Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Semifinal Preview
Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Semifinals
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024
At Memorial Field, Summerfield Elementary School, Neptune
Colts Neck (15-0-1) vs. Ocean (12-3-1), 4 p.m.
Game one of Thursday’s double-header features the Shore’s No. 1 team looking to remain unbeaten by qualifying for its first SCT final in 23 years. Colts Neck’s three SCT wins thus far are over teams that the Cougars beat during the regular season and this next game will be their first against an unfamiliar opponent during this tournament.
Regardless of familiarity, Colts Neck has not given its opponents much of an opportunity to win. Stopping Sean and Kyle Moore has been a futile effort for every team Colts Neck has played and to make things even hard, the defense has been rock-solid in front of standout goalkeeper Justin Appel.
Colts Neck sophomore Sean Moore goes airborne. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspimages.com)
Ocean’s hope heading into Thursday is that while the Spartans have not played a duo as good as the Moore brothers, they have been tested against some of the next-best groups and faired well. They shut down Aidan Donnelly and Ocean, 2-0, lost a competitive 4-3 game to Howell and just quieted Luke D’Angelo and Charlie Butters in Tuesday’s win over Rumson.
History also works in Ocean’s favor at this time of year. The Spartans have a rich history of SCT success and routinely play well in the later rounds of the tournament. Ocean has won five Shore Conference Tournament titles, including as recently as 2018. Colts Neck, though, has a historically good team – certainly by its own program standards and, depending on how the next three days shake out, perhaps anybody else’s as well.
The Pick: Colts Neck, 3-1
Lacey juniors Aiden Schmitt (right) and Tanner Grozinski celebrate the last of their team’s five goals vs. Central. (Image: Matt Manley)
Christian Brothers Academy (14-4) vs. Lacey (12-4-1), 6:30 p.m.
When it comes to SCT history, one would be hard-pressed to find more opposite programs than the two teams playing one another in game two of the double-header. CBA is the three-time defending champion, has won the tournament 13 times and played in the championship game 15 times. Lacey, on the other hand, is in the semifinals for just the third time in program history and has never played in a Shore Conference championship game.
Moving beyond the past, Lacey has to feel good about its chances heading into the game on Thursday night. The Lions are on a 10-game unbeaten streak and their latest win – a 5-0 drubbing of Central in the SCT quarterfinals – was far and away their most impressive performance of the season. Since junior Aiden Schmitt returned to the attack after an injury-related absence, the Lions have been especially dynamic with the duo of Schmitt and Tanner Grozinski (five goals, two assists combined vs. Central) leading the charge.
CBA senior Phil Bodenski. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspimages.com)
The Grozinski-Schmitt duo will be key for Lacey, but the x-factor in a potential Lacey win is likely to be goalkeeper Dylan Graham. The sophomore is coming into his own this season tending the Lacey goal and beating CBA in a late-tournament match means keeping the Colts off the board with quality keeper play.
On the other side, CBA narrowly escaped Holmdel – which the Colts beat, 7-0, during the regular season – on Tuesday. Although this year’s version of CBA is more defensive, keeping the ball and building an attack will be CBA’s path to victory. If getting one behind Graham proves to be a problem, things could get interesting in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
The Pick: CBA, 2-0
