Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament First Round Preview, Picks
Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Opening Round Preview
No. 24 Barnegat (7-6) at No. 9 Toms River East (11-4), 6 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 8 Rumson-Fair Haven
Since starting the season 9-0, Toms River East has cooled down to the tune of 2-4 over its last six games. Fortunately for the Raiders, they head into the Shore Conference Tournament on a high note after beating fellow division champion Freehold Township, 2-1, to send them into Tuesday in a winning frame of mind.
Toms River East has handled games like this one all year. Barnegat has won some big games, but against the top-line competition, the Bengals have not yet proven they can keep up. Against teams that made the SCT, Barnegat has been outscored 21-1 in five games, although there is a silver lining for Tuesday: the closest of the five games was a 2-0 loss to Toms River East. Goalkeeper Donovan Paul has a chance to shine in a game like this, but can his Barnegat teammates mount a threat on the Toms River East goal?
The Pick: Toms River East, 3-0
Toms River East seniro Aiden Reis. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
No. 23 Middletown North (3-9-2) at No. 10 Ocean (9-4), 3:45 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 7 Southern
Middletown North enters the SCT with the worst record of any of the teams to qualify and the Lions earned their spot in the tournament with a tie vs. a two-win Donovan Catholic team. Don’t be fooled, though: Middletown North has talent, particularly when it comes to scoring goals. Senior Paul Que took over in the second half to beat Wall in the Lions’ biggest regular-season win and he will be a player Ocean will have to track for 80 minutes.
The Spartans boast some serious offensive talent in Brandon Cosentino along with the junior combination of Connor Shaw and Nic Critelli and that is where Middletown North has been vulnerable. Ocean appears to be rounding into form after hitting a mid-September rut and the Spartans should be able to get past a Lions team they already beat, 5-2, during the regular season.
The Pick: Ocean, 4-1
Ocean senior Brandon Cosentino (10) marked by St. John Vianney senior Dominick Fuoco. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
No. 22 Red Bank (5-9-1) at No. 11 Manasquan (10-3), 3 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 6 Manalapan
Two of the more dynamic scorers in the tournament face off in Manasquan Tuesday – Alex Salvo for Red Bank and Cruz Farkas for Manasquan. Salvo is having a big individual season with 18 goals, but Red Bank has allowed opponents to keep up on the scoreboard at a clip of 2.33 goals per game.
Injuries have played a role in Manasquan’s season and, subsequently, its three losses, but it’s also worth mentioning that two of those losses came in overtime. The Warriors play as hard as any team in the tournament and have a junior-heavy group that is learning the ins and outs of a varsity season together. Getting on the board vs. Red Bank will be a challenge given how dangerous Salvo is, but if Manasquan can get on the board with a win, the Warriors will be a dangerous team heading to Manalapan on Thursday.
The Pick: Manasquan, 4-2
Red Bank junior Alex Salvo (10) defended by Brick Memorial junior Paul DiRosa. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspimages)
No. 21 Ranney (10-4) at No. 12 Marlboro (4-3-4), 3 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 5 Holmdel
Marlboro had a chance to snag a first-round bye at the end of last week and instead of beating Toms River South to get the round off, the Mustangs tied that game and will now have to face a serious threat. Ranney is putting together what might be its best season in program history and has one of the most capable scorers in the Shore Conference in Eddie Magherini (20 goals, 6 assists). The Panthers also showed resilience after losing to Holmdel, 4-0, by taking Ocean to overtime before ultimately falling short and settling for third place in the group.
Marlboro has gone toe-to-toe with the Shore’s best, with two of the Mustangs’ three losses coming to the top two seeds in this tournament – Christian Brothers Academy and Colts Neck. Last week’s results suggest Marlboro will need to makes some adjustments after losing to Toms River North, 4-1, and failing to score in a scoreless draw with Toms River South. On the plus side, that tie ended Toms River South’s nine-game winning streak and got the Mustangs defense back on track. With Ranney’s offense vs. Marlboro’s possession and defense, this game screams overtime.
