Girls Soccer Shore Conference Tournament Second Round Preview, Picks

Shore Conference Tournament Preview: Second Round

 

(16) Manasquan at (1) Manalapan

Manasquan (7-6) squeaked by Jackson in the first round in overtime when a handball was called in the box and Samantha Price converted on the penalty kick. The Warriors started the game off strong in the first half and led at halftime 1-0, but were outplayed for a good part of the second half until Jackson tied the game. Jordyn Hollawell scored the first goal in the middle of the box for Manasquan off a cross from Cassidy Eastmond. Manasquan gave Manalapan one of their toughest games this season, losing 1-0.  Madeline Petrulla, who has been one of the best goalkeepers this season in the Shore Conference, made 35 saves in that game and was excellent against Jackson.

Manalapan (12-0) has played the entire season as the No. 1 team in the conference. The Braves finished first in Group 2 winning all four of their games and only allowing only one goal in group play. Daniella Butash leads the team with 14 goals. The Braves have six players with four or more goals. Guilianna Naletilic, who has 10 assists on the season, gives Manalapan a scoring advantage on set pieces with her ball placement. Manalapan also has an experienced backline led by seniors Constantina Papadakis and Callie Butash and juniors Devan Rosenzweig and Sonya Hoffman. Junior Aryanna Lake picked up where she left off last year in goal. She has seven shutouts on the season. Olivia Ziobro scored the golden goal in Manalapan’s 1-0 win against Manasquan. Ziobro has had a strong October, scoring 5 goals and dishing out 4 assists.

Prediction: Manalapan wins 3-0

 

(15) Marlboro at (2) Central, 3 p.m.

Marlboro (9-4-1) scored three second half goals against Middletown North to advance into the second round of the SCT. All-Shore goalkeeper Jordyn Bauer made 10 saves to earn her seventh shutout of the season. The Mustangs also had three different players score in their first round game. Freshmen Emily Conigilio and Olivia DeAlmedia both scored in their first postseason game. Conigilio scored her team-high 11th goal of the season. Senior Samantha Arntz scored the third goal for the Mustangs. Freshmen have scored 23 out of Marlboro’s 39 goals this season.

Central (12-0-1) finished first in Group 5 with a 4-0 record and did not allow a single goal in group play. The Golden Eagles have one of the best defenses in the state and have only allowed three goals all season. Seniors Emma Christensen and Nicole Kangas anchor the backline in the middle of the field and outside backs Emma Boturla and Katie Ytreboe provide speed on the outside. Sophomore goalie Addison Frulio has played with confidence in the net and has recorded 10 shutouts on the season. Junior Leah DiCillo is the playmaker on the offensive end with 6 goals and 11 assists. Senior Brianna Nelson has filled the void left by the graduation of Shelby Parks with 9 goals on the season.

Prediction: Central wins 2-0

 

(14) Lacey at (3) Howell, 3:45 p.m.

Lacey (9-6) advanced on penalty kicks after battling Toms River North to a 0-0 draw after 100 minutes. The Lions outscored TRN 3-1 in the shootout with Ava Schmidt coming up with 9 saves in the game and one on a PK. Seniors Danielle Pasqua and Lynsey McGovern along with freshman Chacity Rotondella all converted their penalty kicks.

Howell (10-3) finished in first place in Group 7 after going 4-0 and only allowing one goal in their group games. Howell is looking for their fourth straight trip into the SCT semifinals and third trip to the finals in four years. The Rebels had six wins against teams ranked into the top ten this season, led by Makenzie Memmolo and Isabella Farinick. Memmolo has 12 goals and 10 assists this season and set the all-time record for assists in Howell’s history. Farinick, who was injured last season, has 10 goals and 3 assists in her sophomore season. Senior Leila Shaw has five shutouts this season and comes into her final postseason with a ton of big game experience. Seniors BellaRose Marino and Layla Barbosa lead a strong backline for the Rebels.

Prediction: Howell wins 2-1 in OT

 

(13) Rumson-Fair Haven at (4) Red Bank Catholic, 3:45 p.m.

After being tied 0-0 at halftime, Rumson (10-6) scored two second half goals to defeat Southern and advance into the second round. Duke commit Jordyn Sullivan scored her 23rd goal of the season and assisted Chase Memmott’s goal. Memmott has scored five goals since 9/27 and has emerged as a strong second option for the Bulldogs. Senior Ella Curran made 8 saves to earn her third shutout of the season. Rumson plays RBC for the second time this season, falling to them on opening day 3-0.

RBC (11-2) went 4-0 in Group 1, averaging just over 4 goals a game and only allowed one goal in the four games. Sophomores Grace Pauwels and Lexi Sinatra have both played very strong in the midfield for the Caseys. Pauwels has seven goals and four assists and Sinatra, who has played more of a defensive role in the midfield, has five assists. Junior Heidi Wierman has posted seven shutouts this season and has been one of the most consistent goalies in the conference. Maryland commit Paige Foye has scored 10 goals this season with eight of them coming in September. Junior Samantha Mierziwak has taken over as one of the leaders of the backline with the graduation of Tess Beams and Isabelle Melilli.

