4-1, 3-2-1; 17.432 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Howell, Manalapan, at Rumson-Fair Haven
Division Losses: At CBA, at Colts Neck
Division Ties: Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: Middletown North, at Raritan (SCT), Ocean (SCT), Ranney (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Middletown South, at Jackson (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: As it became clear a top-eight seed was in play for Holmdel, it was equally apparent that October games vs. both Manalapan and Rumson-Fair Haven would likely be crucial in seeding within the top eight. Holmdel won both matches, which not only gives the Hornets a head-to-head advantage over both of their fellow A North rivals, but it also underscores Holmdel’s ability to deliver in a high-stakes environment.

 

6. Manalapan (6-3-3, 1-3-2; 15.245 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Howell
Division Losses: Colts Neck, at Holmdel, Marlboro
Division Ties: CBA, at Rumson-Fair Haven
Non-Division Wins: Point Boro (SCT), New Egypt, at Manasquan (SCT), Freehold Boro (SCT), Lakewood (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: None
Non-Division Ties: At Freehold Twp.
Before the Seeding: Vs. Southern
Why They’re Here: A loss to Holmdel is likely to keep Manalapan outside the top four, but the Braves are trending in the right direction after tying CBA, 0-0, on Wednesday. Friday’s showdown with Southern will determine the order of seeding, but a win for the Braves still might not be enough to climb to No. 4 and guarantee them home games through the quarterfinals.

 

7. Southern (8-4-1, 2-2-1; 18.999 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Point Boro, Toms River East
Division Losses: Central, Lacey
Division Ties: At Toms River North
Non-Division Wins: Wall (SCT), Red Bank Catholic (SCT), Pinelands (SCT), Freehold Boro, Brick Memorial (SCT), at Long Branch (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Manasquan, at Lenape
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: At Manalapan
Why They’re Here: Unlike Manalapan, Southern could be in line for a top-four seed if it beats the Braves in their clash on Friday. The Rams are also on a roll heading into the seeding, having won five of their last six with wins over Brick Memorial, Long Branch and Toms River East.

 

8. Rumson-Fair Haven (6-4-3, 1-3-2; 13.892 power points/game)

Division Wins: Howell
Division Losses: CBA, at Colts Neck, Holmdel
Division Ties: Manalapan, at Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: At Middletown North (SCT), Shore, at Donovan Catholic (SCT), St. Rose (SCT), Central (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Point Boro
Non-Division Ties: At Long Branch
Before the Seeding: At Wall
Why They’re Here: Rumson has two wins over teams that made the knockout round of the Shore Conference Tournament and neither of those teams (Middletown South and Central) has a winning record heading into Friday. On the plus side, Rumson has demonstrated it can play with some of the better teams in the field, with ties vs. Manalapan, Marlboro and Long Branch and overtime losses to both CBA and Holmdel.

 

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9. Manasquan (9-3, 5-1; 18.677 power points/game)

Division Wins: Middletown North, Middletown South, at St. John Vianney, at Shore, Wall
Division Losses: At Ocean
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Southern, Freehold Boro (SCT), Point Boro (SCT), at Lakewood (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Brick Memorial (SCT), Manalapan (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: At St. Rose
Why They’re Here: After a hot start to the season with an inexperienced varsity roster, the Warriors have cooled off and injuries have not helped. A loss to another second-place team (Ocean) and to a third-place team (Brick Memorial) is enough for a team on Manasquan’s heels to pick apart the Warriors, but wins over Middletown South and Southern stand out among the teams vying for the best second-place finisher.

 

10. Toms River East (10-4, 4-1; 20.584 power points/game)

Division Wins: Central, at Lacey, Point Boro, Toms River North
Division Losses: At Southern
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At East Brunswick, at Manchester (SCT), Brick Memorial, at Middletown North, at Barnegat (SCT), Matawan (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Toms River South, CBA (SCT) at Brick
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: At Freehold Twp.
Why They’re Here: The Raiders were in the running for a top-three seed two weeks ago, but are 1-4 in their last five games after starting the season 9-0. Two of those losses are in overtime to group-winners Southern and No. 1 CBA and another was to current No. 3 Toms River South. A loss to Brick this week is the first one that could put Toms River East under some actual scrutiny when it comes to finishing in the top-half of the second-place teams, but there is still enough to like with the Raiders for them to land a top 10 seed.