The Pick: Marlboro, 2-1 (OT)
No. 20 St. John Vianney (7-4-4) at No. 13 Lacey (8-6), 3:45 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 4 Middletown South
St. John Vianney surges into the Shore Conference Tournament on a six-game unbeaten streak, which began with a 0-0 draw vs. Middletown South – the No. 4 seed that awaits a rematch with the winner of this game. The Lancers are loaded with seniors and scoring threats, led by striker Mason Boles. The defense is also getting healthier, which has SJV looking more like the team that began the season in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10.
Like SJV, Lacey has been trying to climb back into the Top 10 after falling out. Tanner Grozinski has been as good as advertised and then some as Lacey’s greatest threat, but on the other side of the field, Lacey needs its All-Shore goalkeeper Dylan Graham to be in top form despite fighting through multiple injuries since the start of the preseason. The top end of the Lions roster can best almost any other, but will a more balanced attack overcome a great offensive duo (Grozinski and Aiden Schmitt) and goalkeeper?
The Pick: St. John Vianney, 3-2
St. John Vianney senior Mason Boles. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
No. 19 Brick Memorial (11-5) at No. 14 Freehold Twp. (8-5-1), 7 p.m. at Howell
Winner plays at No. 3 Toms River South
On Friday, Freehold Township dropped its first game of the season at home – a 2-1 loss to Toms River East. If not for that result, the Patriots might not have been so willing to give up a game on its home grass to play at the turf at Howell High School. Then again, Freehold Township does not just show up for home games. The Patriots embrace the big game, which is when they are back in the running to advance deep into the SCT – a tournament Freehold Township has won three times in the last two decades.
A loss to Brick to end last week saddled Brick Memorial with the challenge of dealing with Freehold Township instead of heading to Central again. The Mustangs have answered most of their challenges throughout the year and with Nate Stryker looming as the most prolific scorer in this particular game and a veteran keeper in Ryan Wheeler to protect the goal, Brick Memorial is good in the areas of the field that really count in the tournaments.
The Pick: Brick Memorial, 2-1
Brick Memorial junior Nate Stryker. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
No. 18 Brick (9-3) at No. 15 Long Branch (10-2-1), 4 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 2 Colts Neck
A year ago, Long Branch battled through regular-season struggles before peaking in the postseason. The Green Wave’s late-season hot streak netted Long Branch both a Shore Conference Coaches Cup title and an NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship and with six starters back from that team, Long Branch still has a championship pedigree. Lately, however, the Green Wave have been battling through a lull that includes a 3-2 loss to Freehold Township and a one-sided, 3-1 loss to Southern.
Long Branch is also facing a team capable of taking advantage of the opportunity if the Green Wave present it. Carl Loffredo and Gianno Godenzi have been one the Shore’s best duos and Brick heads into the tournament coming off wins over Toms River East and Brick Memorial. There is a lot of individual talent on both sides, with Brick hoping its recent play is the difference. Long Branch, meanwhile, is banking on its big-game experience.
The Pick: Long Branch, 3-2
Long Branch senior Chris De Oliveira Santos handles the bal under the watch of teammate Thomas Silva (right), Brick Memorial senior Elin Torres (13) and Brick Memorial sophomore Matt Heptig. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
No. 17 Point Boro (8-6-1) at No. 16 Central (6-6), 6 p.m.
Winner plays at No. 1 CBA
As the hottest team in the Shore Conference, Point Boro will not be phased by facing a team on the road as the Panthers stride into Bayville. Point Boro is a senior-led team with a handful of impact sophomores who are finally getting the positive results after the season started with a run of closes losses to high-level opponents. Now, Point Boro will look to avenge their most recent loss – a 2-1 Central win on Sept. 22 that stands as the last time Point Boro did not win on game day.
Central will try to halt Point Boro’s seven-game winning streak while dealing with a rash of injuries that has lingered throughout the season. The loss of Madden Leszczynski has put additional pressure on Landon Kavanagh and Ilyas Ciltepe in the midfield, while junior Julian Lenovich has stepped up as a scorer up top along with senior Dan Palheta. The Golden Eagles can feel good about the matchup given they already beat Point Boro, but they will be dealing with a more confident team than the one that dropped to 1-6-1 on Sept. 22.
The Pick: Point Boro, 2-1
