Boys Soccer NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 3
By sheer numbers, no NJSIAA group gives the Shore Conference a better chance to win an overall state championship more than Group III. Thirteen teams from the Shore reside in Group III, including half of the 16 teams in Central Jersey and 11 of the 32 between Central and South Jersey. On top of that, the Shore accounts for three of the four top-two seeds in both Central and South Jersey, including top-seeded Colts Neck in the Central bracket.
Speaking of Central Jersey, that section includes the two finalists from the Shore Conference Tournament and both teams occupy the top two seeds. Colts Neck has unfinished business after last year’s shocking loss to Long Branch in the sectional quarterfinal, not to mention the shootout loss to Middletown South in this year’s SCT final. Middletown South won its first ever SCT championship on Oct. 25 and will now make a bid for its first ever sectional championship in boys soccer.
The Central Jersey bracket is also home to Long Branch, which won last year’s sectional title as a No. 9 seed before losing a tight game at Shawnee in the Group III semifinal.
Ocean County is well-represented in Group III as well, with Brick Memorial and Brick looking to build upon resurgent seasons in Central Jersey while Toms River East and Toms River South make a bid for sectional championships in South Jersey.
The Shore Conference has won an overall state championship in each of the past three seasons and if the streak improves to four, there is a good chance that championship comes from one of the sections below.
Middletown South senior Luke Strada marked by Colts Neck senior Jonah Chiang. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Central Jersey Group III
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 1 Colts Neck, No. 2 Middletown South, No. 5 Brick Memorial, No. 6 Brick, No. 7 Long Branch, No. 12 Freehold Boro, No. 13 Red Bank, No. 14 Neptune
Top Seed: Colts Neck
Defending Champion: Long Branch
Favorite: Colts Neck. The Cougars have three things that translate to winning at this time of the season: great defense, quality goalkeeping and a legitimate goal-scorer. Colts Neck has allowed six goals in 18 games this season behind a senior-led defense and senior goalkeeper Liam Collura and Sean Moore is about as legitimate as it gets when it comes to goal-scoring. Injuries to starters C.J. Collins, Gabe Kruglyansky and Nate Calhoun in the Shore Conference Tournament final could impact the early rounds of the state tournament and given the Cougars are one year removed from getting picked off in the sectional quarterfinals, those injuries could prove meaningful.
Dark Horse: No. 9 Steinert. The Spartans made it all the way to the sectional final a season ago, when their run ended against Long Branch in a very tough loss to a hot No. 9 seed. Now, it is Steinert that sports the No. 9 seed in the section and the Spartans are a battle-tested side with six contributors back from last year’s sectional runner-up – a recipe for a tough out in the state tournament. No. 8 Lawrence beat Steinert twice during the regular season, but both were one-goal losses.
There are three double-digit seeds from the Shore Conference looking to make a mark this November and one to watch is Red Bank. The Bucs have been searching for consistency all season long, but on a good day, they have proven to be capable of knocking off a talented opponent, which should catch the attention of No. 4 Westampton Tech in the opening round.
Freehold Boro will roll into the first round at Brick Memorial with plenty of confidence after climbing to .500 prior to a Saturday loss to Toms River South. Neptune, meanwhile, is still a young team looking to establish its footing as a state-playoff contender.
Long Branch senior Marvin Oyuela attacks while defended by Brick Memorial junior Nick Stryker. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Bracket Breakdown: Last year’s Central Group III playoffs were a lesson that anything can happen in the state tournament. Coming off a Shore Conference Tournament championship and boasting an undefeated record going into the tournament, Colts Neck was a heavy favorite to win the section before suffering its stunning loss to Long Branch in a game the Cougars led, 2-0, at halftime. This season, the Cougars are again the favorite, but winning the sectional could potentially require beating a Middletown South team that knocked off Colts Neck in the SCT championship game.
The Colts Neck-Middletown South collision course looks like the destination at first glance, but Middletown South will have to survive a challenging side of the bracket that includes Long Branch and No. 3 Northern Burlington. Long Branch beat Middletown South a season ago and is set up with a familiar road to a second consecutive championship. Last year, Long Branch beat Hopewell Valley, Colts Neck, Middletown South and Steinert on the way to the title and Hopewell Valley is again the first-round opponent, with Middletown South likely awaiting the winner.
Brick Memorial and Brick are primed to advance as home favorites, which could set off deep runs for the crosstown rivals. Brick Memorial, in particular, has a manageable draw that could set the stage for a sectional semifinal appearance. Brick, meanwhile, will likely have to deal with two Burlington County teams – No. 11 Burlington Township in round one and Northern Burlington in round two – to reach the sectional semifinals, but will be a tough out with all its firepower.
Prediction: Middletown South over Colts Neck. The Eagles have twice gone toe-to-toe with the Cougars – one a 1-0 loss and the other a penalty-kick-shootout win after a 0-0 draw in the Shore Conference Tournament final. The Colts Neck injury report is the major question for the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament as injuries to Collins and Kruglyansky hurt the Cougars against Middletown South in the championship game. Even at full strength, Colts Neck would have its hands full against Middletown South, so if both top seeds can survive a dangerous bracket, a championship rematch would be a surefire classic.
Toms River East seniro Aiden Reis. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
South Jersey Group III
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 2 Toms River East, No. 4 Toms River South, No. 10 Lacey
Top Seed: Moorestown
Defending Champion: No. 3 Shawnee
Favorite: Shawnee. The Renegades won the 2024 Group III title as the No. 1 seed coming out of South Jersey and despite graduating most of its scoring and starting XI, they head into the state tournament looking like a championship team once again. It is not the dominant team that steamrolled to 21-2-1 last year, but Shawnee has played a schedule that has them prepared for another deep run – one that even includes a head-to-head win over top-seeded Moorestown. If the Renegades can replicate that performance on the road in the sectional final, they will celebrate back-to-back South Jersey championships.