 

11. Marlboro (4-3-4, 1-2-3; 16.797 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Manalapan
Division Losses: CBA, Colts Neck
Division Ties: At Holmdel, at Howell, Rumson-Fair Haven
Non-Division Wins: At Steinert, at St. John Vianney (SCT), at Asbury Park (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Toms River North (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: Toms River South (SCT)
Why They’re Here: A straight red card early in the second half Thursday vs. Toms River South put Marlboro at a disadvantage in an SCT group game that determined which team got the first-round bye out of Group 7. The Mustangs battled for a 0-0 tie – a result that showed Marlboro’s character, but was not enough to take the bye from Toms River South. The Mustangs have wins over Manalapan and St. John Vianney, plus two draws vs. first-place teams (Holmdel and Rumson-Fair Haven).

12. Lacey (8-6, 2-2; 14.63 power points/game)

Division Wins: Central, at Southern
Division Losses: Toms River East, Toms River North
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Ewing, at Howell (SCT), at Red Bank (SCT), Lakewood, Neptune (SCT), at Barnegat
Non-Division Losses: At South Brunswick, Middletown South (SCT), Toms River South, at Point Boro
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: With four wins over teams that qualified for the SCT, the Lions have a solid case to be in the top-four second-place teams, although a road win over Southern is the only result by Lacey to highlight Lacey’s ability to beat a top team – something the Lions did a year ago in reaching the SCT semifinals.

 

13. Ocean (9-4, 3-3; 17.27 power points/game)

Division Wins: Manasquan, at Middletown North, Wall
Division Losses: At Middletown South, St. John Vianney, at Shore
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Matawan, Red Bank, Jackson (SCT), at St. Rose, at Raritan (SCT), Ranney (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Holmdel (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: A win over Manasquan on Wednesday was the biggest victory of the season for Ocean, which does not have another win or tie over a team with a winning record. Fortunately for the Spartans, multiple teams among the second-place group have a similar shortfall on their résumés.

 

14. Freehold Township (8-4-1, 5-1-0; 15.861 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Freehold Boro, Long Branch, Matawan, at Raritan, St. Rose
Division Losses: At Red Bank
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Shore (SCT), Howell, Monmouth (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Colts Neck (SCT), at Brick (SCT), at Monroe (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: Manalapan
Why They’re Here: Freehold Township earned a huge win over Long Branch last week, which earned the Patriots a share of the Class B North division championship and the right to be seeded ahead of the Green Wave in the SCT. That’s about as far as the Patriots can go, though, since they have not beaten any other teams that qualified for the tournament.

 

15. Long Branch (9-2-1, 5-1-0; 16.136 power points/game)

Division Wins: Freehold Boro, Matawan, Raritan, Red Bank, at St. Rose
Division Losses: At Freehold Twp.
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Red Bank Catholic (SCT), at Brick Memorial (SCT), Wall (SCT), Pinelands (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Southern (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: Rumson-Fair Haven
Why They’re Here: Long Branch was cruising at 7-0-1 and ranked No. 3 in the SSI Top 10 before a recent lull in play and increase in schedule difficulty led to a pair of losses to Freehold Township and Southern. The win at Brick Memorial is carrying Long Branch’s résumé heading into the seeding, with none of its other wins coming against teams that currently have a winning record.

 

16. Central (5-6, 2-3; 11.658 power points/game)

Division Wins: Point Boro, at Southern
Division Losses: At Lacey, at Toms River East, Toms River North
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At St. Rose (SCT), Middletown North (SCT), Donovan Catholic (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Toms River South, At Rumson-Fair Haven (SCT), at Brick Memorial
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: Vs. Howell
Why They’re Here: As the lone team in the top 16 with a losing record (that could change with a win over Howell Friday), Central likely to wind up No. 16 on the board. A win over Southern gives the Golden Eagles some weight when trying to leapfrog other teams in this tier and the win over Point Boro looks better with each day, so if Central can get to .500 by beating Howell, there is a reasonable argument to climb over Long Branch and possibly Freehold Township.

