Boys Soccer Shore Sports Insider Post-SCT Top 10

The post-Shore-Conference-Tournament rankings have arrived and for the first time since the 2019 tournament, the top of the Boys Soccer Top 10 is complicated. That is because for the first time since 2019, a team other than one of the top-two seeds won the tournament. When that happens, the debate between year-long résumé vs. tournament performance is introduced.

At this stage of the season, year-long résumé is still winning out because there have been two teams head-and-shoulders above the rest up until the SCT semifinals. If newly-crowned champion Middletown South hasn’t catapulted itself to the No. 1 ranking yet, the Eagles managed to make the competition for No. 1 a three-team race rather than just a head-to-head battle between Christian Brothers Academy and Colts Neck. With Colts Neck and Middletown South lined up as the top two seeds in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III section, this fight could be far from over.

As for the rest of the top 10, the drop-off from No. 3 to No. 4 is inherently smaller than the drop-off from No. 2 to No. 3 prior to Middletown South’s ascension. The Eagles have a loss to a team with a losing record and a tie to a team outside the top 10, so the teams in the 3-through-10 range measure up better with Middletown South than they do against Colts Neck or CBA.

With the NJSIAA Tournament slated to begin next week, not only is the top spot up for grabs, but at least a dozen teams currently outside the top 10 are well within reach of climbing in before the season is over.

1. Christian Brothers Academy (13-2-4, 5-0-1) Last Week: 1

CBA’s overall body of work still puts the Colts in position for the No. 1 ranking. The loss to Middletown South is the only loss to a Shore Conference opponent this season and the only other Shore Conference game CBA failed to win was a scoreless draw vs. Manalapan. On top of that, the regular-season win over Colts Neck and two wins over Toms River East push the Colts over the top in the debate for No. 1 compared to the other two contenders.

2. Colts Neck (14-2, 5-1) Last Week: 2

Although Colts Neck just dropped the Shore Conference Tournament final to Middletown South, it came on penalty kicks and with second-leading scorer C.J. Collins unable to play for most of the game due to injury. If that were the only game between the two teams, Colts Neck might have to settle for No. 3, but the Cougars also have a 1-0 regular-season win over the Eagles so the head-to-head matchup is a push, with Colts Neck owning the better overall résumé.

3. Middletown South (12-3-1, 3-2-1) Last Week: 10

Coming off their first ever Shore Conference Tournament championship, the Eagles crashed the CBA-Colts Neck competition for the No. 1 spot in the Shore Conference. Middletown South’s losses to Wall and Manasquan and a tie vs. St. John Vianney are keeping the Eagles out of the No. 1 spot for now, but they performance in big games over the last two weeks puts Middletown South squarely in a conversation for No. 1 that it simply was not in prior to the tournament. With a big showing in the state tournament, the No. 1 spot would be a realistic destination.

4. Marlboro (7-5-4, 1-2-3) Last Week: 5

With two wins over Manalapan in two tries plus a trip to the SCT quarterfinals, Marlboro has separated itself from the crowd of Shore Conference teams that lie outside the distinguished top three. The knock on Marlboro is the Mustangs have won fewer than 50 percent of the matches they have played, but three of their losses are to the top three teams in the rankings, one is to the Coaches Cup champion (Toms River North) and the other (Bridgewater-Raritan) is out of conference.

5. Holmdel (9-5-2, 3-2-1) Last Week: 7

With the exception of a loss to Jackson, Holmdel’s losses are all against the top four teams in the rankings – one each against CBA, Colts Neck, Middletown South and Marlboro. The Hornets also have a win over Manalapan, a draw vs. Marlboro and finished first in their SCT group. Although it will likely require at least a couple of road wins, Holmdel is set up to make a run at another Central Jersey Group II title.

6. Freehold Township (11-7-1, 5-1-0) Last Week: Not ranked

The Patriots’ Shore Conference Tournament run ended in heartbreak, made worse by the fact Freehold Township is not eligible to enter the NJSIAA Tournament next week. With Freehold Township just over a minute from upsetting Colts Neck in the SCT semifinals, the Cougars scored the equalizer with Freehold Township playing a man down. Despite a gutting finish to the season, the Patriots seniors successfully restored the program to its status as a top 10 outfit capable of playing with any opponent at the Shore.

7. Manalapan (9-5-3, 1-3-2) Last Week: 8

The Braves’ dangerous attack went cold in the SCT, with Manalapan escaping Manasquan on penalty kicks and bowing out to Freehold Township in a 1-0 loss. If Manalapan can find a flow going forward over the next week, the Braves will be a dangerous team in the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs, especially with the defense picking things up since the calendar flipped to October (three goals allowed in eight games)

8. Manasquan (11-6, 5-1) Last Week: 9

Middletown South just won a Shore Conference Tournament championship by leaning on its ability to outwork its opponents and Manasquan has that same team DNA. The Warriors even beat Middletown South, 4-2, during the season on the way to winning the Class A Central title – a result that keeps the Eagles in the top 10 despite some recent struggles. Once the state tournament states, expect Manasquan to remain a hard opponent to bury.

9. Brick (11-5-1, 4-0) Last Week: Not ranked

The Green Dragons make their first appearance in this year’s rankings with what might be their best team in at least the last 16 years. Not only is Brick enjoying its best season in a long time, but the Green Dragons appear to be improving over the course of the season. They dropped their opener to Point Pleasant Boro and have since lost to only Colts Neck (twice), Shore Regional and Manalapan since while knocking off Toms River East, Freehold Township, Long Branch, Brick Memorial and Lacey.

10. Toms River East (14-6, 4-1) Last Week: 4

The Class A South champions hold onto a top 10 spot after reaching the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals with its thrilling win over Rumson-Fair Haven. Toms River East took CBA to overtime on its home field before losing to the Colts, 3-0, in the SCT and has also taken down Freehold Township during its schedule. Losses to Toms River South and Southern make Toms River East’s hold on this spot at least a little tenuous heading into the NJSIAA Tournament.

 

Dropped Out

Toms River South (11-4-2, 4-1-0) Last Week: 3 – After running its record to 10-1-1, Toms River South has gone 1-1-3 over its last five games, albeit with three one-goal losses to Freehold Township, Point Boro and Southern.

Southern (10-6-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: 6 – Since getting beat by Ocean in the SCT, Southern has bounced back with three encouraging results, which include wins over Rumson and Toms River South and a tie vs. Holmdel.

 

The Next 10

Ocean (11-6, 3-3)

Long Branch (14-3-1, 5-1-0)

Point Pleasant Boro (11-7-2, 1-3-1)

Brick Memorial (12-7, 5-0)

St. John Vianney (10-6-4, 1-2-3)

Toms River North (8-7-5, 2-1-2)

Rumson-Fair Haven (9-7-3, 1-3-2)

Lacey (9-9, 2-3)

Shore (11-6-1, 3-2-1)

Ranney (11-5-1, 6-0)