Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Round of 16 Preview, Predictions

The new Shore Conference Tournament format promised to create some juicy match-ups early in the tournament and in the first three days of the tournament, it has delivered. All 10 teams in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 made it through to the round of 16 and two of the eight matches will be between teams that are ranked.

That is typical of the Shore Conference Tournaments of years past, but what makes this year unique is which ranked teams are playing one another. Included among this week’s games is a match-up of No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the rankings — a championship-caliber showdown more than a week before the SCT final in Neptune. There is also No. 5 hosting No. 6, which would be a surprisingly high-level match-up for this stage of the tournament.

On top of the top teams in the field meeting, there are also three rematches from the regular season — two of which went to overtime. Put it all together and this could be a memorable Friday in deciding the SCT quarterfinal participants.

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Manasquan (9-4-1) at Toms River East (10-2-1), 1:30 p.m.

The first game to kick off on Friday pits two ranked teams against one another, and while they are ranked just one spot apart (Toms River East No. 5 and Manasquan No. 6), both teams have been headed in different directions recently. Manasquan is 5-4-1 since starting the season 4-0 and slipped through the first round with an overtime win over Jackson Memorial. Toms River East, meanwhile, is on a nine-game unbeaten streak and although its eight-game winning streak just ended, it was a 0-0 draw against a one-loss Westfield side that snapped it.

Both teams have strong senior cores and as those recent results indicate, Toms River East has been just a bit better around the field. The Raiders have a group of finishers – Tommy Renkin, Rowen Joice, Luke Bodziak and Aiden Corapi – operating at a high level and two excellent goalkeepers in Bobby Calvo and Mike Moore. Manasquan is strong in the back with Griffin Linstra and Braeden DeAngelis and will try to unleash Cruz Farkas and Cristian Gonzalez to go with Brandon Kunz – currently their hottest scorer. Both teams are used to close games and Toms River East has been especially good in them.

The Pick: Toms River East, 2-1

Red Bank (11-5) at Ocean (10-3-1), 2 p.m.

This is a rematch of a 3-0 Ocean win on a September Saturday, but this game will have a much different feel. Since that loss, Red Bank is 8-1 with the only loss coming in overtime at Central, which was one of the five teams to earn a first-round bye in this tournament. Last week’s wins over Howell, Ranney and Shore revealed a Bucs team that is ready to thrive in big games and they should be more prepared for Ocean this time around.

On the other side, the Spartans’ best performances were early in the year, when they pushed a healthier version of Howell to the limit in a 4-3 loss, then beat Southern in SCT group play. Ocean is solid throughout its formation and will have to combat a well-coached Red Bank possession game, which the Spartans will have done once. It will be closer than the first time and Red Bank is now ready to compete, but Ocean is still more equipped to go deep in this tournament.

The Pick: Ocean, 2-0

Manalapan (14-1-1) at Colts Neck (13-0-1), 2 p.m.

This is not the championship game of the SCT, but it might be the game that decides this year’s champion. Colts Neck and Manalapan have been the two best teams in the Shore Conference this season and by a stroke of luck, they will have to play each other in the first three days of the tournament. It is also a rematch of a Class A Central divisional match and if that game is any indication – a 3-3 draw in which Manalapan came back from a 3-0 deficit – this one will be a classic.

Colts Neck is a top-heavy team, leaning on Sean and Kyle Moore to handle a majority of the scoring and a dynamic goalkeeper in Justin Appel to lead the goal-prevention group. That formula has worked because of how good those three players have been, plus the supporting cast of players have all bought into their roles.

Manalapan is the more balanced of the two teams, but the Braves have found themselves leaning on juniors Ethan Lustig and Dan Altman for scoring recently. Eduardo Russo, Christian Laverde and Jon Luz have all been key scorers as well and despite some high-scoring games this season, Manalapan’s defense boasts a talented collection of players as well.

If the Braves have an intangible advantage, it is that they have been playing much tougher games than Colts Neck has recently. In October, four of Manalapan’s five games have been against teams with a winning record and three of them are against teams that are currently ranked by Shore Sports Insider (Southern, Toms River North and Howell). Colts Neck, meanwhile, has faced just one team with a winning record in its last six games, which was a 1-0 win over Middletown South.

The winner of this game immediately becomes the favorite to win the SCT, which Manalapan has not done in 11 years and Colts Neck has never done. The loser, on the other hand, will have a right to cry foul about not getting a chance to advance deeper into the field, at least as long as the winner continues to advance. Ultimately, however, both teams have designs on winning this tournament and if that is to be done, this matchup was going to happen sooner or later, in all likelihood.

The Pick: Manalapan, 3-2

Southern (10-4-1) at Central (8-4), 3 p.m.

The third of the three rematches during the SCT quarterfinal will take place in Bayville, where Southern came back to beat Central in overtime back on Sept. 17. Nick Prosperi tied the game in the final three minutes of regulation and Aidan Donnelly sent Southern home a winner with the golden goal before the midway point of overtime. Central was in control up until the equalizer and will try to avoid a letdown this time around.

The Golden Eagles have won three in a row since losing a de facto division title game to Toms River North, which included an impressive, 3-1 win over Howell to wrap up first place in SCT Group C. Central has a mix of size, speed and savvy to its formation, with Ilyas Ciltepe and Jordan Benzon leading the attack up top and Devont King-Reilly anchoring the defense. King-Reilly vs. Donnelly was one of the best matchups of the season and the team physical seniors will butt heads again on Friday.

