Boys Soccer 2024 SCT Final Preview: Colts Neck vs. CBA

2024 Shore Conference Tournament Championship

Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024

At Memorial Field, Summerfield Elementary School, Neptune

6 p.m.

Live Stream: bigstatesports.com

SCT Homepage

No. 1 Colts Neck (16-0-1) vs. No. 3 Christian Brothers Academy (15-4)

Colts Neck at a Glance

Head Coach: Art Collier

Past SCT Final Appearances: 1 (2001)

SCT Championships: None

Road to the Final: Finished first place in Group I; Defeated Freehold Twp., 4-0; Manalapan, 3-0; Manasquan, 3-2; Ocean, 2-1

Players to Watch

Sean Moore, So., Forward (25 goals, 10 assists)

Kyle Moore, Sr., Forward (21 goals, 10 assists)

Sam Gershon, Sr., Midfield (4 goals, 7 assists)

Ben Kazani, Jr., Midfield (1 goal, 8 assists)

Gabe Kruglyansky, Jr., Midfield (4 goals, 3 assists)

Pedro Navroski, So., Midfield (2 goals, 4 assists)

C.J. Collins, Jr., Midfield (3 goals, 2 assists)

Jonah Chiang, Jr., Midfield/Forward (2 goals)

Nick Sergio, Sr., Midfield/Forward (4 assists)

Josh Katsnelson, Sr., Defense (1 assist)

Ryan Spencer, Jr., Defense (1 assist)

Dillon Younger, Jr., Defense (1 goal)

Sebastian Failla, Sr., Defense (1 assist)

Justin Appel, Sr., Goalkeeper

Colts Neck is staring at history of many kinds over the next several weeks, but on Saturday night, there is only one kind of history the Cougars are hoping to make. It has been 23 years since Colts Neck played in the Shore Conference Tournament final and a win on Saturday night would mark the first conference championship for the Cougars program.

A 16-0-1 record is an additional wrinkle to Colts Neck’s pursuit of an elusive tournament championship. The last team to reach the Shore Conference Tournament without a loss was the 2011 CBA team, which finished 21-0, No. 1 in the state and is most likely the best Shore Conference team ever assembled to this points. CBA is also the only Shore Conference team to win division, Shore Conference and NJSIAA Group championships during an undefeated season.

Colts Neck’s standouts are on either end of the field, starting with forwards Sean Moore and Kyle Moore, who are complemented by standout goalkeeper Justin Appel. The Cougars lead the Shore Conference in both goals scored (64 total; 3.76 per game) and goals allowed (12 total; 0.71 per game) thanks to the efforts of those three players, with the Moore brothers combining for 46 of those goals.

While those three players are the standouts, Colts Neck would not be playing for a championship without a steady midfield and a vastly improved back-four on defense. Senior Sam Gershon and junior Ben Kazani have been solid in the midfield – Gershon on the attack and Kazani as the six in the formation. The rest of the midfield has featured a rotation between Gabe Kruglyansky, Pedro Navroski, C.J. Collins and Jonah Chiang.

Juniors Ryan Spencer and Dillon Younger have both grown into capable center fullbacks after their defense gave up 35 goals in 19 games last year. Seniors Josh Katsneslon and Sebastian Failla play on the outside and Appel has tied it all together in his return to the varsity team after opting to play academy soccer each of the past two years.

During its run to the championship game, Colts Neck has showcased its ability to overwhelm opponents, as well as its composure in close games. The march to the final began with two dominant performances, including a 3-0 win over Manalapan – the No. 2 ranked team in the Shore Conference. In each of the last two games, Colts Neck had to overcome one-goal deficits, which included Thursday’s 2-1 win over Ocean in which Kyle Moore scored the game-winner in the 75th minute.

As it has been all season, the Moore brothers have accounted for the vast majority of the scoring, with Sean (six) and Kyle (four) scoring 10 of the Cougars’ 12 goals during the tournament. Both players have seen plenty of defensive attention, but it has not yet been enough to slow down the duo.

CBA at a Glance

Head Coach: Tom Mulligan

Past SCT Final Appearances: 15 (1984, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2004, 2009-11, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021-23

SCT Championships: 13 (1984, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2021-23)

Road to the Final: Finished first place in Group B; Defeated Wall, 1-0; Holmdel, 1-0; Lacey, 2-0

Players to Watch

Brayden Perry, Sr., Forward (4 goals)

Devon Cale, Jr., Forward (2 goals, 1 assist)

Ryan Asadi, Jr., Forward (6 goals, 1 assist)

Phil Bodenski, Sr., Midfield (5 goals, 4 assists)

Nick Tesauro, Sr., Midfield (4 goals, 1 assist)

Carlos Cano, Sr., Midfield (3 assists)

Nick Vieira, Sr., Midfield (2 goals)

James Brady, Jr., Midfield (4 goals, 3 assists)

Caden Darby Sr., Midfield/Defense (2 goals)

Owen Wierman, Sr., Midfield (1 goal)

Charlie Messano, Sr., Defense (2 goals)

Finn McCarthy, Jr., Defense

Taylor Ryan, Sr., Defense (2 goals, 1 assist)

Brandon Ortiz, Sr., Defense (1 goal, 1 assist)

Cillian Parker, So., Defense

Sean Najdzinowicz, Sr., Goalkeeper

CBA’s presence in the Shore Conference Tournament is a paradox of sorts. As much as any season, it is a surprise to see the Colts playing in the SCT final for the fourth straight season and 16^th time in program history considering what they graduated following last season. On the other hand, it is never a surprise to see CBA playing in a championship game.