 

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17. Brick Memorial (11-4, 5-0; 22.054 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Jackson, at Lakewood, at Manchester, Point Beach, Toms River South
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Toms River North, Manasquan, Red Bank Catholic (SCT), Howell, at Wall (SCT), Central
Non-Division Losses: At Pinelands (SCT), at Toms River East, Long Branch (SCT), at Southern (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: At Brick
Why They’re Here: Brick Memorial’s loss to Pinelands did not keep the Mustangs from making the Shore Conference Tournament and, in this case, it also doesn’t hurt their seed. Even if Brick Memorial avoided that particular upset, it still would have finished third in a very difficult group (behind Southern and Long Branch) and here they are with the first slot of the third-place teams thanks to major wins over Toms River South and Manasquan.

18. Point Boro (7-6-1, 1-3-1; 16.536 power points/game)

Division Wins: Lacey
Division Losses: At Central, Southern, at Toms River East
Division Ties: At Toms River North
Non-Division Wins: Brick, Lakewood (SCT), Rumson-Fair Haven, New Egypt, at Wall, Point Beach
Non-Division Losses: At Manalapan (SCT), at Manasquan (SCT), Shore
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: At Freehold Boro*
Why They’re Here: While Toms River South’s 10-game unbeaten streak is the longest in the Shore Conference, Point Boro now owns the Shore’s longest winning streak at six games. The Panthers were 1-6-1 prior to the streak with Toms River East the only team to beat them by more than one goal. Now, Point Boro boasts a collection of quality wins that includes a teams from the first-place tier (Rumson), the second-place tier (Lacey) and another high-up on the third-place tier. As long as the Panthers can manage a tie (or better) vs. Freehold Boro on Saturday to officially qualify, they will remain the Shore’s hottest team heading into the SCT.

 

19. Brick (8-3, 4-0; 17.127 power points/game)

Division Wins: Barnegat, Donovan Catholic, New Egypt, at Pinelands
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Monmouth (SCT), Freehold Twp., Manchester, Toms River East
Non-Division Losses: At Point Boro, Colts Neck (SCT), at Shore (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: Vs. Brick Memorial
Why They’re Here: Brick clinched its first trip to the Shore Conference Tournament in 17 years on Monday and the week got even better for the Green Dragons when they beat Toms River East for a statement win heading toward the weekend. A win over Brick Memorial Friday could bump the Green Dragons up another spot or two, although a head-to-head loss to a surging Point Boro side might keep Brick from the top seed among the third-place teams.

 

20. St. John Vianney (6-4-4, 1-2-3; 16.341 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Ocean
Division Losses: Manasquan, Wall
Division Ties: At Middletown North, Middletown South, at Shore
Non-Division Wins: Matawan, at Toms River North (SCT), Asbury Park (SCT), at Union Catholic, at Barnegat
Non-Division Losses: Marlboro (SCT), at Toms River South (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: At Red Bank
Before the Seeding: At Ranney
Why They’re Here: The Lancers are 2-3-2 vs. the SCT field and have a chance to level that record against Ranney on Friday. A win over Ocean and tie vs. Middletown South give SJV two quality results against teams from higher seeding tiers, so if any of Brick, Brick Memorial or Point Boro stumble, there is a lane for the Lancers to move into the teens.

 

21. Ranney (10-3, 6-0; 16.083 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Asbury Park, at Henry Hudson, Keyport, Monmouth, at Neptune, Red Bank Catholic
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: New Egypt, Raritan (SCT), Red Bank, Jackson (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Gill St. Bernard’s, at Holmdel (SCT), at Ocean (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: Vs. St. John Vianney
Why They’re Here: Ranney has one of the cleaner résumés at the Shore, with a loss to perennial Non-Public B favorite Gill St. Bernard’s, plus a pair to teams seeded in the top 16 of the SCT. The Gill and Holmdel losses were one-sided, but the overtime loss to Ocean was a reminder that this version of Ranney is one that will be a dangerous opponent during the early rounds of the tournament.

