Girls Soccer Shore Conference Tournament First Round Preview, Picks

Girls Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Opening Round Preview

 

(17) Jackson at (16) Manasquan:

Jackson (8-6) finished in third place in Group 2 with a 2-2 record. The Jaguars defeated Raritan and Ranney and lost to Toms River East and Manalapan. Jackson has the biggest roster in the Shore Conference and they use their deep bench. Junior Ella Cooke, who was one of the postseason heroes last season, has led the team with 9 goals and 6 assists. Senior Alexa Berkley has transitioned to midfield from the backline nicely, scoring 6 goals and 3 assists. Senior Julianna Old, who just committed to Montclair State for basketball, has earned three shutouts in her first season as a starter. 

Manasquan (6-6) finished in second place in Group 5 with a 3-1 record. The Warriors defeated Red Bank, Ocean and Neptune and fell to Central in a hard fought battle. The Warriors enter the SCT on a three game losing streak, but all three defeats come to teams ranked in the top five of the conference. Sophomore Madeline Petrulla has done an excellent job in her first season as the starter in goal. She has three shutouts and held Manalapan and Central to just one goal each. Junior all-shore defender Samantha Price has been an important part of the backline since her freshman season and is now one of the leaders of the Manasquan team. Sophomore Cassidy Eastmond leads the team with 6 goals and junior Jordyn Hollawell has 5 goals and 3 assists. 

Prediction: Manasquan wins 1-0 in 2OT

 

(18) Middletown North at (15) Marlboro:

Middletown North (10-4) qualified for the SCT on the last game and needed help from Howell to get in on a tie-breaker. The Lions started group play with a win against Trinity Hall that showed the Shore Conference they are the real deal. Middletown North hung tough in a 1-0 loss against Howell and then fell to Barnegat in overtime. The Lions defeated Long Branch 3-2 in their last group game to force a three-way tie with Barnegat and Trinity Hall. The Lions had fewer goals against than Barnegat did to get in. Middletown North is led by Sofia Chaknis who can play all over the field. She has 8 goals and 3 assists this season, but you will see her on the backline if the Lions are winning late. Freshmen Charlie Brink and Peyton Kulka have helped Chaknis on the offensive end, combining for 9 goals and 14 assists. Middletown North has rotated three goals this season with Loralai Davis and Natalie Morford expecting to play more in net during the tournament. 

Marlboro (8-4-1) finished in second place in Group 6 with a 3-0-1 record. The Mustangs earned wins against Manchester, Brick Memorial and Pinelands and played Wall to a 0-0 tie. Wall advanced with a +2 goal differential. Marlboro is led by seniors Samantha Arntz and Isabella Huttner.  Unfortunately Huttner, who is committed to Siena next season, had an injury that might end her high school career. She is one of the best players in the Shore Conference on the backline this season. Arntz leads the Mustangs with 7 assists and has helped freshmen Emily Coniglio and Mia Ortizio on the offensive end. Coniglio has 10 goals and 3 assists and Ortizio has 8 goals and 2 assists. Junior Jordyn Bauer has been one of the best goals in the conference since her freshman season. The All-Shore goalie has six shutouts this season.

Prediction: Middletown North wins 3-2 in a shootout

 

(19) Toms River North at (14) Lacey:

Toms River North (4-8) finished in third place in Group 8 going 2-2 with wins against Freehold Boro and Matawan. The Mariners are led by Lauren Kuhn and Ella Felicetta on the offensive end of the field. Kuhn leads the team with five goals and five assists on the season. All-Shore defender Olivia Forlenza controls the backline and makes it difficult for opponents to get inside the box. 

Lacey (8-6) finished in second place in Group 1 only losing to Red Bank Catholic. The Lions earned wins against Point Beach, St. Rose and Brick Township. Lacey has an experienced backline led by Lynsey McGovern and Danielle Pasqua. Senior Ava Schmidt is one of the best goalkeepers in the Shore Conference and has plenty of big game experience to lead the team on the field. Seniors Olivia Miller and Ava Flanagan have been the focal points on the offensive side of the field, combining for 15 goals and 6 assists this season. Freshman Chacity Rotondella keeps improving every game and leads Lacey with 9 assists this season. 

Prediction: Lacey wins 3-1

 

(20) Southern at (13) Rumson-Fair Haven:

Southern (7-5) finished third in Group 3 defeating Shore to qualify for the tournament. Southern was shutout against Freehold Township and St. John Vianney in their two other group games. Southern is a young squad led by sophomore Brinley Reynolds. Reynolds has 7 goals and 3 assists. Freshman Lily Atkins is second in scoring with 4 goals and 2 assists. Junior Addison Leary plays an important role leading the backline and has helped first year starter Jacklynn Donnelly post four shutouts. 

Rumson (9-6) finished in second place in Group 8 only losing to Point Boro. The Bulldogs defeated Toms River North, Freehold Boro and Matawan to finish with three wins. Do not let the six losses fool you. All of Rumson’s defeats in the Shore Conference came against teams ranked in the top ten. Rumson has one of the best scorers in New Jersey in Jordyn Sullivan. The Duke commit leads the Shore Conference with 22 goals and has both speed and ball control to beat defenders. Chase Memmott and Summer O’Malley both have five goals for the Bulldogs, helping replace some of the scoring that graduated from the large senior class last year. 

