Boys Soccer NJSIAA Central Group 2 Preview: Bordentown at Manasquan

Boys Soccer NJSIAA Sectional Finals

Central Jersey Group II Championship

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026

No. 2 Bordentown at No. 1 Manasquan, 10 a.m.

 

Bordentown (16-4-2)

Head Coach: Mike Brennan
Last Sectional Championship: 2005 (Central Group I)
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2015

Road to the Final

First Round: Defeated No. 15 Point Boro, 6-0. Six different players scored a goal, with Anthony Crisostomo and Marco Carlini each going for a goal and two assists to lead the way in a round-one rout.

Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 7 Spotswood, 5-1. After going down early, Bordentown scored four goals before halftime to seize control of the game. Everett Barrett scored a goal in each half and also assisted one by Kyle Williams.

Semifinals: Defeated No. 3 Ocean, 2-1. Everett Barrett tied the game in the first half and Anthony Crisostomo delivered the game-winner in the 64th minute to complete a come-from-behind win over the Spartans.

 

Players to Watch

Everett Barrett, Sr., Midfield (15 goals, 12 assists)

Cole Rosina, Sr., Forward (10 goals, five assists)

Anthony Crisostomo, Sr., Midfield (9 goals, 5 assists)

Cullen Hosszu-Barrett, So., Defense (8 goals, 7 assists)

Marco Carlini, Sr., Midfield (4 goals, 5 assists)

Ediz Gungor, So., Midfield (2 goals, 4 assists)

Kyle Williams, So., Forward (5 goals)

Sam Caldwell, So., Defense (1 goal, 2 assists)

Manasquan

Head Coach: Zack Savacool
Last Sectional Championship: None
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2023

Road to the Final

First Round: Defeated No. 16 Raritan, 7-1. Six different Manasquan players scored a goal and four posted at least one goal and one assist in a one-sided win in the first round. Senior Myles Carstens dished out a pair of assists to go with his goal, while junior Noah Matuch, senior Luke Byrne and senior John Visceglia each had a goal and an assist.

Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 8 Wall, 3-0. Matuch and Byrne each scored in the first half and senior Adam Rodricks provided the exclamation point with a late breakaway as Manasquan avenged last year’s season-ending, penalty-kick loss to Wall in the Central Group II semifinals.

Semifinals: Defeated No. 4 Allentown, 2-1 in overtime. Junior Parker Basaman scored off a corner kick from Carstens in the fourth minute of overtime, sending the Warriors past Colonial Valley Conference champion Allentown and into the sectional final for the third time since 2018. Junior Renzo Lucarelli buried a penalty kick to open the scoring in the 34th minute before Allentown tied it in the 44th with a goal by Jakub Jodelka.

 

Players to Watch

Luke Byrne, Sr., Midfield/Forward (15 goals, 4 assists)

Noah Matuch, Jr., Forward (12 goals, 8 assists)

Adam Rodricks, Sr., Midfield (6 goals, 1 assist)

Myles Carstens, Sr., Midfield (1 goal, 6 assists)

Travis Levy, Jr., Defense (1 assist)

Renzo Lucarelli, Jr., Defense (2 goals, 2 assists)

John Visceglia, Sr., Defense (2 goals, 5 assists)

Jack Walther, Jr., Midfield (1 goal, 6 assists)

Maceo Manno, Sr., Midfield (5 goals, 3 assists)

An unprecedented, historic season for Manasquan Boys Soccer is one win from reaching legendary status for the boys on Broad Street. With a Shore Conference Tournament trophy already in the case, the Warriors are one more home win away from securing another first for the program: an NJSIAA sectional championship. After pulling out a 2-1, overtime win over CVC Tournament champion Allentown on Wednesday, Manasquan is now 9-0-1 on its home field and 17-0-1 playing on an artificial turf surface – a good sign for the Warriors considering they would host the Group II semifinal with a win vs. Bordentown and the state final will be played on Franklin High School’s turf.

Through the first two rounds of the tournament, Manasquan outscored its opponents, 10-1, and its leading scorers with Luke Byrne and Noah Matuch with two goals apiece. To move past Allentown, the Warriors leaned on the contributions of two less likely goal-scorers. Junior center back Renzo Luccarelli buried a go-ahead penalty kick late in the first half and in overtime, junior Parker Basaman scored his first goal to cap the victory.

Manasquan’s success has hinged on its defense, which has permitted 23 goals this season and just 14 in those 18 games on turf. Lucarelli and fellow junior Travis Levy have complemented one another nicely as the center backs, while both seniors John Visceglia and Alex Lapitzki are both two-way threats out the outside. Byrne, Matuch and Rodricks have done the heavy lifting when it comes to scoring, but Manasquan’s midfield of senior Myles Carstens, junior Jack Walther and Basaman have done the unheralded work in the middle. Senior Maceo Manno, meanwhile, has embraced his role of providing instant offense off the bench.

With one more win to go to collect another trophy, Manasquan will attempt to slow down a well-rounded Bordentown attack and crack a defense that has allowed only 15 goals this season. The Scotties started the year 2-3-1, but have since gone 14-1-1 with just eight goals allowed in those 16 matches. That schedule includes three teams (Northern Burlington, Schalick and Kingsway) against teams that are playing for sectional titles in the upcoming round, one other No. 1 seed in a section (Cinnaminson) and three other teams (Ocean, Florence and Westampton Tech) that reached the sectional semifinal round.

As much as any team in the Shore Conference this season, Manasquan has proven it can handle the weight of a big game. Whether it was a group stage game against CBA, a penalty shootout against Freehold Township, back-to-back wins at Neptune to clinch the Shore Conference Tournament championship, or Wednesday’s overtime thriller, Manasquan has consistently answered the call throughout the season.

The Pick: Manasquan, 2-1