Boys Soccer Shore Sports Insider Top 10, Week 3

It has been three full weeks of games, and while there is a clear No. 1 in the Shore Sports Insider Boys Soccer Top 10, there is not a clear dominant team (or teams, for that matter) in Shore Conference boys soccer. The overriding message to any conversation with a coach or observer of the Shore Conference so far is that while there are some pretty good teams and several great players, no team looks significantly better than the rest.

Those conditions should make for a highly entertaining, dramatic Shore Conference Tournament, including the battle during the group stage to secure one of the 24 spots and eight byes in the knockout stage. In the meantime, however, the parity throughout the conference has created some dilemmas in ranking the teams, with a number of talented sides boxed out of the top five (and in some cases, the top 10).

Here is how things stand heading into the last full week of September.

1. Colts Neck (6-0, 3-0) Last Week: 1

Sean Moore has returned as the most prolific scorer in the Shore Conference, but his performance (eight goals in six games) is just part of what has made Colts Neck so tough to beat through the first three weeks of the season. In those six games, the Cougars and senior goalkeeper Liam Collura have conceded only one goal, which came in a 2-1 overtime win over Freehold Township. After turning back a talented Middletown South side, 1-0, on Saturday, Colts Neck’s players will have five full days of rest and preparation ahead of Friday’s huge match vs. the No. 2 team in the rankings.

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

The Colts are developing the personality of a team that likes late-game drama. In two of its last three games, CBA scored the game-winning goal in the final two minutes of regulation – the first of which was a penalty kick in the final minute to turn back Rumson, 2-1. On Saturday, CBA came through again in the clutch with a Finn McCarthy goal with 2:08 showing on the game clock. CBA has now won five straight heading into a challenging week that includes games against Holmdel on Monday and No. 1 Colts Neck on Friday.

3. Long Branch (4-0-1, 2-0-0) Last Week: 6

The Green Wave are currently in the midst of a seven-day stretch without a game, and their last match was a result that gave Long Branch a push comfortably into the top five. Last Tuesday, Long Branch scored a 4-2 road win against a Brick Memorial side that boosted its stock Saturday by handing Manasquan its first loss. With Manasquan’s loss, Long Branch is now one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the Shore Conference along with Colts Neck and Toms River East. Long Branch’s only tie is a 0-0 draw in the season opener against Rumson-Fair Haven.

4. Manalapan (3-1-2, 1-1-1) Last Week: 3

Last week’s 4-0 win over Howell was a breakthrough game for Manalapan, which had to hold on to beat Point Boro, 3-2, and routed New Egypt in its only prior wins. The Braves could not solve Rumson’s stingy defense in a scoreless draw on Friday, so they are still searching for a win over a ranked opponent. Manalapan will get its chance to grab its first signature win of 2025 on Thursday, when the Braves travel to Manasquan for a Shore Conference Tournament group stage game.

5. Toms River East (7-0, 3-0) Last Week: 7

The Raiders are one of two remaining undefeated, untied teams in the Shore Conference. On Monday night, they can become the first outright division champion in the Shore Conference by beating rival Toms River North. The Raiders won a share of the 2022 Class A South title along with Toms River North, but have not stood alone atop the division since 2011. Last week’s tough, 1-0 road win over Lacey set the stage for Monday’s clinching opportunity.

6. Brick Memorial (5-3, 3-0) Last Week: Not ranked

It has been a rollercoaster season for Brick Memorial, which surged into the top 10 with a 3-0 start, only to crash out with a 1-0 loss to Pinelands in Shore Conference Tournament group play. With an out-of-division win over previously unbeaten Manasquan on Saturday, the Mustangs come stomping back into the top 10 and can clinch a second straight division title this week by beating Manchester on Monday (and an outright title with that win and a win over Point Beach on Saturday).

7. Manasquan (5-1, 2-0) Last Week: 4

A win over Brick Memorial on Saturday would have put the Warriors in the running for the No. 2 ranking this week. Instead, they got a reality check after a dream start to the season for a team with only two returning starters from 2024. That result may prove valuable for Manasquan in the long run given it was just a nondivisional game. This week, the Warriors turn their attention back to pursuits of greater import: the Class A Central race and a Thursday home showdown with Manalapan in an SCT group game that could very well be for a first-round bye.

8. Middletown South (4-2, 2-1) Last Week: 5

The Eagles’ three-spot drop in the rankings has less to do with a very competitive loss to No. 1 Colts Neck on Saturday and more to do with the loss by Manasquan – which beat Middletown South, 4-2 – to Brick Memorial that same day. The loss of a top-five spot is a minor setback for Middletown South, which is still on track to earn a first-round bye in the SCT and has plenty of positives to draw from Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the No. 1 team.

9. Rumson-Fair Haven (3-2-2, 1-2-1) Last Week: 8

The Bulldogs went 1-0-1 with a tie against the No. 4 team in the rankings, but fall one spot due to circumstances outside their control (Brick Memorial upsetting Manasquan). Scoring has not come easy for the Bulldogs, but they have proven to be one of the tougher defensive teams in the conference that also has a standout goalkeeper in Jack Del Priore to top it all off. Beating Shore Regional and tying Manalapan last week is all the more impressive considering Rumson did so without senior midfielder Bobby Tamashunas, who will be back this week after serving a red card suspension.

10. Holmdel (4-1-1, 1-0-1) Last Week: Not ranked

Since dropping a lopsided, opening-day loss to Middletown South, Holmdel has rounded into form with wins over Middletown North, Raritan, Ocean and Howell, plus a scoreless draw against Marlboro. The win over Ocean in SCT group play is the Hornets’ biggest win to date, as the Spartans had been ranked in the top 10 each of the first three weeks. Holmdel’s top-10 status will be immediately tested this week, when the Hornets play at No. 2 CBA on Monday and host No. 4 Manalapan on Saturday.

Dropped Out

Shore (5-3, 2-1) Last Week: 9 – The Blue Devils dropped a heartbreaker at Rumson but bounced back with a win over Point Boro on Saturday.

Ocean (4-3, 1-2) Last Week: 10 – A loss to Holmdel in the SCT group stage bumps the Spartans out of the top 10 in favor of the Hornets. Games this week against three struggling teams – St. Rose (0-7-1), Raritan (three straight losses) and Middletown North (0-6-1) – will give Ocean a chance to regroup.

 

The Next Five

Marlboro (2-2-2, 0-2-2) – The Mustangs battled Colts Neck until going down a man and losing, 1-0, on a goal in the final eight minutes. Scoring has been an issue, but Marlboro has remained competitive against tough competition.

Freehold Township (4-2-1, 3-1-0) – A loss to Red Bank is the hiccup keeping the Patriots out of the top 10. Otherwise, the only loss is to Colts Neck and the one tie is against Manalapan.

Ranney (5-1, 2-0) – After swallowing a bitter pill (a 6-0 loss to Gill St. Bernard’s) to open the season, Ranney has caught fire with five straight wins, including convincing victories over B North teams Raritan and Red Bank.

Toms River South (4-1-1, 2-1-0) – An overtime loss to Brick Memorial is the only blemish for Toms River South, which is still holding out hope for a piece of the Class A South title and the No. 1 spot in its SCT group.

Toms River North (1-4-3, 1-0-2) – The record is unsightly, but Toms River North has played a loaded schedule and has lost in devastating fashion early on while only conceding five goals in eight games.