With nine new starters and in a season that started with the Colts losing three of their first six games, the CBA players held onto their expectations of winning the Shore Conference Tournament championship and reaching the NJSIAA Non-Public A final.

Not only is CBA 80 minutes away from winning a fourth consecutive SCT championship, but the Colts have made it to this point in rather dominant fashion. They have scored a reasonable four goals in three games, but it has been the defense that has made CBA hard to beat. The Colts have yet to allow a goal during the SCT and since allowing 11 goals in its first four games of the season, CBA has conceded only five goals in its last 15 matches.

With so many new starters and a roster that has plenty of talent from top to bottom, CBA coach Tom Mulligan has been more experimental about his lineups, formations and tactics throughout the year. CBA opened attempting to play its usual, possession-heavy style and after struggling through four games, the Colts transitioned into a more defensive formation with a focus on playing more direct once they won the ball.

During this tournament, CBA is starting to fuse the two styles. The Colts showed off more possession in Thursday’s win over Lacey and heading into Saturday night, they would like to keep the ball away from the Moore brothers by keeping the ball at the feet of their own players.

Unlike Colts Neck, CBA has spread the scoring wealth around this year. Junior Ryan Asadi leads the team with six goals and he has spent most of the season coming off the bench to play big minutes. Seniors Brayden Perry and Phil Bodenski are the returnees from 2023 and have played the role of leaders, both on and off the field. Seniors Carlos Cano and Nick Tesauro have also stepped up as seniors, with Cano closing down his side of the field as an outside midfielder and Tesauro owning the center of the field. Juniors James Brady and Devon Cale have made an impact closer to the front of the formation.

CBA has mixed and matched its defenders throughout the year, with junior Finn McCarthy remaining a staple at center back. Senior Brandon Ortiz has also been a regular on the outside, with seniors Taylor Ryan, Charlie Messano and Cano all contributing to the defense. From the start, senior goalkeeper Sean Najdzinowicz has been steady at his spot and will look to complete a tournament-long clean sheet on Saturday.

Prediction

Ocean had success vs. Colts Neck by playing physical, staying disciplined in keeping attention on the Moore brothers with multiple defenders and by heavily pressuring the back line. CBA will most certainly pressure Colts Neck’s back four with the hopes of forcing them to play. While Younger and Spencer for Colts Neck are not soccer-first players, both are capable athletes who do have enough soccer ability to distribute out of the back. Throw in the abilities of Katsnelson and Failla on the outside and Colts Neck has a defense capable of absorbing the CBA pressure and getting it up to the midfield.

Speaking of the midfield, that might be where the game is won – not a surprising proposition in most soccer games, but not usually so when Sean and Kyle Moore are playing. In order to spring the brothers free, however, the midfield will have been able to keep the ball long enough vs. CBA’s high-pressure and fire opportunities up to Sean and Kyle.

The midfield is key No. 1, key No. 2 will be goalkeeping – especially Appel for Colts Neck. The way this matchup looks, both keepers are likely to have to face more shots than they are used to today and if either can have a particularly strong game, that team could have the edge.

CBA just survived one great keeper performance on Thursday from Lacey’s Dylan Graham and might be in for another one from Appel, who is proven in his return season to the team that he is one of the Shore’s best. Between CBA’s stingy defense and its balanced attack, Appel will have to be on his game for all 80 minutes.

If Colts Neck has an edge beyond the Moore brothers and in goal, it is the battles the Cougars have survived to make it this far. They faced three teams currently ranked in the Shore Sports Inside Top 10, including No. 2 Manalapan to get to the final, while CBA took down three unranked – albeit very good – teams in Wall, Holmdel and Lacey.

CBA has had the more dominant tournament, but the Colts have not played any team even remotely close to Colts Neck’s level thus far. When trying to separate a close matchup, those sorts of intangibles can sway opinion. So too can fun facts, so here is one more: Since 1998, CBA has won nine Shore Conference titles and was the No. 1 seed in eight of those tournaments, with 2015 the lone exception. On the flip side, CBA has made the SCT final as a seed other than No. 1 three times since 1998 and is 1-2. Those are the only losses CBA has suffered in the SCT final.

The Pick: Colts Neck, 2-1

Semifinal Picks Record: 2-0

SCT Picks Record: 16-9