NJSIAA Final Preview: Middletown South Tackles Decorated Ramapo in Group 3 Final

NJSIAA Boys Soccer Group III Championship

Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025

At Franklin High School

12:30 p.m.

 

Middletown South (17-3-1) vs. Ramapo (20-1)

 

Middletown South at a Glance

Head Coach: Dan Riverso
Group Championships: None
Group Final Appearances: None
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 15 Pemberton, 7-1; No. 7 Long Branch, 1-0; No. 3 Northern Burlington, 1-0; No. 1 Colts Neck, 4-0; Moorestown, 2-1 (OT)

Potential Starting XI

Connor Saul, Jr., Forward

Luke Strada, Sr., Forward/Midfield

Mason Petke, Sr., Forward/Midfield

Luke Strukiewicz, So., Midfield

Matteo Gallina, Sr., Midfield

Mason Pipercic, Jr., Midfield

Brett Denery, Sr., Defense

Jack Cohen, Sr., Defense/Midfield

Ryan Kapler, Sr., Defense

Brody Illingworth, Jr., Defense

Carson Perry, Sr., Goalkeeper

Off the Bench: Joey Fielding, Sr.; Liam DiStefano, So.

How Middletown South Got Here

Through one half of the Group III semifinal game at Moorestown on Tuesday, Middletown South was dominant throughout the NJSIAA Tournament. The Eagles had outscored their five opponents by a cumulative margin of 14-1 and were thoroughly dominant in grabbing a 1-0 first-half lead over South Jersey Group III champion Moorestown on the road.

Then, in the second half, the host Quakers slowed down Middletown South’s attack and on their only shot of the second half, Caleb Smith buried a 20-yard blast to the side netting to tie the game with just under seven minutes left.

A Moorestown red card on an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the final 30 seconds opened the door for Middletown South to regain control, which the Eagles did during overtime, when they scored the golden goal on a scrum in front of the net following a free kick by senior Jack Cohen.

Tuesday was the latest Middletown South was in a tie game since the Shore Conference Tournament championship vs. Colts Neck that ended in penalty kicks and it was the latest in any game this season that the Eagles have conceded a game-tying goal. Middletown South has not trailed in a game since a 2-1 win over Neptune on Sept. 25, which started the Eagles’ current run of 14 straight matches without a loss. That streak includes 10 shutouts, which includes four conventional 1-0 wins, a 1-0 win on penalty kicks, and a scoreless draw.

Ramapo at a Glance

Head Coach: Evan Baumgarten
Group Championships: 7 (1990, 1999, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2016)
Group Final Appearances: 10 (1978, 1990, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2016)
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 16 Garfield, 4-0; No. 8 Fort Lee, 3-0; No. 12 Wayne Valley, 3-1; No. 2 Randolph, 2-0; Cranford, 3-0

Potential Starting XI

Caden O’Connell, Sr., Forward

Jacob Preziosi, Jr., Forward

James Fitzmaurice, Sr., Midfield

Jordan Hunt, Sr., Midfield

Julian Cuttita, Sr., Midfield

Nick Didato, Sr., Midfield

Zach Zarzar, Sr., Defense

Owen O’Connell, Fr., Defense

Aidan McHale, Jr., Defense

Brody Benner, Sr., Defense

Julian Lora, Sr., Goalkeeper

Off the Bench: George Zahka, Sr.; Anthony Bono, Jr.

 

How Ramapo Got Here

While Middletown South has been the Shore’s most lockdown defensive team in 2025, Ramapo might deserve that same label as it pertains to the entire state. The Raiders’ defense and goalkeeper Julian Loria have amassed 15 shutouts on the season and have allowed one goal during the NJSIAA Tournament – the lone goal Ramapo has allowed since early October.

After battling past Wayne Valley, 3-1, in the North Jersey Section 2, Group II semifinals, Ramapo has pitched a pair of shutouts in its last two games. Jacob Preziosi scored two goals in a 2-0 win over Randolph in the sectional final, then Jordan Hunt added a brace of his own in a 3-0 win over Cranford in Tuesday’s Group III semifinal. The win over Randolph avenged last year’s sectional final loss, while Tuesday’s win earned the Raiders their 11^th group final appearance and first in nine years.

Before reaching the NJSIAA Tournament, Ramapo won its fifth consecutive Bergen County Tournament championship and did so by beating Bergen Catholic in the championship game. Bergen Catholic is the only team to beat Ramapo this season, which the Crusaders did by a score of 4-3 on Sept. 15. They now enter the state final on a 17-game winning streak and, led by a head coach in Evan Baumgarten with nearly 700 career wins, have the program pedigree that has real value at this time of year.

Breakdown

Every team that plays in a state final is on a nice winning streak, but the Group III final features two teams that have won a combined 29 straight matches. Middletown South’s 12-game winning streak started after a 0-0 draw vs. Middletown South, while Ramapo’s 17-game winning streak after the Raiders lost an instant classic vs. Bergen Catholic in mid-September.

With 26 clean sheets between them, scoring on both Group III finalists has been a difficult task this season. Middletown South conceded a goal to Pemberton in a 7-1 blowout in round one, then it took a brilliant shot by Moorestown sophomore Caleb Smith to break through against the Eagles late in Tuesday’s Group III semifinal.

In Ramapo, Middletown South will be facing a team that can not only score, but rarely waits around to do so. In the Bergen County Tournament final, the Raiders scored twice in the first eight minutes to beat Bergen Catholic, 2-0. Then, in the sectional final vs. Randolph, Jacob Preziosi scored in the first minute on the way to another 2-0 victory. In Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Cranford, it took Ramapo until the 12th minute to break through with the game’s first goal.

Middletown South has also been fairly consistent about when it scores in this tournament. The Eagles have won three of their five games by a one-goal margin and in each of them, the first goal has come right around the midway point of the first half. In the 1-0 win over Long Branch, it was a Luke Strada strike in the 18th minute; in a 1-0 win over Northern Burlington, it was Connor Saul on the finish, again in the 18th minute; then on Tuesday, the Saul again finished the icebreaker in the 20th minute.

Strangely enough, in the sectional final at Colts Neck, Middletown South did not score until the 47th minute, but scored three times after that to turn a close game into a rout. In short, the Eagles have held a pattern of sorts, but have been able to work off script when the game takes an unpredictable turn.

As was the case in the semifinal vs. Moorestown, the health of junior center back Charlie Welsh will be an x-factor. Welsh suffered a foot injury in the sectional final vs. Colts Neck and was not able to play vs. Moorestown, which prompted coach Dan Riverso to slide Cohen from center midfield to center fullback alongside fellow senior Ryan Kapler. Cohen did move back into the midfield when sophomore Liam DeStefano was on the field as a back, while Mason Pipercic and Joey Fielding played important minutes in Welch’s absence.

The Middletown South team that dominated Tuesday’s first half is a team that can beat anyone, including this red-hot Ramapo side. Often, however, Middletown South has answered a great half with a passable one, or vice versa. To beat Ramapo, the Eagles will have to be on their game from the outset, ready to handle Ramapo’s well-rounded attack, and committed to possessing the ball.

Ultimately, Strada or Saul – perhaps both – will have to come up big play. The Eagles have other players who can finish, which was how they beat Christian Brothers Academy in the Shore Conference semifinals, but Strada and Saul will be the creators. Because those two have been so impactful this season, this game may not end up a 1-0 nailbiter like the past results would suggest. Expect each team to get on the board and if the game is close late, Middletown South has thrived under pressure.

The Pick: Middletown South, 2-1