Dark Horse: No. 9 Deptford. Not many teams with a record at 12-4-1 or thereabouts have to play on the road in round one of the NJSIAA Tournament, but making a home in South Jersey Group III has Deptford gearing up for a trip to No. 8 Mainland on Tuesday. Their schedule is not one of the stronger ones in the section and the Spartans did not beat any of the higher-profile teams on said schedule, but three of their four losses are by one goal – including a 2-1 loss to South Jersey Group IV No. 1 Washington Township. Deptford even bounced back to tie the lone team that beat the Spartans by more than a one-goal margin (No. 6 Delsea).
A fully healthy Lacey squad would have been a dangerous No. 10 seed and if the Lions can get anything from senior Tanner Grozinski, they still could be. Grozinski has missed the last five Lacey games due to injury, during which Lacey has gone 0-4-1 with a 0-0 draw vs. Point Pleasant Beach to close out the regular season.
Lacey senior Tanner Grozniski defended by Toms River East senior Aiden Corapi. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Bracket Breakdown: Toms River East graduated an impactful senior group a season ago, when the Raiders lost a heart-breaker to Moorestown in the sectional semifinals – one game before they would have had their shot at Shawnee in the sectional final. This year’s team has come back a motivated, hard-working group that got off to a 9-0 start and has adjusted to a tougher schedule during the second half of the season. That schedule has added some losses to the résumé, but Toms River East now has an experienced team, a game-changing goalkeeper in Mike Moore and a good draw that should set up no worse than a semifinal run.
Across town, Toms River South has its best chance at a sectional title since last reaching the sectional semifinal round in 2021 – perhaps even since last winning a sectional title in 2017. An all-Toms-River match-up would have to wait until the championship game and while Toms River East would likely have to get through No. 3 Shawnee at home, Toms River South is looking at potential clashes with No. 5 Ocean City and top-seeded Moorestown. The Indians would host Ocean City in one of the better sectional quarterfinals you could find around the state and whichever team survives until next week will storm into Moorestown with a chance to take down the No. 1 seed, provided the Quakers can get by either Mainland or Deptford.
Prediction: Moorestown over Toms River East. Moorestown has a very difficult potential road to the final, while Shawnee will have to potentially deal with No. 6 Delsea and Toms River East in consecutive rounds. Ocean City has already beaten Moorestown this season, but the Red Raiders will have to get by Toms River South first before getting a chance to upset the No. 1 seed again. This is a chalk prediction, but don’t be fooled: this is a bracket that has eight or so serious threats to win the sectional championship and the quarterfinals could provide more than one memorable finish.
Toms River South senior Shane Gambarony. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
North Jersey 2 Group III
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 13 Matawan, No. 14 Middletown North
Top Seed: Summit
Defending Champion: No. 6 Rahway
Favorite: No. 2 Chatham. The Cougars (13-3-2) have played Delbarton (15-4-1) and Randolph (13-4-3) three times each and those two opponents account for all three of Chatham’s losses and one of the two draws. The two wins over Delbarton and Randolph were part of Chatham’s run to the Morris County Tournament championship and the Cougars will not turn their attention to winning their next championship as a high seed in a North Section 2 Group III bracket that could be up-for-grabs between several contenders.
Dark Horse: No. 11 North Hunterdon. With a challenging schedule and a group of top scorers heavy on juniors and sophomores, the Lions have some encouraging characteristics to their roster heading into the state tournament. A first-round match-up with defending sectional champion Rahway is a tough way to kick off the run, but North Hunterdon has battled the likes of Long Branch, Montgomery, Ridge, Bernards and Delaware Valley and also beat Voorhees (14-5) in its biggest win of the year. A run to the sectional semifinal is not all that far-fetched for the No. 11 seed in the section.
Two Shore Conference teams hope to mount surprise runs into next week and each has a recent history of bucking their status as a double-digit seed to win in a tournament setting. Middletown North has a dangerous striker in Paul Que and is two years removed from back-to-back trips to the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, so No. 3 Cranford will be on high alert on Tuesday.
Matawan reached the sectional semifinal round in three straight years from 2016 to 2018 and returned to the Central Group III semifinals in 2022. This year’s Huskies team will have to overcome a tough draw in No. 4 Nutley, which would be followed with either No. 5 Colonia or No. 12 Somerville – matchups that might leave the Huskies an opening if they can survive the first round. Matawan is a junior-heavy team that has already given Christian Brothers Academy a scare this season and could greatly benefit from just a near-upset in the state tournament. An actual upset could be a turning point for the Huskies under second-year coach Will Carl.
Bracket Breakdown: Summit is a solid No. 1 seed – one that is not invincible, but will be tough to take down before the championship round. No. 8 Warren Hills is 4-6 in one-goal games this season, so even with a 6-13 record, the Blue Streaks could be a pesky out for the No. 1 seed. Nutley is the most likely opponent for Summit in the sectional semifinals.
On the lower end of the bracket, there is an opportunity for a team like North Hunterdon or Middletown North to sneak into the sectional semifinal. No. 3 Cranford has endured five losses this season, one of which was to potential quarterfinal opponent Rahway. The path is laid out for Chatham to barrel its way to the sectional final, although No. 7 Millburn could be a pesky match-up in the quarterfinal, while No. 10 South Plainfield just beat Bordentown – the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group II.
Prediction: Chatham over Summit. There is potential for an unpredictable tournament in North 2, Group III and while the top two seeds might very well reach the final, but North Hunterdon and Middletown North are double-digit-seed threats that could make things interesting.
