Byrne Victims: Manasquan Senior Sparks Boys Soccer Win at Ocean

OAKHURST — When the Manasquan boys soccer team needed a goal in 2025, the players on the team all looked to the same person to score it.

With First-Team All-Shore striker Cruz Farkas now graduated, there may not be a go-to scorer to summon in times of need, but to this point of the 2026 season, the Warriors have still been meeting that need.

In a critical Shore Conference Class A Central division match at Ocean Township Tuesday, its was senior Luke Byrne who stepped up as the clutch goal-scorer for Manasquan by scoring two goals as the Warriors — ranked No. 6 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 — rallied for a 2-1 road win over No. 10 Ocean.

“We came out a little flat and they jumped on us,” Byrne said. “Once we got the first goal, there was a momentum change and that’s what made the difference for us.”

Monday marked Manasquan’s fifth win in its first six games of the 2026 season and the Warriors’ latest victory was the first that was not a shutout. After posting shutouts in its first three games, Manasquan dropped a 4-2 road decision within the division at No. 2 Freehold Township, then rebounded with a convincing 3-0 win over defending Shore Conference Tournament champion Middletown South on Saturday.

“Our confidence went way up after that Middletown South game,” Byrne said. “We came out flying, putting passes together, winning fifty-fifty balls. We scored the first goal and it was over from there. We have been playing great competition all year, so every time we get a result, it just increases our confidence.”

That recent run set the stage for Monday, when both Manasquan and Ocean needed the result to fall in their favor in order for either team to stay within reasonable distance of Freehold Township for first place in the division. Manasquan is the reigning Class A Central champion, a title the Warriors claimed by beating out Middletown South during the regular season prior to Middletown South’s run to both the SCT and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championships.

For the first time this season, Manasquan fell behind and it did not result in a loss. Ocean struck 10 minutes into the match on a left-footed finish by senior Nic Critelli, who took a chipped pass over the defense from classmate Luciano Ibarra and crossed-over a defender before unleashing his strike.

“We started too direct, too in-behind,” Byrne said of Manasquan’s first-half play. “Once we got the ball on the floor, we were a lot better.”

 

Class A Central showdown: Luciano Ibarra chips a ball to Nic Critelli, who does the rest to give No. 10 Ocean a 1-0 lead on No. 6 Manasquan in the 10th minute. pic.twitter.com/BK7wX02YYa

— Matt Manley (@Matt_Manley) September 14, 2026

Byrne delivered his answer in the 17th minute and did so with a clean goal in the run of play. In Manasquan’s previous four wins, all but two of its goals came off some form of set piece and Byrne’s finish inside the left post from the top of the 18-yard box  off a square pass from fellow senior Myles Carstens was an important development for a team that is already getting results.

“Teams are going to focus on our set pieces and when they do that, I think we can scare them with how we can play together, play in-behind, play out wide and take people one one-v.-one,” Byrne said. “If teams are just worried about fouling us close to the net, I think that gives us some opportunities to attack even more.”

The closest calls to go-ahead goals in the remainder of the first half belonged to Ocean. Junior Amari Dunn drilled a strike headed for the right side of the goal that Manasquan senior goalkeeper Quinn Petrulla saved with a diving parry in the 33rd minute. Four minutes later, Spartans senior Connor Shaw rung the right post with a 25-yard free kick from the right side.

In the second half, Manasquan turned up the head on Ocean senior goalkeeper Matt Makower and the Spartans goalie answered the call with two point-blank saves on shots by Warriors junior striker Noah Matuch.

In the 62nd minute, however, Manasquan won a free kick just outside the top of the 18-yard box and Byrne used Ocean’s wall to screen Makower’s vision. Byrne bent a low shot around the wall and tucked it inside the far-right post for the go-ahead goal.

 

Manasquan takes a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute on a free kick by Luke Byrne, his 2nd goal of the game. pic.twitter.com/YCpDfo28E7

— Matt Manley (@Matt_Manley) September 14, 2026

Ocean made a push to equalize in the final four minutes but could not turn its increased pressure into a quality shot against Petrulla.

Monday’s goals were the first two of the season for Byrne, who was tied for second on the team last season with six assists and is one of four players on this year’s team to score at least three goals. Matuch, senior Adam Rodricks and junior center back Travis Levy are the other three.

“Everything was through Cruz last year, so we have to be more together this year and I think that’s been the key,” Byrne said. “We don’t have one guy that can do it all, so us playing together helps us a lot.”

Through six games this season, senior Maceo Manno has stepped up as Manasquan’s top scorer with four goals and an assist to start the season, while Matuch’s two goals and three assists may just be scratching the surface of his scoring potential considering how much of a handful he has been for opposing defenses thanks to his size and speed at 6-foot-2.

“This year, I think we are very versatile all the way through from back to front,” Manno said. “Our defense takes pride in their tackles. Every tackle is a celebration, especially from the student section. The midfield is so technically skilled. It’s a great team we’ve got.”

While the offense sorts itself out, Manasquan’s defense has been its calling card thanks to the return of Petrulla in goal, Levy and junior Renzo Lucarelli on the inside and seniors Alex Lapitzski and John Visceglia on the outsides. Levy was a standout performer as a sophomore defender who could push forward and Lapitzski has been similarly versatile as an outside right back to start his senior year.

“We returned all of the backs from last season,” Manasquan coach Zach Savacool said. “We talked about pride in defender as a main difference between this year’s team and last year’s team. We take pride in keeping the ball out of the net just as much as we do scoring goals. So far, they have done a fantastic job limiting chances and the balls that do get into Quinn’s area, he has been super fast off his line.”

Manasquan will still need help from an opponent of Freehold Township to win a piece of the Class A Central division for the second straight year, but the Warriors will have plenty of opportunities to continue to build their reputation within the Shore Conference. They are scheduled for a trip Wednesday to play two-time defending South Jersey Group IV champion Southern, will play a key division game at Shore Regional next week and share a Shore Conference Tournament group with No. Christian Brothers Academy. Manasquan will host the top-ranked Colts on Oct. 6.