Colt Closers: CBA Blanks No. 1 Manalapan, Reaches 8th Straight Shore Conference Semifinal

MANALAPAN — The Christian Brothers Academy soccer team has not faltered often in 2026 and when it has, defensive letdowns in the second half have been the culprit.

No second-half breakdown has stuck with the Colts more than a September loss at Manalapan that cost CBA the Shore Conference Class A North division championship. While that title has already eluded CBA, the Shore Conference Tournament is still within reach and to keep their hopes of a 14th SCT title in program history alive, the Colts had to solve the No. 1 seed in the field and the team that snatched the division title from their grasp just over a month ago.

For the second time this season, CBA — the No. 9 seed in the SCT — grabbed a lead against Manalapan but this time, the Colts held onto it. Senior Shane Landau delivered the goal just past the midway point of the first half and CBA’s defense held down the Braves’ potent attack for a 1-0 win that sends CBA to its eighth straight Shore Conference Tournament semifinal.

“We have been waiting for this game from the moment we left the field last month,” Landau said. “We knew it was going to be about heart. We knew it was going to be about playing our game. It wasn’t the greatest technical performance anyone has ever seen from CBA, but we played great and I’m proud of it. I think the mentality just has to be to play our hardest.”

Back on Sept. 16, CBA raced out to a 3-1 lead on the Manalapan Recreation Complex turf, only to watch the hosts rally with two goals in the second half to tie the game and another in overtime to win it, 4-3. Playing under the lights on that same field and in front of a crowd that filled the small section of bleachers with others standing shoulder-to-shoulder along the fence, CBA’s psyche would be put to the test as much as the Colts defense was against a team that began CBA’s helping of second-half misery.

“Our goal was to keep them off the board tonight,” CBA coach Tom Mulligan said. “There have been some days our defense has done really well with that. Other times, they kind of fall asleep. Tonight we were awake. Tonight, we were alive in the back. To shutout Manalapan at Manalapan in the atmosphere that was here tonight speaks volumes of all eleven players that were on the field, not just the back four.”

“I still think scoring as early as we did helped us,” CBA goalkeeper Brady Lepore said. “We knew we were going to need all eleven guys to defend for all 80 minutes and last time, we couldn’t bring it all together. Knowing that our guys gave all of their effort for the last 15 minutes is huge going forward.”

After losing that 4-3 decision to Manalapan, CBA dropped two more losses in which it was tied or leading going into halftime. Manasquan scored two goals in the second half to beat the Colts, 2-0, in a game that saddled CBA with second place in SCT Group 1, ultimately landing the Colts as the No. 9 seed in the tournament instead of in the top four. CBA also gave up three goals in five minutes to turn a late 3-2 lead at Bergen Catholic into a 5-3 loss. Of the 14 goals CBA has conceded this season, nine have come in the second half.

All that lingered in the collective subconscious of a Colts team looking to keep its streak of SCT semifinal appearances alive. Landau helped ease the tension in the 22nd minute, when he finished the only goal of the game. Senior Matt Papagni unleashed a long cross into the box from the left side of the field and CBA junior Roger Macky knocked it down with an attempted bicycle kick. Macky’s mishit proved to be the perfect setup when the ball rolled to Landau in the middle of the box and the senior drilled a shot past Manalapan senior goalkeeper Chase Lee.

“I can’t leave a ball sitting there,” Landau said. “I had to do it and put it in the back of the net. It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but job done.”

 

CBA takes the lead on Manalapan in the 22nd minute on a Shane Landau finish. 1-0 in the first half. Winner plays Colts Neck on Wednesday. https://t.co/lp2Mufnexn

— Matt Manley (@Matt_Manley) October 19, 2026

Landau came off the bench as part of CBA’s rotation of strikers and scored his sixth goal of the season, which is good for third on the team behind senior Justin Arias (10) and junior Alex Alvarez (eight).

“We don’t focus on any one man or any one man’s score line,” Landau said. “We have plenty of players on our team with five-plus goals. Any given day, any one of us can score and I think that puts a lot of confidence on everyone’s shoulders to go play their own game, because they know their teammate is going to be there for them.”

The goal was the only thing separating the teams after an even first half and CBA opened the second half with a shot at the Manalapan goal that narrowly missed the target. From there, Manalapan dominated possession and the shot count as the Braves pushed for an equalizer, putting Lepore and the defense to the test for the better part of 30 minutes.

“At halftime, we talked about if we could to a certain stage of the game, maybe the last twenty minutes of the match, we’re going to pull off our striker and just focus on defender. Manalapan is a really good team, a dangerous team and there is a lot of quality out there.

“When you get to playoff soccer, the idea is to get a result. The way you look, the style of play aren’t as much of the focus and everybody understands each other this time of the season. We also have some injuries and guys playing through injuries, so we’re just playing with a lot of guys right now.”

Most of Lepore’s touches were pulling free kicks out of the air, but his four saves also contributed to the CBA clean sheet. The CBA back four of seniors Chase Kowalczyk, Hunter Hueth, Stephen Cook and sophomore Landon Valentine also helped compensate for Manalapan’s midfield play by shutting down the Braves attack near the CBA goal.

“I think we did a better job man-marking today,” Lepore said. “The last ten minutes, I think we switched another midfielder in to defend and that really helped us because guys we getting tired and really giving it their all. We were getting in on every single ball, playing it like it was our last game and we were able to pull it out.”

“It’s everybody’s effort,” Mulligan said. “Stephen Cook has come off the bench and done a good job for us with our freshman (Carter Fox) out. Hunter Hueth has done a really good job as our marking back. Chase Kowalczyk does a nice job getting up and down the touch line and Landon on the other side. The back for and Brady Lepore, they are just starting to bond together and take pride in putting up some shutouts.”

While CBA avenged one of its four losses in the quarterfinal and in the semifinal, the Colts will look to re-create a result against 12th-seeded Colts Neck. CBA beat the Cougars, 2-0, on Sept. 30 on a pair of late goals by Arias.

“To be able to come together in front of the other team’s crowd, in front of our fans and to go get a good win — not like a four-goal win, but a win in a really hard game — I think it’s going to be good for us going forward,” Lepore said.

“We have played (Red Bank Regiona) for a second time, then Middletown South for a second time and Manalapan for a second time,” Mulligan said, recounting his team’s road to the semifinals. “Now, we’re going to play Colts Neck for a second time, and if everything goes a certain way, maybe Manasquan for a second time in a final. But we’re not looking past Colts Neck. They are a quality side and they will certainly be motivated to beat us.”

“It’s a young team that is really hungry, but nobody here has proven anything,” Landau said. “Last year, we had one player that saw us win a Shore Conference Tournament and this year we had none. The seniors, we were all freshmen when we won our last Shore Conference championship and the rest of us were in middle school, so I think knowing the program rests on our shoulders now and getting a chance to be remembered what we do is a big, big deal for us.”