Prediction: Rumson wins 3-0

 

(21) Manchester at (12) Freehold Township:

Manchester (8-5) finished in third place in Group 6 with wins against Brick Memorial and Pinelands and losses to Wall and Marlboro. Manchester is led by All-Shore player Madeline Nolan on the offensive side of the field. She is currently tied for third in the Shore Conference with 40 points (16g,8a). Senior Madison Cubbinson has come on strong the last two weeks and has 4 goals and 6 assists for the Hawks. First year starter Gabriella Dew has four shutouts this season for Manchester. 

Freehold Township (5-6-2) finished in second place in Group 3 after falling to St. John Vianney on the final day of qualifying. The Patriots defeated Shore and Southern in their two other games of group play. Freehold Township has graduated a ton of talent over the last few seasons and the majority of their roster became starters or are getting important minutes for the first time in their careers. The young Patriots will rely on the leadership of Reese Metcalfe, Christina Celano and Gianna Nelson who all saw important minutes last season. The Shore Conference is starting to see what a dangerous combination Morgan Notaro and Adele Moy will be on the offensive side of the field for the Patriots. Notaro has 9 goals in her rookie season to lead Freehold Township and Moy has four goals in the last two weeks. 

Prediction: Freehold Township wins 5-1

 

(22) Point Beach at (11) Toms River East:

Point Beach (5-9) finished third in Group 1 and picked up wins against St. Rose and Brick Township. The Garnet Gulls are in a rebuilding season after graduating a strong senior class that made it to Group 1 finals. Senior Bailegh Johnson continues her remarkable career, leading the team with 11 goals which gives her 70 for her career. Junior Katie Kirchner is the playmaker for Point Beach and leads the team with 9 assists to go along with her 7 goals. Point Beach graduated their backline and goalkeeper and will look to the leadership of Ellie Loffreno, Johnson and Kirchner for a postseason run. 

Toms River East (9-4) finished in second place in Group 2, losing to Manalapan and defeating Jackson, Raritan and Ranney. The Raiders defeated Point Beach 3-1 in a Class B South game on 9/20. Freshman Addison Cleaver scored two goals in that game. All of the Raiders losses have come to teams ranked inside the top five this season and enter the SCT losing three out of their last four. Emma Mastriano and Maddie Moore split time in the net and have combined for 7 shutouts this season. The defense is the strength of the Raiders led by Addison Gallagher, Gianna Pascale and Ella Dworzanski. TRE has five players with three or more goals this season with Brooklyn Chin leading the team with 7.

Prediction: Toms River East wins 4-1

 

(23) Red Bank Regional at (10) Trinity Hall:

Red Bank (5-5-1) finished in third place of Group 5 going 1-2-1. The Bucs defeated Neptune in their opening game and tied Ocean to finish with 4 points. They qualified for the SCT on goal differential tie-breaker against Ocean. Red Bank has a mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen. Senior and four-year varsity player Riley Joyce is one of the leaders on the backline for the Bucs. Red Bank has five players with three or more goals with juniors Rose Lynch and Kiera Rankl lead the team with five goals each. Sophomore Casey Miranda, who made over 150 saves last season, has three shutouts this season. 

Trinity Hall (12-2-2) finished in second place in Group 7 with a 2-2 record. After losing their opening group game to Middletown North, the Monarchs defeated Long Branch and Barnegat by mercy rule. Trinity Hall fell to Howell 1-0 to miss a bye in the first-round of the SCT. Trinity Hall is one of the most complete teams in the Shore Conference at all three levels. They have six players with five or more goals this season. Junior Kailyn Fitzgerald has 12 goals and 7 assists and sophomore Kaylee Davis is having  a breakout season with 10 goals and 5 assists. Senior Ryan Raynor, who has 9 assists, and Grace Greene help control the middle of the field for Trinity Hall. The Monarchs start three freshmen on the backline with Ryane Greene, Ryann Russo and Sloane Biggie to go with the leadership of senior Eliza Chiles. Senior Emily Venezia has returned from injury to post 10 shutouts this season.

Prediction: Trinity Hall 4-1

 

(24) Colts Neck at (9) Middletown South:

Colts Neck (6-7) finished in third place in Group 4 going 1-2. With only three teams in the group, the Cougars only needed one win and defeated Holmdel. Unfortunately one of the teams in their group was Middletown South who beat them 8-2. Colts Neck has battled injuries for a good part of the season, but have gotten a couple players back in time for the postseason. After winning the Coaches Cup in 2024 in convincing fashion, Colts Neck qualified for the SCT this season. Junior Olivia Brown leads the team with 9 goals scored. Colts Neck will rely on Charli Pagano’s experience and leadership in both the SCT and sectional tournament.

Middletown South (6-5) finished in second place in Group 4 going 2-1. The Eagles defeated Colts Neck and Holmdel and lost to Toms River South for the second straight season. Middletown South has been battling the injury bug before the season even started. Sophomore Julianna Fiore has been out since the Howell game and may not return in goal this season for Middletown South. Rutgers commit Bea Tinoco, who was injured at the start of last year’s SCT, is healthy and leads the Eagles with 15 goals scored. Sophomore midfielder Riley Kapler has a knack for scoring big goals, last week against Middletown North to give South the win and last year she scored the game winner against Wall in the opening round of the SCT. A healthy Middletown South is a dangerous team that can make a deep run in both the SCT and sectional tournament.

Prediction: Middletown South wins 6-0