Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Quarterfinal Preview, Picks

Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

 

No. 9 Toms River East (13-4) at No. 1 Christian Brothers Academy (12-1-4), 3 p.m.

Coming off a last-second victory in the early front-runner for game of the year in the Shore Conference, Toms River East will get their second shot at CBA this season. The first meeting also went into overtime, with CBA pulling out a 3-2 victory in the 15th minute of overtime. The result clinched CBA a first-round bye and, effectively, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, so the two sides have already played a high-stakes game that went down to the wire.

Toms River East will have senior goalkeeper Mike Moore, who was initially issued a red card for taunting at the conclusion of Thursday’s win over Rumson-Fair Haven but had the card rescinded Sunday after an appeal to the Shore Conference Officials, according to Toms River East coach Mike Konopka. Moore came through with seven saves in the round-of-16 victory and will help give the Raiders a better shot to keep CBA from putting up a big number, especially playing on its more spacious home field.

CBA, meanwhile, snapped Point Pleasant Boro’s eight-game losing streak on Thursday with a 3-0 win over the Panthers and is one win away from reaching its seventh straight SCT semifinal round. The Colts have not lost since Sept. 6 and have demonstrated they can both shut down the opposition and win a high-scoring game as well. The Oct. 11, 3-2 win over Bergen Catholic was CBA’s first win outside of the Shore and the Colts appear primed for a postseason run.

The Pick: CBA, 3-1

Note to Reader: This post has been updated to include the result of Toms River East’s appeal of goalkeeper Mike Moore’s red card on Thursday at Rumson-Fair Haven, which was rescinded by the Shore Conference officials in conjunction with Thursday’s officiating crew in Rumson.

No. 10 Ocean (11-4) at No. 2 Colts Neck (12-1), 2:30 p.m.

Colts Neck and Ocean have not tangled with one another this season, but returnees from 2024 will recall well the hard-fought, 2-1, SCT semifinal the two teams played, with Colts Neck prevailing on the way to winning its first ever conference championship. Ocean set up a 2025 rematch by going on the road last Thursday and winning a defensive battle at Southern Regional, 1-0. Brandon Cosentino has been one of the Shore’s biggest difference-makers this season and he came up with another clutch goal in the win at Southern. Containing Cosentino will be Colts Neck’s toughest challenge as the Cougars attempt to avoid falling behind Ocean, which they did in last year’s SCT semifinal.

Ocean’s defense will also have its hands full dealing with Sean Moore and the Colts Neck attack. While Moore remains the Shore’s most dangerous scorer and Colts Neck’s undisputed first option, the Cougars have become less reliant on Moore with each week, including a 4-0 win over Brick on Thursday in which Moore did not score a goal or collect an assist. That balance will make Colts Neck very tough to beat and on the other end, Dillon Younger and Tyler Spencer are the kind of athletes who can match the physical play of Cosentino.

The Pick: Colts Neck, 2-0

No. 14 Freehold Township (10-5-1) at No. 6 Manalapan (8-3-3), 3 p.m.

It has been a roller-coaster week for Freehold Township boys soccer. The Patriots upset No. 3 Toms River South in Thursday’s SCT round of 16 with a golden goal on a Gino Castaneda corner kick, which sent Freehold Township to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning the SCT in 2019. That moment of triumph came one day after the Freehold Township players found out they will not be eligible to participate in the NJSIAA Tournament due to being issued three red cards this season – two of which were issued to members of the coaching staff. Per NJSIAA rule, teams that accumulate three or more red cards prior to the NJSIAA Tournament are not eligible for said tournament.

While that news is crushing for the Freehold Township seniors, they still have the Shore Conference Tournament to hold on to and after pulling out the road win in Toms River on Thursday, they have reason to believe. The Patriots have already faced both Manalapan and Colts Neck this season and played both close, including a 2-2 draw vs. the Braves to open the season. Coincidentally, it was against Manalapan that Freehold Township was issued its first red card, with the official sending off a player from each team late in the second half.

Manalapan, meanwhile, has not quite taken off after opening the season as the No. 1 team in the Shore Sports Insider rankings, but the Braves have shown signs. They crushed a quality Southern side, 4-0, just before the tournament was seeded, which came after the Braves tied CBA, 0-0, in their final division game. On Thursday, however, it took nine rounds of penalty kicks for Manalapan to shake a relentless Manasquan team that had already pushed the Braves to overtime. It took a second-half comeback for Manalapan to salvage a draw vs. Freehold Township on opening day and now, there will be two exceptionally motivated teams taking the field at Manalapan’s recreation complex on Monday.

The Pick: Manalapan, 3-2 (overtime)

No. 12 Marlboro (6-3-4) at No. 4 Middletown South (9-3-1), 5:45 p.m.

For most of the season, Marlboro has been competitive against some of the Shore’s best, but goals have been hard to come. Recently, though, the Mustangs have begun to mount more of an attack and it has resulted in the goals needed to keep advancing in the SCT. Switching from a four-man back line to a three-man back has made for a more offensive shape without sacrificing defense – Marlboro has not allowed a goal during SCT play.

Middletown South started the season red hot when it comes to goal-scoring and has been riding its goal-prevention group during its recent run of success. Since a 4-2 loss to Manasquan on Sept. 12, Middletown South has not allowed more than one goal in any game and is currently on a run of five straight shutouts. Luke Strada and Connor Saul have carried the scoring, but the Eagles run a well-rounded operation through the midfield that the Mustangs will have to honor.

It has been a while for both Marlboro and Middletown South when it comes to reaching the SCT quarterfinals. Marlboro has not played in a semifinal since finishing runner-up to CBA in 2016, while Middletown South’s last semifinal appearance was back in 2012. Both teams will make goals hard to score on Monday night in Middletown, so the team that can avoid a mistake and capitalize on an opportunity will move on. Call this one a toss-up.

The Pick: Middletown South, 1-0.

Round-of-16 Picks Record: 6-2

Overall Picks Record: 11-5