Boys SCT Final Preview: Colts Neck, Middletown South One Win from Shore Title
Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Championship
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025
At Memorial Field, Summerfield School, Neptune
No. 2 Colts Neck vs. No. 4 Middletown South, 3 p.m.
Colts Neck at a Glance
Record: 14-1 (5-1, second place in Class A North)
Head Coach: Art Collier
SCT Championships: 1 (2024)
SCT Final Appearances: 2 (2001, 2024)
Colts Neck junior Sean Moore. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Probable Starters
| Number | Player | Grade | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam Collura | Sr. | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Nate Calhoun | Sr. | Defense |
| 4 | Dillon Younger | Sr. | Defense |
| 2 | Ryan Spencer | Sr. | Defense |
| 29 | Leo Shatku | Fr. | Defense |
| 8 | Jonah Chiang | Sr. | Midfield |
| 16 | Daniel Macedo | Jr. | Midfield |
| 10 | Ben Kazani | Sr. | Midfield |
| 7 | Gabe Kruglyansky | Sr. | Midfield |
| 27 | C.J. Collins | Sr. | Forward |
| 3 | Sean Moore | Jr. | Forward |
Goals Leaders
Sean Moore – 20
C.J. Collins – 9
Gabe Kruglyansky – 6
Ben Kazani – 4
Dillon Younger – 2
Assists Leaders
Ben Kazani – 14
Gabe Kruglyansky – 7
Sean Moore – 5
C.J. Collins – 3
3 Players – 2
Colts neck senior Ben Kazani. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Road to the Final
First Place in SCT Group 2
Defeated Freehold Twp., 2-1 in overtime
Defeated Brick, 3-0
Defeated Monmouth, 8-0
Defeated Shore, 5-1
Tournament Wins
Round of 16: C.J. Collins scored two goals in the second half and the Cougars rolled to a 4-0 win over No. 16 Brick. Gabe Kruglyansky scored the first goal by heading in a Ben Kazani corner kick and defenders Ryan Spencer and Dillon Younger linked up for a first-half goal, with Younger heading in a long cross from Spencer.
Quarterfinals: Sean Moore scored a first-half penalty kick and added a second-half goal to pace Colts Neck to another 4-0 win, this time over No. 10 Ocean in a rematch of the 2024 semifinal between the two accomplished programs from the Shore. Kazani assisted the second Moore goal after his corner kick set up a goal by Collins that made it 2-0 in the first half. Jonah Chiang finished off the scoring with his first goal of the tournament.
Semifinals: Kruglyansky scored the equalizer with 1:04 left in regulation and Moore ended the game with a breathtaking run and finish just 52 seconds into overtime to give the Cougars a dramatic 2-1 win over an upset-minded No. 14 seed in Freehold Township. Kruglyansky also ignited the winning goal by winning the ball at midfield and getting it to Moore to start his 50-yard run to the goal. Moore also won the ball that started the tying sequence, with Kazani eventually finding Kruglyansky in the middle of the 18-yard box for the turn-and-finish.
Middletown South at a Glance
Record: 11-3-1 (3-2-1, tied second in Class A Central)
Head Coach: Dan Riverso
SCT Championships: None
SCT Final Appearances: 1 (2003)
Probable Starters
| Number | Player | Grade | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Perry | Sr. | Goalkeeper |
| 6 | Brett Denery | Sr. | Defense |
| 14 | Ryan Kapler | Sr. | Defense |
| 18 | Charlie Welsh | Jr. | Defense |
| 2 | Brody Illingworth | Jr. | Defense |
| 7 | Luke Strada | Sr. | Midfield |
| 21 | Matteo Gallina | Sr. | Midfield |
| 5 | Jack Cohen | Sr. | Midfield |
| 19 | Luke Strukiewicz | So. | Midfield |
| 12 | Mason Petke | Sr. | Forward |
| 3 | Connor Saul | Jr. | Forward |
Goals Leaders
Connor Saul – 11
Luke Strada – 7
Brett Denery – 2
Matteo Gallina – 2
Mason Petke – 2
Middletown South junior Connor Saul shadowed by Marlboro senior Gianni Liscandra. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Assists Leaders
Luke Strada – 8
Grant Pipercic – 3
Mason Petke – 2
5 Players – 1
Road to the Final
First Place in SCT Group 1
Defeated Lacey, 3-2 in overtime
Defeated Neptune, 2-1
Defeated Red Bank, 1-0
Defeated Howell, 4-0
Middletown South senior Luke Strada defended by Marlboro junior Vladimir Anokhin. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Tournament Wins
Round of 16: Connor Saul scored an SCT brace off assists from Luke Strada and Grant Pipercic and Middletown South shut out No. 13 Lacey, 2-0.
Quarterfinals: Saul struck again in the 15th minute off a crafty through-ball from Mason Petke and the Eagles defense again made it stand with a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over No. 12 Marlboro.
