Shore Sports Insider Week 6 Boys Soccer Top 10
Heading into the Season, the Shore Conference had the look of a balanced collection of teams – so much so that you could draw up a list of a dozen or so serious threats to win the conference tournament in October.
October is now here and there is some credibility to that early assessment, but plenty of tournaments in the past have seemed up-for-grabs until the games are played. From No. 4 to 16 in the field, there is demonstrable parity, with teams from all over the board beating one another. Meanwhile, the top three teams in the conference appear to have separated themselves heading into the final week of the Shore Conference Tournament and if all three keep playing as they have, they will be the top three seeds in next week’s SCT.
1. Manalapan (9-0-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 1
The Class A North division championship is in the bag and now, the Braves shift their full attention to winning their fourth ever Shore Conference Tournament championship and first since 2013. The road to the title will be much simpler if Manalapan can lock up a first-round bye, which the Braves can do by securing a tie or win Tuesday at Toms River South, As long as Manalapan wins its group, the Braves are likely to be the overall No. 1 seed in the SCT thanks to the aforementioned Class A North championship.
2. Christian Brothers Academy (10-2-1, 4-1-0) Last Week: 2
A 4-3 loss to Manalapan remains the lone in-state game CBA has failed to win and a 4-0 drubbing of Seton Hall Prep further strengthens the Colts’ case as a contender for the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament. Like Manalapan, however, the Colts still have yet to lock up a first-round bye and to do so, CBA will have to do no worse than a tie at Manasquan on Tuesday. The head-to-head loss to Manalapan likely caps CBA’s SCT seed at No. 2, but as per usual, the Colts will a deep, battle-tested side heading into conference tournament.
3. Marlboro (8-3-1, 3-1-1) Last Week: 3
Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Kearny ended Marlboro’s seven-game winning streak and leaves the Mustangs with three losses on the season to teams with a combined record of 24-8-3. The Mustangs are also the only team to beat Princeton (9-1) and are the lone team to walk off the field vs. Manalapan without taking a loss, playing the No. 1 Braves to a 1-1 draw. Like the top two teams in the rankings, Marlboro is still looking to sew up a first-round bye in the SCT, which the Mustangs can do by picking up a win or draw vs. Freehold Boro in their final Group 6 match.
4. Colts Neck (7-4, 2-3) Last Week: Not ranked
From top five, to not ranked and back up to No. 4, Colts Neck’s résumé currently stands out because the Cougars have not slipped up against any opponent below them in the rankings. They losses are to the top three teams in these rankings – including a hard-fought, 2-0 loss at CBA last week – as well as a 6-2 loss to an 11-0 Pingry side that had not allowed another goal to an in-state opponent until Monroe scored twice in a 6-2 loss against the Big Blue. Now that Sean Moore has broken the Shore Conference goals record, the sole focus of the team can be on getting back to the SCT final for the third straight year, which could start with winning their group by beating or drawing Toms River North on Tuesday.
5. Toms River East (8-1, 4-0) Last Week: 8
Consistency is the word of the week, with teams that have had the fewest setbacks while playing a quality schedule moving back up the rankings. Toms River East fits the description, with only a loss to Ocean tainting its record while wins over Toms River North and Southern stand out. The Raiders will not have a first-round bye because of that loss to Ocean and will have to beat or tie Lacey on Tuesday to make sure their first-round SCT game is at home.
6. Manasquan (9-2-1, 3-1-1) Last Week: 6
Winning the Class A Central division championship will require some help from Freehold Township’s opponents, but Manasquan heads into the last week prior to the Shore Conference Tournament with a chance to win Group 1 and claim a first-round bye in the tournament. Standing between the Warriors and that round-one bye is CBA, which will travel to play Manasquan on Tuesday. Either Manasquan will be a top-four seed or with be either the No. 9 or 10 as one of the second-place finishers with a standout resume, which should set up the Warriors for a deep SCT run.
7. Toms River North (8-3, 4-1) Last Week: 9
Since Lakewood transfer Abraham Torres became eligible on Sept. 16, Toms River North is 6-0 with 27 goals – eight of which have been scored by Torres. The toughest part of Toms River North’s schedule to date was prior to Torres’s insertion into the lineup, but the difficulty level is ticking back up, starting with last week’s 2-1 win at Southern and continuing with a group-deciding SCT match vs. Colts Neck on Tuesday night.
