NJSIAA Sectional Final Preview: Toms River North at Southern

NJSIAA Boys Soccer Sectional Final

Friday, Nov. 15, 2024

South Jersey Group IV

No. 7 Toms River North (16-6-1) at No. 4 Southern (16-5-1), 2 p.m.

 

Toms River North at a Glance

Head Coach: Joe Mahon

Last Sectional Title: 2021

Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2023

Road to the Final: Defeated No. 10 Egg Harbor, 3-1; No. 15 Cherry Hill East, 7-0; No. 6 Cherokee, 1-0

Players to Watch

Christian Caso, Sr., Forward (9 goals, 3 assists)

Josh Brazier, Sr., Forward (13 foals, 2 assists)

Christian Assante, Sr., Midfield (8 goals, 2 assists)

Brady Gillman, Jr., Midfield (3 goals, 5 assists)

James Homyak, Sr., Defense (2 goals, 6 assists)

Frank Toledo, Sr., Defense (2 assists)

Chris Ruggiero, So., Defense (2 goals, 1 assist)

Mike Venegas, Sr., Defense (1 assist)

Alex Roman, Sr., Goalkeeper

Gavin Styker, So., Goalkeeper

Southern at a Glance

Head Coach: Guy Lockwood

Last Sectional Title: None

Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2020 (COVID season)

Road to the Final: Defeated No. 13 Pennsauken, 5-1; No. 12 Gloucester Tech, 3-1; No. 8 Central, 4-1

Players to Watch

Aidan Donnelly, Sr., Forward (24 goals, 2 assists)

Jefferson Rubi Cruz, Sr., Forward (8 goals, 1 assist)

Brody Nacarlo, Jr., Forward/Midfield (5 goals, 7 assists)

Kaan Zenger, Sr., Midfield/Forward (8 goals, 5 assists)

Nick Prosperi, Sr., Midfield (9 goals, 5 assists)

Brody Reynolds, Sr., Midfield (3 goals, 9 assists)

Caden Schweigart, Jr., Defense (1 goal, 3 assists)

Shane Holden, Sr., Defense (2 assists)

Ryan Schweigart, Sr., Goalkeeper

Recent Head-to-Head History

Regardless of how strong either team is in a given year, Toms River North and Southern meet annually as fellow members of the Shore Conference Class A South division. That means just one guaranteed meeting in recent years, but the two Ocean County rivals have written quite a bit of history in those games over the last five seasons.

The rivalry ratcheted up in 2020 during the COVID-shortened season in which most teams throughout New Jersey played a hyper-localized schedule. Had there been a full season in 2020, both Southern and Toms River North would have been serious contenders for the Shore Conference Tournament championship – a title no Ocean County team has won since Toms River North’s 2005 title.

The teams did, however, play a full Class A South slate and finished tied for first place in the division, with Southern winning an overtime thriller at Toms River North and the two teams tying in the second match at Southern. There would be a third meeting as well, when the two rivals clashed in the NJSIAA Central East G Group IV championship game – a modified version of the sectional playoffs. It was the lone time Southern has ever played for a sectional championship and it ended in a 3-2, overtime loss to Toms River North.

Since that epic 2020 rivalry series, Toms River North has remained a contender in Group IV and the Shore Conference, while Southern needed a rebuilding phase to get back to into the championship picture. Toms River North beat Southern in both 2021 and 2022 and in 2023, Southern paid Toms River North back in a 3-2 win – the only divisional loss suffered by the Mariners last season.

Earlier this year, the two teams squared off under the lights at Southern with the Class A South division title on the line and Toms River North slipped past the Rams, 1-0, on a late goal by senior Christian Caso. Two days later, the Mariners beat Central, 1-0, to clinch the outright Class A South championship.

The Matchup

Both Southern and Toms River North crashed out of the Shore Conference Tournament in the round of 16 in ugly losses for both. Southern fell to rival Central, 2-0, while Toms River North suffered a 5-1 home loss at the hands of Rumson-Fair Haven. Since those early-round losses, both teams have regrouped and have not lost since.

Southern rides into Friday on a six-game winning streak, which coincided with a midseason coaching change. The Rams have shown flashes of being a championship-level team at points during the season, including a 3-1 win at South Jersey Group III finalist Shawnee in the one of only two losses hung on the Renegades’ this season.

Over the last six games, Southern has scored 22 goals while allowing only six, including a 12-3 margin during the NJSIAA Tournament.

Southern’s strength is its top six in the formation: Aidan Donnelly, Kaan Zenger, Brody Nacarlo, Jefferson Rubi Cruz, Brody Reynolds and Nick Prosperi – all of who have shined as scorers during this postseason run. On defense, senior Shane Holden has been a constant, while junior Caden Schwiegart has emerged as a standout fullback in front of goalkeeper Ryan Schweigart.

Toms River North, meanwhile, continues to rely on a deep roster that also has its standouts – namely forwards Christian Caso and Josh Brazier and midfielders Christian Assante and Brady Gillman. That quartet has accounted for most of the Mariners’ scoring this season, while a well-rounded back line has steadied the defensive effort in front of the goalkeeper tandem of Alex Roman and Gavin Stryker. Toms River North’s defense has taken on several forms and has been particularly effective since sophomore Chris Ruggiero has moved from the midfield to the back.

The matchup of Southern’s attack vs. Toms River North’s back four will be the key showdown within Friday’s game, but how Southern’s defense holds up against Toms River North’s attack – which has, under coach Joe Mahon, always made its living on the flanks – will be the key to the game.

In 2020, the two teams combined for 18 goals in three games that all went to overtime, and while the first game ended in a 1-0 final, this one has the makings of another barnburner.

Prediction: Toms River North, 3-2, in overtime