Soccer goalkeeper mid-air in the goal, mouth open, blue kit with number 19, behind a hexagonal net at night.

Written in Pens: Manasquan Wins Second Straight Shootout, Reaches Boys Soccer Shore Final

Matt Manley|October 22, 2026|Last Updated October 22, 2026

NEPTUNE — After the first 100 minutes of the Shore Conference Tournament Boys Soccer semifinal between Manasquan and Toms River East, Quinn Petrulla felt like he was the reason his Manasquan team had not already won the game.

With his team headed to a penalty-kick shootout for the second straight round, he wanted to be the reason they advanced via penalties once again and returned to Memorial Field in Neptune Saturday night for Manasquan’s second-ever trip to the SCT championship game.

After the standard five kicks were not enough to determine a winner, Petrulla saved the final shot of the penalty round to seal a 5-4 win during the shootout and a 3-2 victory overall for the third-seeded Warriors over No. 10 Toms River East.

“It’s euphoria,” Petrulla said. “We’re the second team in Manasquan history to make a Shore Conference final. Hopefully, we’ll be the first team in Manasquan history to make it to a state championship and win a state championship this year. The mojo is at an all-time high this year with a group of guys that have been together for four years now. We’re just going to keep the ball rolling and keep doing what we do best.”

 

Two days earlier, Manasquan knocked off Freehold Township on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw, with Petrulla making two saves in that shootout. After back-to-back wins on penalties, the Warriors will play Christian Brothers Academy Saturday in the championship game, which will be Manasquan’s first appearance in the SCT final since losing to Freehold Township in the 2019 game.

Manasquan appeared on its way to a victory after senior Luke Byrne connected on his second goal of the game to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead three minutes into the second half. Toms River East, however, rallied to tie the game by the 58th minute, and it took a misplay by Petrulla to open the door for Toms River East. Raiders senior Sam Loss ripped a 25-yard shot on frame, and after Petrulla was unable to control the ball on the save, it landed at the feet of crashing junior Brennan Hutton, who slammed in the equalizer.

“The second goal wasn’t great – very ugly,” Petrulla said. “But my boys kept me in the game, we kept holding one, and they let me shine a second time. I took a chance and got one back for the guys, and we came out on top.”

 

“I was getting mad and yelling at the boys a little bit, but the main goal is to just stay positive, keep going, and don’t get down on each other,” Byrne said. “That probably hurt us for a little bit. We got down on each other, and you just have to stay positive and play together. Up two-nothing, you never want to blow the lead like that, but we stuck together and found a way.”

Hutton’s opportunistic goal to tie the game set the stage for a scoreless-yet-dramatic final 40 minutes leading up to the shootout ending. Toms River East gained the advantage in the penalty round when Manasquan missed its second attempt, while Raiders seniors Nick DiMeola, Malcolm Smith and Ayden Salazar all converted to make it a 3-2 Toms River East advantage through three rounds.

Junior Renzo Lucarelli made Manasquan’s third attempt, senior Alex Lapitzki converted the fourth for the Warriors, and a miss on Toms River East’s fourth shot evened up the shootout once again heading into the fifth round. Manasquan senior Adam Rodricks nailed his shot to put his team on the cusp of a win, but senior Sam Los kept Toms River East alive by drilling his kick right down the middle.

Manasquan senior Quinn Petrulla makes the save that clinches Manasquan a trip tot the Shore Conference Tournament final. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com) - Manasquan Quinn Petrulla

Manasquan senior Quinn Petrulla makes the save that clinches Manasquan a trip tot the Shore Conference Tournament final. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

Senior Maceo Manno opened the shootout with a make for Manasquan, then converted a second attempt to give the Warriors a 5-4 edge, with DiMeola looking to counter. DiMeola fired a shot on frame to the right side of the goal, but Petrulla lunged to his left and punched the ball away to protect the goal and end the game. The senior goalkeeper held his hands in the air, removed one glove and threw it in the air as his teammates swarmed him to set off the celebration.

“I just guessed,” Petrulla said of his save. “I am picking a spot with all the guys walking up. I’ll see if they are a righty or a lefty, how far wide they go, watch to see if they open their hips a little bit and just pick a spot and go.”

Byrne has abdicated his spot as a shooter in the shootout due to some struggles on penalty kicks, but his scoring prowess in the run of play put Manasquan in position to win long before the shootout. In the 17th minute, Manno one-timed a far-post cross with his outside boot, and it bounced over junior striker Noah Matuch and to the far-right post. Junior Jack Walther slid a pass to the front of the goal, where Byrne found enough space for a clean tap-in and a 1-0 Warriors lead.

 

“I feel a little guilty as a captain that I’m not out there (for penalty kicks),” said Byrne, who leads Manasquan in scoring with 13 goals and two assists. “The boys rely on me, but I have their back, and I trust anyone who takes the penalty. We got it done.