8. Shore (7-2-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: 10
Since an opening-night loss to Rumson, Shore is 7-1-1 with a scoreless draw vs. Freehold Township and a loss to No. 6 Manasquan. A 3-1 win at Howell in the SCT group stage looks even better for the Blue Devils than it did at the time after a pair of convincing wins by Howell last week and it also has Shore locked in for a first-round bye in the SCT. Shore will look to finish a perfect group stage Tuesday with a home game vs. Manchester before Thursday’s Class A Central finale at Ocean.
9. Howell (11-1, 5-0) Last Week: Not ranked
The aforementioned 3-1 loss at Shore was a step-up in competition for Howell at the time and slowed the Rebels’ momentum after they stormed into the Top 10. Since, however, they have regained their top 10 form by beating Ocean and Freehold Township by a combined scored of 10-3 and ride into the final week of the regular season tied for the most wins in the Shore Conference, as well as the owners of a both Class B North division title and spot in the Shore Conference Tournament, regardless of Tuesday’s result vs. St. John Vianney.
10. Freehold Township (7-4-1, 3-0-1) Last Week: 5
Injuries have been a part of Freehold Township’s fall from the No. 2 spot in the rankings, which includes a 1-3 stretch with losses to Jackson, CBA and Howell amid a 5-0 win vs. Ranney. The Patriots are still looking to lock up a spot in the Shore Conference Tournament, which they can do with a win vs. Matawan on Tuesday or a combination of a tie vs. Matawan and Southern win or tie vs. Matawan later in the week. A chance to nail down the Class A Central division title will also be on the line Thursday at Long Branch.
Dropped Out
Jackson (9-1-3, 3-1-1) Last Week: 4 – An overtime win over Freehold Township was a validating result for the Jaguars, but last week’s 7-2 loss complicates the Top 10 Jackson’s Top 10 status. Regardless of that status, Jackson is set up with a first-round bye in the SCT.
Ocean (7-3-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: 7 – Like Jackson, Ocean is locked into a first-round bye in the SCT despite dropping out of the rankings following a 6-2 loss to Howell last week. A win at Toms River East and Friday’s win over Middletown South remain Top 10 worthy results.
The Next 10
Point Pleasant Beach (11-0, 5-0) – The lack of high-level opponents on the schedule is still a barrier between the Garnet Gulls and the Top 10, but the dominance with which Point Beach has beaten a handful of teams with strong records (Jackson, Lacey, Barnegat) makes them impossible to ignore.
Southern (3-4-2, 2-2-1) – Just like the last two years, Southern is flying under the radar heading into October while battling some of the top teams in the conference. The Rams will try to qualify for the SCT this week vs. Holmdel and Matawan.
Middletown South (4-6, 2-3) – The Eagles will look to get on track vs. Colts Neck this week in a rematch of the 2025 SCT final, then turn their attention to defending said title as top-eight seed in the 2026 tournament.
Matawan (8-1-1, 5-0-0) – The first 10 games could not have gone much better for Matawan than they did and the Huskies would like to pay it off by grabbing one of the final spots in the SCT, which will likely require a win against either Freehold Township or Southern.
Rumson-Fair Haven (6-3-3, 2-0-3) – Friday’s 6-0 loss at Manalapan was Rumson’s first noncompetitive loss of the season and followed a scoreless battle against Manasquan as part of a push to win a share of the Class A Central division title.
St. John Vianney (6-6, 2-3) – With six wins in their last seven matches, the Lancers are at .500 for the first time this season and guaranteed an SCT spot. None of those wins are vs. a team with a winning record, so to get serious Top 10 consideration, SJV will need a result this week against either Howell or Marlboro.
Lacey (7-4-1, 3-1-1) – The only in-conference losses by the Lions this season are to Ocean, Toms River North and Point Beach and with upcoming games vs. Toms River East and Cherry Hill East, this week will be another chance to test themselves as they prepare for the SCT.
Toms River South (5-5-1, 2-2-1) – The Indians are still searching for that signature win to make their Top 10 case more pronounced, with a 0-0 tie vs. Southern their best showing so far. Tuesday’s group-stage home match vs. Manalapan is about the best opportunity a team could have to make that case.
Wall (6-5-1, 3-2) – The Crimson Knights are 6-2-1 since dropping their first three games of the season, but with three losses to teams with a losing record (Middletown North, Middletown South and Central), there is still some work to do for Wall to draw more Top 10 consideration.
Freehold Boro (5-5, 3-2) – After winning five straight to improve to 5-1, Freehold Boro has lost four straight heading into a road match at No. 3 Marlboro. If the Colonials can’t manage a result in that game, they can still qualify for the SCT by beating St. Rose on Saturday.
