Boys Soccer NJSIAA Central Group 1 Preview: Shore at Roselle Park

Boys Soccer NJSIAA Sectional Finals

Central Jersey Group I Championship

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026

No. 3 Shore at No. 1 Roselle Park, 2 p.m.

 

Shore (15-5-2)

Head Coach: Christian Pontier
Last Sectional Championship: 2023
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2023

Road to the Final

First Round: Defeated No. 15 South Amboy, 6-0. Shore scored four goals in the first nine minutes, including two goals and an assist from junior Bryan Silveira to spark an opening-round rout. Sophomore Hayden DeRosa kicked off the scoring with a goal in the second minute, which marked his first varsity goal. Junior Ryan Cregle and freshman R.J. Fraley also scored their first varsity goals in the win.

Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 11 Highland Park, 5-1. Senior Silvio Pessoa scored two goals two minutes apart to ignite a five-goal outburst by Shore in the first half. Junior Callum Spurrier scored a goal and assisted one by senior Matheus Lopez during the half and junior Thomas Pregosa scored the other Shore goal.

Semifinals: Defeated No. 2 Point Beach, 2-1 (9-8 on penalty kicks). Pessoa scored a goal during regulation and nailed all three of his penalty kicks during the shootout to help Shore survive 100 minutes and 12 rounds of penalties on the road against the 19-win Garnet Gulls. Sophomore goalkeeper Juan Sanchez saved three shots during the shootout and after his first attempt was saved by Point Beach goalkeeper Parker Sario, sophomore Gavin Cavanaugh made two penalty kicks – including Shore’s final attempt of the shootout.

 

Players to Watch

Silvio Pessoa, Sr., Forward (19 goals, 8 assists)

Michael Ilvento, Sr., Midfield/Forward (5 goals, 6 assists)

Bryan Silveira, Jr., Midfield/Forward (5 goals, 7 assists)

Matheus Lopes, Sr., Midfield (2 goals, 1 assist)

Jackson Motzenbecker, Sr., Defense (1 goal, 1 assist)

Gavin Cavanaugh, So., Defense (2 goals, 3 assists)

Juan Sanchez, So., Goalkeeper (7 shutouts, 23 goals allowed)

 

 

Roselle Park (18-3-2)

Head Coach: Patric Santo Pietro
Last Sectional Championship: None

Road to the Final

First Round: Defeated No. 16 Delaware Valley, 7-0. Seniors Lucas DeSouza and Jean Paul Lopez each scored twice during their team’s five-goal first half and DeSouza finished off a hat trick in the second to highlight a round-one thumping of the defending sectional champions.

Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 8 Dunellen, 5-1. For the second straight game, DeSouza scored twice in the first half and once in the second for a second consecutive state-tournament hat trick. Lopez also scored for a second straight match.

Semifinals: Defeated No. 5 Florence, 2-1. Senior defender Daniel Trigueros pushed forward and headed in a corner kick by classmate Natra Bolivar in the 68th minute to break a 1-1 tie and deliver the winning goal as the Panthers broke through with a trip to the sectional final round. Sophomore Christian Joseph opened the scoring in the first half before Florence tied it in the 63rd minute on a goal by Max Kyeremeh.

 

Players to Watch

Lucas DeSouza, Sr., Midfield/Forward (34 goals, 5 assists)

Javier Cuadros, Jr., Forward (12 goals, 5 assists)

Darrien Downey, Sr., Midfield (4 goals, 16 assists)

Gabriel Santiago, Jr., Midfield/Defense (7 goals, 13 assists)

Jean Paul Lopez, Sr., Midfield/Forward (9 goals, 2 assists)

Christian Joseph, So., Forward (7 goals, 3 assists)

Nastra Bolivar, Sr., Midfield (2 goals, 11 assists)

Daniel Trigueros, Sr., Defense/Midfield (6 goals, 1 assist)

Roselle Park plays for its first ever sectional championship Saturday and the team standing in its way has plenty of titles to spare. Shore has collected 10 NJSIAA sectional championships in program history and No. 11 would mark the third in five years for the Blue Devils. Even on its home field, there is the air of an underdog coming from the Roselle Park sideline as they prepare to defend their turf against a team coming off a huge road win.

On Wednesday, Shore survived 100 minutes and 12 rounds of penalty kicks to beat a 19-2 Point Beach team in the sectional semifinals in Point Pleasant. Shore scored early and benefited from a red card to Point Beach’s top scorer (Evan Hajeski) after the Garnet Gulls tied the game. The Blue Devils did not score the game-winner, but they held the ball, tired out Point Beach’s nine field players and held the decided shot advantage during overtime. In penalty kicks, Point Beach blinked first and Shore advanced to a date with the section’s top seed.

Roselle Park offers a high-scoring attack led by a high-scoring player. Senior Lucas DeSouza leads the way for the Panthers with 34 goals and junior Javier Cuadros (12) is the only other player on the team with 10 or more. Shore just eliminated a team with two 30-goal scorers, so the Blue Devils enter Saturday well-versed in defending an elite scorer.

Just as Point Beach had trouble staying with senior Silvio Pessoa early in the game, Pessoa poses a similar problem for Roselle Park. According to Shore coach Christian Pontier, Pessoa played through an illness on Wednesday that impacted his ability to play for long stretches of time. If Pessoa is closer to 100 percent, he figures to be a factor for more of the game than he was at Point Beach, where he still scored in the first 15 minutes to make a mark on the game.

Even if Roselle Park can manage to keep Pessoa off the score sheet, senior Michael Ilvento and junior Bryan Silveira are dangerous scorers and Matheus Lopes helps control the middle of the field while four-year starter Jackson Motzenberger handles the defense in front of sophomore Juan Sanchez in goal. Sophomores Hayden DeRosa and Gavin Cavanaugh have been x-factors as well and that unpredictability and balance gives Shore an edge vs. most Group I teams, even ones with a 40-goal scorer and another just short of 40.

Against a team with one 34-goal scorer and a road to the final that was not as difficult as the one Shore survived, the Blue Devils enter with a decided edge. The sentimental pick is Roselle Park as it goes for its first ever title and the Panthers will certainly be motivated. That keeps them in the game, but Shore has too many answers and too much firepower.

The Pick: Shore, 4-2