NJSIAA Preview: Wall Tests Postseason Magic at Robbinsville
NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II Championship
Friday, Nov. 14, 2025
At Robbinsville High School
No. 11 Wall at No. 4 Robbinsville, 4 p.m.
Wall at a Glance
Coach: Garry Linstra
Record: 11-10
Last Sectional Championship: 2019 (Group III)
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2022
Road to the Final
First Round: Wall began its memorable run to the sectional final with what might go down as the most memorable game of the Shore Conference season. The Crimson Knights and No. 6 Ocean combined for seven goals in the final 29 minutes, including four in the final 12 minutes, with junior Shane Womack scoring two go-ahead goals for Wall in the last eight minutes of a 5-4 win. Womack scored the game-winner in the 78th minute, 20 seconds after Brandon Cosentino completed his hat trick with an equalizer. Senior Evan Kerr got Wall on the board in the first half, senior Christian Garduza buried a momentum-shifting, game-tying free kick and sophomore Luke Harmon finished the first of three go-ahead goals by Wall in the second half.
Quarterfinals: For the second straight game, Womack scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes to go, this time coming through with under two to play and delivering Wall with a 3-2 win over No. 3 Point Boro in another thriller against a Shore Conference team that beat them during the regular season. Womack also assisted a goal by Ker that extended Wall’s lead to 2-0 and senior Shea Davis scored the first goal in the game.
Semifinals: After winning two back-and-forth, high-scoring games, Wall got back to its program roots with a white-knuckle, defensive struggle against yet another team that beat the Crimson Knights during the regular season. Sophomore goalkeeper Kellen Clauburg took over for senior Harrison Novick in the second half and made six huge saves to get Wall through 100 scoreless minutes against No. 7 Manasquan. Wall made six of its seven kicks during the ensuing shootout and Clauburg saved the final shot by Manasquan to send the Crimson Knights on to the sectional final with a 6-5 win in penalties.
Wall junior Shane Womack. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Players to Watch
Christian Garduza, Sr., Forward
Tanner Griffin, Sr., Midfield
Evan Ker, Sr., Forward
Shane Womack, Jr., Midfield
Paul Fury, Sr., Defense
Nick Herrera, Jr., Midfield
Oliver Rhoades, Fr., Midfield
Shea Davis, Sr., Midfield/Forward
Wall senior Christian Garduza. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Robbinsville at a Glance
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher
Record: 15-7-1
Last Sectional Championship: 2024
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2024
Road to the Final
First Round: Max Goldberg scored a goal in each half and Nico Matthews scored a second-half goal after assisting Goldeberg’s first-half finish as Robbinsville knocked out No. 13 Governor Livingston, 3-1.
Quarterfinals: Goldberg scored off a corner kick in the sixth minute of the second half and the Ravens made it stand up in a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Holmdel. Ravens goalkeeper Alex Rusk and the Robbinsville defense held on for the shutout.
Semifinals: Matthews scored two tie-breaking goals and Goldberg added a crucial insurance goal that proved to be the difference in a 3-2 win for Robbinsville over No. 1 seed Bordentown. Robbinsville overcame two goals by Scotties leading scorer Everett Barrett.
Sophomore Kellen Clauburg saves the final penalty kick. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Wall has a decorated soccer history and it was only six years ago that the Crimson Knights were in the NJSIAA Group III final after winning the Central Jersey section as a No. 1 seed. Just three years ago, the Crimson Knights navigated a deep, balanced Central Jersey section to reach the Central Jersey Group II final as a No. 8 seed before losing a hard-fought, 1-0 game to Holmdel.
In short, deep runs by Wall in the state tournament should not catch anyone off guard, and yet, this year’s march to the sectional final has done just that. Head coach Garry Linstra posed the “Why not us?” question to his team prior to the start of the tournament, but even he acknowledged everything that was stacked against his team heading into the state playoffs.
Wall drew the No. 11 seed in the Central Jersey Group II section and if that was not enough of a hardship, its path to the semifinals went through two opponents that beat Wall during the season: Ocean and Point Pleasant Boro. As it turned out, the Crimson Knights have faced three teams that beat them during the season, with Manasquan also scoring a Class A Central divisional win over Wall in September.
On top of the difficult draw, Wall ventured into the state tournament short three starters: senior defenders Luca Rulli and Brendan Grober and sophomore forward Chris Knight. The injuries were a setback initially, but have since been another obstacle that Wall has overcome thanks to depth off the bench and players like Shane Womack, Evan Ker, Shea Davis and Christian Garduza raising their play.
After conquering three teams that beat them during the regular season, the Crimson Knights will face an unfamiliar foe in the sectional final, but one that has been a regular at this stage of the tournament. Robbinsville has won three consecutive sectional championships, including an overall Group III championship in 2022 before winning Central Group II in both 2023 and 2024.
The Ravens eliminated top-seeded Bordentown on the road Tuesday in the sectional semifinals, but its toughest game may very well have been a 1-0 win over No. 5 Holmdel in the sectional semifinal – another Shore Conference team with state tournament pedigree. Beyond the recent postseason accolades, the Ravens will be the most complete team Wall has faced during its run to the final.
Wall is one loss from finishing what would be an 11-11 season and if that turns out to be the case, classifying this year’s Wall team as simply a .500 side would be underselling what the Crimson Knights have accomplished. Even before this current run in the state tournament, Wall beat a talented St. John Vianney team, 6-3. It also owns a 1-0 win over Shore Conference Tournament champion and Central Jersey Group III finalist Middletown South – a result that suggests the Crimson Knights are indeed ready for and capable of an upset of Robbinsville.
Can the magic last one more round for Wall? Can the Crimson Knights either a) cool down Robbinsville’s offensive firepower or b) keep up with it? They have done both so far this postseason, but this round comes with an undeniably tougher challenge. It’s hard to pick against this Wall team, but it’s even harder to pick against a proven champion.
The Pick: Robbinsville, 1-0