Prediction: RBC wins 3-1

 

(12) Freehold Township at (5) Point Boro, 2:30 p.m.

The seniors on Freehold Township (6-6-2) all contributed with the scoring in their 3-1 win over Manchester. Christina Celano and Gianna Neron both scored first half goals and Reese Metcalfe had an assist. Freshman Adele Moy scored her first postseason goal in the first half as well. Violet Matthews did not see much action in the first half, but made one save to earn the victory for the Patriots. Freehold Township will travel to Point Boro, a rematch of last year’s SCT Championship game that the Patriots won 1-0 in an instant classic. Both teams look a lot different this season after strong senior classes graduated.

Point Boro (10-1) won Group 8 by going 4-0 with wins over Rumson, Toms River North, Freehold Boro and Matawan. The defending Group 2 champions had to replace several talented players this season, including 2024 Player of the Year Abby Hannemann. Sophomore Maddie Renna has filled into the playmaker role with two goals and 10 assists. Senior Elise Viggiano, who has missed several games recently with an injury, leads the Panthers with nine goals and has five assists. Sophomore Megan Viggiano has stepped up in her sister’s absence with six goals and six assists. Junior Stella Stevenson has stepped into the starting role this season in goal and has earned five shutouts. Stevenson made 11 saves in a double overtime win against Toms River South to help the Panthers earn the fifth seed. Point Boro returned an experienced backline with Khloey Cilento, Grace Tansey and Abby Crowell all getting important minutes last season.

Prediction: Freehold Township wins 2-1

 

(11) Toms River East at (6) Toms River South

Toms River East (10-4) scored three second half goals to win 4-0 and advance into the second round of the SCT. Junior outside back Elle Dworzanski scored two goals and Brooklyn Chin and Alyssa Southworth added one each. The combination of Emma Mastriano and Maddie Moore had eight saves in goal for their eighth shutout of the season. The Raiders played crosstown rival Toms River South last week and lost 2-0. They gave up two second half goals in the defeat.

Toms River South (9-1-2) went 4-0 in Group 3 and defeated Middletown South for the second straight season in group play to win their group. The only loss by TRS came to Point Boro in double overtime on 9/25. The Indians have been one of the best teams in the Shore Conference all season despite only having one senior on the roster. Sophomore Reese Lindemann has posted eight shutouts in her first season as the full-time starter. Sophomore Daniella Gordon has caused problems for defenses with her speed and foot work, leading the team with 10 goals and five assists. Junior Ava Knight flies all over the field, controlling the midfield and setting up her teammates on the offensive side of the field.

Prediction: Toms River South wins 1-0 

 

(10) Trinity Hall at (7) Wall

Trinity Hall (13-2-2) secured a spot in the second round of the SCT with a 2-0 win over Red Bank Regional. The Monarchs struck twice in the first half, with goals from Ryan Raynor and Kailyn Fitzgerald, the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals on the season. Senior goalkeeper Emily Venezia recorded three saves to notch her Shore Conference-leading 11th shutout of the year. 

Wall (6-6-1) went 3-0-1 in Group 6 and earned a bye on goal differential. Wall defeated Manchester, Brick Memorial and Pinelands and battled Marlboro to a 0-0 draw. They outscored Marlboro in group play by two goals. Wall graduated the majority of their team that went to back-to-back Group 2 finals in 2022 and 2023. Junior Megan Farrell has made an impact since freshman year and leads the Knights with six goals. Wall does have multiple players who can score with seven players with three or more goals on the season. Freshmen Gemma Brett and Nora Farrell have both had impactful rookie seasons, replacing their sisters (Samantha Brett and Erin Farrell) who graduated last season. Senior Madison Miller battled injuries last year, but is healed this season and has four goals and provides the leadership and postseason experience. 

Prediction: Trinity Hall advances on PKs after 1-1 draw

 

(9) Middletown South at (8) St. John Vianney

Rutgers commit Bea Tinoco scored a hat-trick to lead Middletown South (7-5) into the second round of the SCT over Colts Neck. Tinoco has 18 goals on the season and is two away from her third 20-goal season. Sophomore Riley Kapler scored two goals to give her six on the season. Junior Hayley Jamison dished out two assists in the victory.

St. John Vianney (8-4-1) clinched a bye in the first-round by beating Freehold Township 2-0 on the final day of qualifying. Junior Gabby Parker, who missed last season due to injury, scored the game’s first goal. Parker leads the team with 10 goals with eight of them coming after 9/26/25. Reigning Freshman of the Year Kennedy Wallace has picked up where she left off last season, scoring nine goals and distributing seven assists on the season. She had both assists in the Freehold Township victory. Goalkeepers Katie Buffalino and Sofia Donello have been rotating games and combined for six shutouts.

Prediction: Middletown South wins 3-2 in OT