Southern is as dangerous as any team in this tournament on the attack with the possible exception of Colts Neck and the Rams needed that attack to rally for a 4-2 win over Raritan on Wednesday. Donnelly can ruin a game for any opponent and the play of Kaan Zenger has bolstered the scoring even more. It’s hard to see either team posting a clean sheet, but if one of the defenses is capable of closing a game out, it would likely be Central’s.

The Pick: Central, 3-2

Middletown South (8-5-3) at Lacey (11-4), 3 p.m.

Lacey is geared up for their toughest test of the season to date and the last time a talented team from Middletown visited Lacey for a game with SCT implications, the Lions delivered an inspired performance. With a win over Middletown North to its credit, Lacey will try to advance to the SCT quarterfinals by taking down Middletown South, which just moved into the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 for the first time all season this week.

Lacey is a junior-heavy lineup with a talented sophomore goalkeeper in Dylan Graham and a sprinkling of key seniors around the formation. Tanner Grozinski, Aiden Schmitt, Anthony Introna, Noah Riley and John Heckel are the junior core that will make Lacey a tournament threat next year as well, but this year represents a real opportunity for the Lions given they will play either at home or on a neutral field as long as they continue to advance.

Middletown South opened the year without two potential returnees from last year, both of whom were scooped up by MLS Next. Despite that, the Eagles have hung tough and over the last two weeks, have looked like a contender in this tournament. Matteo Niglio has emerged as a go-to scorer, but the Eagles have found ways to score and win when teams take him away. Even on the road, Middletown South should be ready for the challenge on natural grass against a Lacey team that appears to be peaking.

The Pick: Middletown South, 1-0

St. John Vianney (9-3-1) at Holmdel (7-5), 3 p.m.

Despite sharing the same town, Holmdel and St. John Vianney have not been major rivals in recent years, but that is set to change. Not only will bragging rights be on the line, but one of these teams will push through to the quarterfinals. St. John Vianney survived penalty kicks on the road against a capable Marlboro side, while Holmdel held off upstart Brick Memorial behind a brace from reigning Shore Conference Player of the Year Stepan Kapranov.

SJV has shown it can deliver against big-time opponents with wins over CBA and Ocean and the win in penalties over Marlboro showed the Lancers’ resilience following a disappointing loss to Middletown South and a close call vs. Matawan last week. Mason Boles, Anthony Marano and Kyle DiMarco are another dangerous scoring trio in this field and that group will test Holmdel’s defense.

For Holmdel to move on, it will need its defense to hold up against the formidable Lancers attack while Kapranov shines going forward from the midfield. Kieran Hynes has a part to play in helping Holmdel win the midfield and the Hornets will have to find other threats on the attack to keep the defense from completely keying on Kapranov. Although both sides have been through battles against top competition, SJV has won more of those battles and has more ways to win on Friday.

The Pick: St. John Vianney, 2-1

Rumson-Fair Haven (8-6-1) at Toms River North (9-5-1), 3:45 p.m.

For the second time in three days, Rumson-Fair Haven will journey on the Garden State Parkway South to Toms River. This time, the trip will be a to the north side of town, where the Bulldogs will try to follow up Wednesday’s road win over Toms River South with an upset of No. 4 Toms River North.

Rumson’s senior duo of Luke D’Angelo and Charlie Butters are the top scorers that Toms River North will have to account for, but it is the junior-heavy group behind the two seniors that has steadily improved the Bulldogs’ prospects throughout the season. They already own a win over CBA and played competitive games with Marlboro (draw), Howell and Manalapan (both one-goal losses).

After wrapping up the Class A South championship with a win over Central on Oct. 2, Toms River North has been on autopilot for the last two weeks as the Mariners gear up for a run at the SCT title. They picked up a pair of wins over Point Pleasant Beach and Freehold Township and lost a 4-0 decision to Manalapan while resting a handful of regulars. Now, Toms River North will have to ramp back up vs. a Rumson team that has seen teams on Toms River North’s level. The Mariners defense will be tested, but the midfield is where Toms River North has a chance to set the tone and win the match.

The Pick: Toms River North, 2-0

Wall (10-6-1) at CBA (12-4), 4 p.m.

CBA enters its first SCT match of 2024 with the most beatable team it has had in five years and yet, the Colts might well be the favorite to win it all again this year. The three-time defending champions have proven to be vulnerable at times this fall: they dropped games to Rumson-Fair Haven and St. John Vianney and needed an unlikely comeback in the final two minutes last Friday to beat Middletown South and win SCT Group B to earn the bye.

Wall is the next team that will try to pounce on CBA during its “down” year and the Crimson Knights have a few traits that will work in their favor. Goalkeeper Tom Ekberg is a presence inside the 18-yard box and is coming off a memorable performance in Wall’s 2-1 win over Middletown North on Wednesday. The Crimson Knights remain a strong defensive team that has shown an ability to create scoring chances in key situations, which leading scorer Robert Keegan did in the last 10 minutes on Wednesday.

CBA has the edge as the defending champion, but Wall will not be intimidated. The Knights are used to a wide field and they have seen some of the best the Shore has to offer in the Class A Central division, which includes Manalapan, Colts Neck and Middletown South. Wall will hang tough, but CBA’s defense is tough to crack.

The Pick: CBA, 2-0

First-Round Picks Record: 9-2