Semifinals: Middletown South converted two first-half corner kicks by Strada into goals and survived a second-half push by Christian Brothers Academy to vanquish the No. 1 seed in the tournament, 2-1. Senior defender Ryan Kapler headed the first goal in for Middletown South and junior Matt Sekular came off the bench to deliver the second after Kapler was the first player to get to the Strada corner kick.
High-Stakes Rematch
Colts Neck and Middletown South meet for the second time this season, but Saturday afternoon’s clash is sure to be played at an exponentially higher intensity level. On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 20, Colts Neck nipped Middletown South, 1-0, on a first-half goal by Moore to remain undefeated at the time while handing Middletown South its second loss.
Middletown South outshot Colts Neck, 12-8, in the game while playing behind for the final 64 minutes and hit the crossbar in the first half in its closest scoring chance, but Colts Neck and goalkeeper Liam Collura were up to the challenge.
Since that game, Colts Neck lost its first game – a 3-2 battle against CBA – and then rounded into dominant form. After the CBA game, the Cougars were 6-1 while outscoring opponents 13-4. Since, they are 9-0 and outscoring opponents, 31-2.
Middletown South, meanwhile, went into a four-game funk that included a loss to Wall (7-10 record), a narrow 2-1 win over Neptune (5-10-1), a scoreless draw vs. St. John Vianney (9-6-4) and a 1-0 win over Howell (4-13-1). The Eagles have steadily rounded into form since then, going nearly 600 straight minutes without allowing a goal before CBA’s Ryan Asadi scored to cut Middletown South’s lead to 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Colts Neck senior goalkeeper Liam Collura. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Matchup to Watch: Sean Moore vs. Middletown South Defense
This is the classic strength-vs.-strength matchup, with Middletown South’s red-hot back line vs. the Shore’s most dangerous scoring threat. For the entirety of regulation Wednesday night, Freehold Township kept Moore in check, but the junior striker won a key 50-50 ball that led to the equalizer in the 79th minute and then ended the game with a spectacular 50-yard run and finish that send the Cougars to their second straight SCT final.
Middletown South’s defense had a similar experience vs. Moore in September, although Moore cashed in on his one opportunity much earlier than the first minute of overtime. Moore scored near the midway point of the first half and Middletown South kept the Colts Neck attack quiet the rest of the way in the 1-0 loss.
While the Eagles have four quality backs in Kapler and Charlie Welsh in the middle and Brett Denery and Brody Illingworth on the outsides, Middletown South excels in preventing goals by relying on the entire formation. The Eagles’ team speed and work rate is a strength vs. just about any opponent and it certainly came into play vs. CBA on Wednesday while protecting a one-goal lead for the final 33 minutes.
Strada is also a weapon in keeping opponents off the board as much as he is when it comes to getting his own team on the board. His ability to keep the ball and forces teams to expend energy defending him takes away from the attack of dangerous teams like Colts Neck and CBA.
Middletown South senior Brett Denery celebrates his goal vs. Holmdel. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Championship History
Regardless of which team wins on Saturday, there will be a dose of Shore Conference championship history.
If Colts Neck wins, it will mark the first time a public school has repeated as Shore Conference Tournament champion since Brick Memorial in 1996 and 1997. In addition to Brick Memorial, CBA, Ocean and Jackson Memorial are the only other programs to repeat as SCT champs.
A Middletown South win would also mark history, even beyond the Eagles winning their first ever SCT title. Coupled with Colts Neck last year, Middletown South could make 2024 and 2025 the first time there have been first-time champions in back-to-back years since 1986 and 1987. Even then, 1987 featured co-champions after Brick Memorial and Freehold Township finished tied, 0-0, so a Middletown South win would mark the first time in the history of the tournament there have been back-to-back first-time outright champions.
Prediction
CBA showed on Wednesday that Middletown South’s defense could be cracked and now, Moore will try to crack it for a second time. In the semifinal, Moore scored his second golden goal of the season against Freehold Township and now, he will try to burn Middletown South for a second time.
Colts Neck’s defense has been even better than that of Middletown South. The Cougars have allowed six goals in 15 games this season while no other team in the Shore Conference has allowed fewer than 11 total. The 1-0 win over Middletown South was one of 11 shutouts on the season.
Like Moore, Strada is one of the most skilled players in the conference and Colts Neck’s defense will have as much of a challenge limiting his impact as Middletown South will have limiting Moore’s. And both players have teammates who can make defenses pay for sleeping on them, especially Connor Saul on Middletown South and C.J. Collins on Colts Neck.
With two standout defensive units, two solid goalkeepers, two star players and outstanding supporting casts, Saturday’s championship game has the look of one that will come down to the final minutes and, perhaps, beyond.
The Pick: Colts Neck, 2-1 (on penalties)
Semifinal Picks Record: 2-0
Overall Picks Record: 16-6
