Boys Soccer Shore Sports Insider Top 10, Week 5

Last week’s theme in the Shore Sports Insider Boys Soccer Top 10 was stability. The same 10 teams from the prior week remained in the rankings and the movement among the 10 was minor. In a conference that appears to have little difference between the top and the middle, there appeared to be a pecking order forming.

Well, so much for that.

This week, not only are there new teams joining the rankings, but they are debuting comfortably in the rankings. On the other side, teams that looked to have a stranglehold on a top 10 spot have fallen out, most notably last week’s No. 3 team.

With one day of division games remaining on Wednesday, a handful of Shore Conference Tournament group-play games left to play and some key inter-divisional showdowns coming up on Friday and Saturday, we haven’t seen the last of the impactful results before the SCT even starts.

1. Christian Brothers Academy (10-1-3, 5-0-0) Last Week: 1

After a 3-3 draw vs. Old Bridge snapped CBA’s nine-game winning streak, the Colts are now 9-0 vs. the Shore Conference and 0-1-3 vs. everyone else. It’s not clear if that actually means anything, but the Colts have dominated vs. the locals and if they can get results vs. two very good teams this week – Toms River East and Manalapan – they will be the easy call as the No. 1 seed.

2. Colts Neck (9-1, 4-1) Last Week: 2

The Cougars could have been routed by CBA after falling behind, 3-0, but fought back to within 3-2 and nearly tied the game when Sean Moore got open near the goal with the ball in the final minute. Although the result went against Colts Neck, the Cougars have responded with convincing wins over Holmdel and Monmouth and are a win or tie vs. Shore away from winning their SCT group and, likely, grabbing the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

3. Toms River South (10-1-1, 4-1-0) Last Week: Not ranked

The Indians go from unranked to top-three thanks to defeating multiple ranked teams over the last week. While most of the Shore’s teams have either endured the roller-coaster ride or lost long winning streaks recently, Toms River South is rolling with nine straight wins – including a win over Toms River East. The Indians will try to clinch an SCT first-round bye Thursday at Marlboro.

4. Toms River East (10-3, 4-1) Last Week: 4

Although Toms River East is 1-3 in its last four games, the Raiders remain No. 4 in the rankings because of their accomplishments. They wrapped up the Class A South championship before losing to Southern on the road and dropping a rivalry clash with Toms River South and in its most recent game, Toms River East took CBA to overtime and lost on a 95th-minute golden goal. The record is no longer pristine, but the Raiders have proved themselves as an SCT contender.

5. Marlboro (4-2-3, 1-2-3) Last Week: Not ranked

Another top 10 newcomer, the Mustangs have been competitive from the start of the season, with their only two losses coming to No. 1 CBA and No. 2 Colts Neck by a combined score of 3-0. A come-from-behind, overtime win at Manalapan last week serves as the high-profile win the Mustangs have been searching for and they will have a shot at another one on Thursday, when Marlboro hosts Toms River South with a first-round bye in the SCT on the line.

6. Southern (8-4-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: Not ranked

The wave of unranked teams moving into the top 10 continues with the reigning Group IV champs, who have won five of their last six games and just secured a first-round bye in the SCT by handling Long Branch on the road. Moving Caden Schweigart from center back to striker has unlocked the offense without sacrificing much in the goal-prevention department. A trip to Manalapan on Friday is a chance for the Rams to make the case for a top-four seed.

7. Holmdel (6-4-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: 5

A loss to Jackson Monday slows Holmdel’s top-10 momentum, but the game did not impact the Hornets’ first-place standing in SCT Group 1 and they will still have one of the eight byes in the first round of the SCT. A win over Manalapan should keep Holmdel out of the eight seed and the Hornets can clinch no worse than No. 6 with a win over Rumson-Fair Haven – another first-place team in the SCT – on Wednesday.

8. Manalapan (6-3-2, 1-3-1) Last Week: 6

A win over Manasquan is carrying Manalapan’s résumé heading toward the SCT seeding, but a first-place finish in Group 7 sets up Manalapan for a tournament run if it can hit its stride this week. The Braves get two chances to make a statement at home before the tournament is seeded: No. 1 CBA and No. 6 Southern.

9. Manasquan (9-2, 5-0) Last Week: 8

Since a hot start to the season that included a road win over Southern and a division win over Middletown South, Manasquan has been grinding through the schedule while dealing with injuries at multiple spots in the formation. The Warriors have already clinched the Class A Central championship and can complete a perfect division run by beating Ocean on Wednesday.

10. Middletown South (7-3-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: 10

The Eagles hold onto the No. 10 spot in the rankings after a resounding win over Howell that completes a 4-0 run through their SCT group. Their best win remains a 4-1 opening-day victory over Holmdel and also played a competitive game against Colts Neck in a 1-0 loss. As it stands, Middletown South, Rumson-Fair Haven, Manalapan and Southern are all jostling to stay out of the No. 8 seed.

 

Dropped Out

Long Branch (8-2-1, 4-1-0) Last Week: 3 – With a win over Brick Memorial and tie vs. Rumson serving as Long Branch’s best results, losses to Freehold Township and Southern drop the Green Wave from the rankings for the first time.

Brick Memorial (10-4, 5-0) Last Week: 7 – Monday was a thrilling night for the Mustangs, who beat Wall, got the result they needed in the Pinelands-Red Bank Catholic game to qualify for the SCT, and will now attempt add an SCT run to its Class B South championship.

Rumson-Fair Haven (6-3-3, 1-2-2) Last Week: 9 – A loss to a sneaky Point Boro side damages the Bulldogs’ top 10 case at the moment, but a game vs. Holmdel Wednesday gives Rumson a chance to climb back.

 

The Next Five

Ocean (8-4, 2-3) – The Spartans topped Ranney Monday to grab a second-place slot in the SCT seeding.

Freehold Township (7-4-1, 4-1-0) – An impressive win over Long Branch was a strong bounceback for the Patriots after a loss to Brick.

Shore (6-5-1, 2-2-1) – Shore misses the SCT despite a 2-2 record in group play with losses to No. 1 Colts Neck and Freehold Township.

Lacey (7-5, 2-2) – A win over Southern is looking very good for Lacey right now as the Lions look for a middle-of the pack placement among the SCT second-place teams.

Brick (7-3, 4-0) – Despite a tough loss at Shore on Saturday, Brick sneaks into the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time since 2008 thanks to that aforementioned win over Freehold Township.