“Quinn is great. He is always good in practice, and I trust him a million. I always have trust in our shooters, no matter what. I know they have trust in me, but I just can’t do it anymore. Fortunately, I was able to score a couple of goals to get us that early lead.”

Petrulla was on his game during the first half, saving four Toms River East shots. The Raiders put 10 of their 11 shots in the game on frame, and Petrulla saved eight of them.

 

Byrne kicked off the second-half scoring with a 23-yard direct kick that he skipped off diving sophomore goalkeeper Connor Minelli and into the goal for a 2-0 lead.

Toms River East applied pressure throughout the match, mostly due to the long throw-in skills of junior center fullback Brady Gillen. The wave of long throws finally yielded a goal for the Raiders in the 49th minute, when senior Ayden Salazar headed Gillen’s throw-in to the far-left corner of the goal, cutting Manasquan’s lead to 2-1.

 

“You’ve just got to keep pushing and keep persevering,” Petrulla said. “You’re not out of it until you’re fully out of it when the final whistle blows.”

Hutton’s rebound finish in the 58th leveled the score and set off a tense, action-packed final 40 minutes of field play. Both teams had chances in the first overtime period, starting with a clean look for Matuch from the middle of the 18-yard box that Minelli stopped in the 86th minute. Two minutes later, Los unleashed another long strike that Petrulla saved, but could not catch. The ball rolled off to his right, and Toms River East sophomore Jack Gillen got to it first, but Petrulla arrived just after Gillen and steered the close-range shot wide of the left post.

 

“I messed up in the first place,” Petrulla said. “(Gillen) had an opening. I worked back, and I got there, kept us alive.”

Manasquan had the best opportunity of the second overtime, which came in the 93rd minute. Brady Gillen passed the ball back to Minelli, who reached down to pick it up. Because Gillen played the ball with his foot, Minelli was not allowed to pick it up, but the ball eluded his hand and hit his foot instead. Manasquan lobbied for the handball call, as well as a trip of Matuch by Minelli after the two collided after Minelli’s near-handball. An illegal touch by the goalkeeper inside the box would result in an indirect kick from the spot of the foul.

 

While Manasquan ended a seven-year wait to return to the title game, Toms River East’s run of bad luck in penalty shootouts prevented the Raiders from reaching the SCT final for the first time since 2006. Wednesday marked the first time Toms River East was in a semifinal since 2008, when Marlboro eliminated the Raiders on penalty kicks.

“When you’re on the opposite end of these things, it’s tough,” Toms River East coach Mike Konopka said. “I give credit to Manasquan. They played us tough tonight. I think that we had our chances, especially in the second half. We came out a little slow. When you’re down two goals, our guys could have just packed it in. They kept fighting, so I’m super proud of that. We tied it up and knocked on the door for a long time. We had our opportunities to put the game away before it even got to penalty kicks, so we just have to refocus on making sure we are more efficient in taking care of our chances.”

Toms River East senior Brady Gillen clears the ball over Manasquan junior Noah Maduch. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com) - TRE Brady Gillen's correct. I'll provide proper JSON.

Toms River East senior Brady Gillen clears the ball over Manasquan junior Noah Maduch. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

Many current Toms River East players also know the heartbreak of losing on penalty kicks. The Raiders’ 2025 season ended in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III semifinals with a home loss to Delsea on penalty kicks after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw through 100 minutes.

“Obviously, this one hurts,” Konopka said. “We would like to have gone on and had a chance to play in another final for the fifth time in school history. It wasn’t in the cards, but this group is resilient. We have had our struggles throughout the year; we have faced some adversity, and we always find a way through it.”

As Toms River East regroups for a run in the state tournament, Manasquan will prepare for its second look at CBA this season, this time with the Shore Conference Tournament championship on the line. Manasquan earned the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye thanks to a 2-0 win over CBA on Oct. 6 in Manasquan, which gave the Warriors first place in SCT Group 1. CBA dropped to the No. 9 seed, but still navigated a road to the final that required the Colts to beat four teams — Red Bank Regional, Middletown South, Manalapan, and Colts Neck — that they played during the regular season.

Manasquan senior Luke Byrne celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinal vs. Toms River East.(Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com) - Manasquan Luke Byrne

Manasquan senior Luke Byrne celebrates scoring the first of his two goals in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinal vs. Toms River East.(Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

CBA already avenged a regular-season loss at Manalapan in the quarterfinal and is hoping to do the same to Manasquan on Saturday. The Warriors, however, are still approaching the game as the underdog Group II school that has never won a Shore Conference Tournament title, taking on the 13-time SCT champions from the elite Monmouth County private school.

“It’s definitely motivation for (CBA),” Petrulla said. “At the end of the day, we’re a small, little, Group Two school. They are a big private school that brings kids from all over just to play soccer. We’re going to give it our best. We showed up against them once. The pressure is not on us. We’re going to play our best, have some fun, and hopefully get the job done.”

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