 

22. Red Bank (5-8-1, 4-2-0; 12.003 power points per game)

Division Wins: Freehold Boro, Freehold Twp., at Raritan, St. Rose
Division Losses: At Long Branch, at Matawan
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Neptune (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Ocean, Howell (SCT), at Ranney, Lacey (SCT), at Middletown South (SCT), at Toms River South
Non-Division Ties: St. John Vianney
Before the Seeding: Vs. Colts Neck
Why They’re Here: The Bucs boast at least one win over an SCT qualifying and that number would climb to two if Freehold Boro beats Point Boro to qualify for the tournament. An early draw vs. SJV is also a positive result for Red Bank compared to the other teams looking to pull away from that No. 24 seed.

 

23. Middletown North (3-9-2, 1-3-1; 9.478 power points/game)

Division Wins: At Wall
Division Losses: At Manasquan, at Middletown South, Ocean, Shore
Division Ties: St. John Vianney
Non-Division Wins: At St. Rose (SCT), Red Bank Catholic
Non-Division Losses: At Raritan, at Holmdel, Rumson-Fair Haven (SCT), at Central (SCT), Toms River East
Non-Division Ties: Donovan Catholic (SCT)
Why They’re Here: If Middletown North would have finished off Donovan Catholic instead of tying the two-win Griffins, the Lions would be a lock to stay out of the No. 24 seed. Even with that result, Middletown North has more to show the committee than does Barnegat thanks to a tie vs. St. John Vianney, a win over a Wall side that has some quality wins on its résumé despite missing out on the SCT, and a convincing win over a Red Bank Catholic team that beat Barnegat.

 

24. Barnegat (7-7, 3-1; 11.632 power points/game)

Division Wins: Donovan Catholic, New Egypt, at Pinelands
Division Losses: At Brick
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Monmouth, Lakewood, Matawan (SCT), at Manchester (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Red Bank Catholic, Point Beach, Toms River East (SCT), at CBA (SCT), Lacey, St. John Vianney
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: With no wins or ties vs. tournament teams and a loss to Red Bank Catholic, Barnegat will be one of the last two seeds in the field. The Bengals’ win over Donovan Catholic and far superior record compared to Middletown North does give the Bengals some room to argue their case and it might be enough to inch up to No. 23.

 

Still Alive

Freehold Boro (6-8, 2-4; 12.134 power points per game)

Division Wins: Matawan, at Raritan
Division Losses: Freehold Twp., at Long Branch, at Red Bank, St. Rose
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Burlington Twp., at West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Lakewood (SCT), at Jackson
Non-Division Losses: At Manasquan (SCT), Seneca, at Southern, at Manalapan (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Before the Seeding: Vs. Point Boro*
Why They’re Here: Coming off an exhilarating overtime win over Jackson, Freehold Boro now turns its focus toward Point Boro – winners of six straight. If the Colonials can beat the Panthers, they will sneak into the SCT as the third-place team from Group 6 and will have a better résumé than both Middletown North and Barnegat. Red Bank beat Freehold head-to-head, so the Colonials will slot in at No. 22 should they beat Point Boro.

 

Projected Pairings (with Point Boro)

(24) Barnegat at (9) Manasquan, winner at (8) Rumson-Fair Haven

(23) Middletown North at (10) Toms River East, winner at (7) Southern

(22) Red Bank at (11) Marlboro, winner at (6) Manalapan

(21) Ranney at (12) Lacey, winner at (5) Holmdel

(20) St. John Vianney at (13) Ocean, winner at (4) Middletown South

(19) Brick at (14) Freehold Twp., winner at (3) Toms River South

(18) Point Boro at (15) Long Branch, winner at (2) Colts Neck

(17) Brick Memorial at (16) Central, winner at (1) CBA

 

Projected Pairings (with Freehold Boro)

(24) Barnegat at (9) Manasquan, winner at (8) Rumson-Fair Haven

(23) Middletown North at (10) Toms River East, winner at (7) Southern

(22) Freehold Boro at (11) Marlboro, winner at (6) Manalapan

(21) Red Bank at (12) Lacey, winner at (5) Holmdel

(20) Ranney at (13) Ocean, winner at (4) Middletown South

(19) St. John Vianney at (14) Freehold Twp., winner at (3) Toms River South

(18) Brick at (15) Long Branch, winner at (2) Colts Neck

(17) Brick Memorial at (16) Central, winner at (1) CBA