Boys Soccer NJSIAA South Group 2 Preview: Lacey at Sterling
Boys Soccer NJSIAA Sectional Finals
South Jersey Group III Championship
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026
No. 4 Lacey at No. 2 Sterling, 10 a.m.
Lacey (15-7-2)
Head Coach: Steve Torre
Last Sectional Championship: 1992 (South Group III)
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2005 (South Group III)
Road to the Final
First Round: Defeated No. 13 Pleasantville, 4-0. Sophomore Tristan DeRosa scored a goal in each half to establish a 2-0 lead for Lacey, then assisted a goal by junior Logan Hope to complete his impact performance. Junior Aiden Tallman capped the scoring with a header on a ball from junior Jakob Ziobro.
Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 5 West Deptford, 1-0. DeRosa broke a scoreless tie with a 20-yard strike in the 54th minute off a pass from junior Mark DeAngelo and the defense plus senior goalkeeper Dylan Graham made it stand with a second straight state-tournament shutout.
Semifinals: Defeated No. 9 Haddon Heights, 2-0. Once again, DeRose broke the ice with a a 20-yard strike, this time on a free kick in the 60th minute to give Graham and the Lacey defense all the scoring it needed to secure the Lions their first trip to the sectional final in 21 years. DeAngelo set up the first goal by drawing the foul just outside the top of the 18-yard box and junior Paul Guerriero added an insurance goal in the 72nd minute.
Players to Watch
Tristan DeRosa, So., Forward (15 goals, 17 assists)
Paul Guerriero, Jr., Forward (15 goals, 6 assists)
Logan Hope, Jr., Midfield (3 goals, 4 assists)
Aiden Tallman, Jr., Defense (4 goals)
Dylan Graham, Sr., Goalkeeper (8 shutouts, 31 goals allowed)
Sterling (17-3-2)
Head Coach: Pete Marlys
Last Sectional Championship: 2024
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2024
Road to the Final
First Round: Defeated No. 15 Oakcrest, 6-0. Junior Casmir Okoro scored two goals and assisted two others as the Silver Knights exploded for five goals in the second half to run away with a round-one win.
Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 7 Barnegat, 3-1. Senior Connor Maenner converted two go-ahead penalty kicks, including the winning goal in the 65th minute to help fend off the Bengals and 40-goal scorer Nate Scisco, who scored Barnegat’s equalizer in the 50th minute. Senior Ethan Weitzel put the game on ice with a goal in the 80th minute.
Semifinals: Defeated No. 3 Haddonfield, 1-0. The sectional semifinal between Sterling and Haddonfield remained scoreless until the final minute, when Maenner scored the only goal of the game with under 20 seconds to play, sending the Silver Knights to the sectional championship game for the second time in three years.
Players to Watch
Connor Maenner, Sr., Forward (18 goals, 5 assists)
Casmir Okoro, Jr., Forward (12 goals, 11 assists)
Ethan Weitzel, Sr., Midfield (3 goals, 6 assists)
Joshua Santos, So., Midfield (3 goals)
Jordan Parker, Jr., Midfield (3 goals, 1 assist)
Jayson Hoffman, Sr., Defense
Tyler Lucier, Jr., Goalkeeper (13 shutouts, 14 goals allowed)
Lacey entered 2025 with high hopes after reaching the 2024 Shore Conference Tournament semifinal led by a group of junior field players and a sophomore goalkeeper, but injuries derailed the follow-up season from the very beginning and never relented. While that made for a frustrating season of wins and losses, it afforded a wave of role players to play more prominent roles on the team and for young reserves to see the field more often.
A year later, this version of Lacey did not enter the season with as much fanfare as the 2025 team, but now finds itself with a chance to end a 34-year championship drought after already snapping a 21-year break between reaching the sectional final round of the NJSIAA Tournament. The season leading up to the state tournament did not produce a division championship or a deep run in the conference tournament, but Lacey’s young roster has been improving throughout the year and rode into November playing its best.
While the starting group in the field is light on seniors, Lacey is led in the back by senior goalkeeper Dylan Graham, who was one of several prominent players to miss a chunk of 2025 due to injury. Graham was an All-Shore selection as a sophomore and has been Lacey’s lifeline throughout the season while playing behind an inexperienced defense. The goals-allowed numbers are not eye-catching, but Graham remains a top shot-stopper, and with four straight shutouts – including one in all three NJSIAA Tournament wins – he has been in the zone at the ideal time.
On the scoring side of things, Lacey has been powered by a collection of juniors and sophomores. In fact, only one of the 47 goals the Lions have scored this season has been scored by a senior, which came from defender Jack Clancy. Sophomore Tristan DeRosa and junior Paul Guerriero have been the top scoring threats for Lacey throughout the season, and DeRosa has been particularly potent this postseason. The sophomore has scored at least once in all three games and has posted four goals and an assist to account for five of Lacey’s seven state tournament goals.
Standing between Lacey and its first sectional championship since 1992 is a Sterling side that is just two years removed from winning the overall Group II championship. The Silver Knights have been difficult to score upon all season, and the only goal they have conceded during the NJSIAA Tournament was an equalizer by Barnegat’s 42-goal scorer, Nate Scisco. Coincidentally, the 3-1 win for Sterling over Barnegat was the identical score to Lacey’s 3-1 win over the Bengals in Shore Conference Tournament group play. The other common opponent between the two teams also yielded nearly identical results: Sterling beat Cherry Hill East, 2-1, while Lacey beat the Cougars, 1-0.
With just 14 goals allowed in 22 games, Sterling does not allow opponents to change the scoreboard very often, but on the rare occasion they have, it has proved to be a winning formula. The Silver Knights have allowed two goals just four times this season and are 1-3 in those games. In games in which they allow any goal, they are 4-3-2, so if Lacey can just get on the board, the Lions’ chances of winning figure to be about 50-50.
Sterling is not especially senior-heavy, but the hosts will have the edge in age and experience, which could prove to be the difference. Graham will be an x-factor as Lacey’s senior in goal, but finding a goal against this Sterling back line and formation will be a tall task for the young Lions.
The Pick: Sterling, 1-0
