Projecting the Field: 2026 Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament
With the book closed on the group stage of the Boys Soccer Shore Conference Tournament, the knockout round of the tournament is on deck for next week and will be seeded later tonight. Twenty-four teams are in the field and there are three tiers of seeds that line up with where each team finished in their respective group. The teams that finished in first place will occupy the top eight seeds in the tournament and receive a bye through the first round. The second-place teams will land in the No. 9 through 16 range and will host a first-round game. The third-place teams will be seeded Nos.17 through 24 and will travel to play one of the second-place teams in the first round.
You can find the full results of the group stage here(opens in new tab). As for the knockout round, which begins on Wednesday, here is how I see the seeds shaking out.
1. Manalapan (11-1-1, 5-0-1)
Division Wins: CBA, Colts Neck, Holmdel, at Middletown South, St. John Vianney
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: At Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: At Middletown North (SCT), Long Branch (SCT), Monmouth (SCT), Rumson, at Toms River South (SCT), Brick Memorial
Non-Division Losses: At East Brunswick
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Prior to Saturday, the Braves had outscored their opposition by a combined total of 36-1, including six straight shutouts and five wins by a margin of six or more goals. Then, they suffered a confounding 6-0 loss to a red-hot East Brunswick team, making their first loss of the season an ugly one. Is that enough to put Manalapan’s hold on the No. 1 seed in jeopardy? Probably not, but the Braves seem more beatable than they did before the weekend.
2. Marlboro (10-3-1, 4-1-1)
Division Wins: Colts Neck, at Holmdel, Middletown South, at St. John Vianney
Division Losses: CBA
Division Ties: Manalapan
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Princeton, Rumson (SCT), St. Rose (SCT), at Pinelands (SCT), at Brick Memorial (SCT), Freehold Boro (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Steinert, at Kearny
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Marlboro’s only loss vs. a Shore Conference opponent came against CBA and the Mustangs are the only team the stood across the field from Manalapan this season and did not lose. They also own a win over a Princeton team that just suffered its second loss of the season this past week and the other two losses are to Steinert and Kearny.
3. Manasquan (11-2-1, 4-1-1)
Division Wins: Long Branch, at Ocean, Ranney, at Shore
Division Losses: At Freehold Twp.
Division Ties: Rumson
Non-Division Wins: At Wall, at Central (SCT), at Middletown South, at RBC (SCT), Red Bank (SCT), at St. Rose, CBA (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Southern
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: With a win over CBA during the group stage, Manasquan has a serious case to be the No. 2 seed ahead of Marlboro. The only pause regarding Manasquan is it has struggled on grass: the Warriors gave up four goals each in losses at Freehold Township and Southern and did not give up more than one in any other game. The other grass game was a 3-1 win over St. Rose, so Manasquan is glad it will not have to play on grass during the SCT.
4. Toms River North (9-4, 4-1)
Division Wins: Brick Memorial, Point Boro, at Southern, at Toms River South
Division Losses: At Toms River East
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Brick (SCT), Lacey, at Asbury Park (SCT), Ranney (SCT), Colts Neck (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Freehold Twp., CBA, at Notre Dame
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Since adding Lakewood transfer Abraham Torres to its formation, Toms River North has just one loss, which came at Notre Dame in overtime on Saturday. The recent schedule has not been as difficult as it was the first three weeks, but a 5-2 win over Colts Neck to wrap up group play was enough of a statement of Toms River North’s prowess heading into the postseason.
5. Ocean (8-3-2, 2-2-2)
Division Wins: At Long Branch, at Ranney
Division Losses: Freehold Twp., Manasquan
Division Ties: At Rumson, Shore
Non-Division Wins: At Central, Lacey (SCT), at Toms River East (SCT), Barnegat (SCT), Middletown South, Raritan (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Howell
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: The Ocean-vs.-Shore debate was a dead-heat heading into the weekend and Ocean might have gained an edge when Shore lost to Barnegat on Saturday. Ocean owns a one-sided win over Barnegat in group play and the Spartans are also the only team to beat Toms River East this season. At this point, Ocean looks headed toward a top-five seed with a case to jump up as high as No. 4 on the strength of that win at Toms River East.
6. Shore (8-3-2, 2-2-2)
Division Wins: At Long Branch, at Ranney
Division Losses: Manasquan, Rumson
Division Ties: Freehold Twp., at Ocean
Non-Division Wins: At St. John Vianney (SCT), Keyport (SCT), at Howell (SCT), Donovan Catholic (SCT), at Neptune, Manchester (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: None
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Saturday’s loss to Barnegat may have cost the Blue Devils the No. 5 seed and there could at least be a discussion regarding the No. 6 spot as well given Jackson’s impressive overall record and win over a Freehold Township that Shore tied. With a tougher overall schedule and without any lopsided losses, Shore gets the nod at No. 6 in this space.
7. Jackson (12-1-3, 3-1-1)
Division Wins: Brick, Central, at Manchester
Division Losses: At Point Beach
Division Ties: Lacey
Non-Division Wins: At St. John Vianney, at Hamilton West, at Matawan (SCT), Freehold Twp. (SCT), at Holmdel (SCT), Ewing, at New Egypt, West Windsor-Plainsboro North, at Raritan
Non-Division Losses: None
Non-Division Ties: Southern (SCT), Mainland
Why They’re Here: The Jaguars have the best record among the top-eight seeds, but their schedule is light compared to the rest of group. Jackson is the only team in the top eight to not face another team that finished first in an SCT group and only faced two teams that finished second. There is also the matter of a 7-2 loss to Point Beach, which stands out among the top eight. All that being said, Jackson’s win over Freehold Township reveals the team’s upside and consistency is question for just about every team in the field.
8. Middletown South (4-9, 1-5)
Division Wins: Holmdel
Division Losses: At CBA, Colts Neck, Manalapan, at Marlboro, at St. John Vianney
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Neptune (SCT), Wall (SCT), Lakewood (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Manasquan, at Ocean, at Point Boro (SCT), Toms River East
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Injuries, youth and a loaded schedule have all conspired to sink Middletown South to 4-9 and with that record, the Eagles are going to be the No. 8 seed. Wall is the only team in the tournament that Middletown South has beaten this year and they have not been able to get over the hump against the many top-16 seeds on their schedule.
9. Christian Brothers Academy (11-4-1, 5-1-0)
Division Wins: Colts Neck, at Holmdel, at Marlboro, Middletown South, at St. John Vianney
Division Losses: At Manalapan
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Red Bank (SCT), at Toms River North, Central (SCT), Freehold Twp., Red Bank Catholic (SCT), Seton Hall Prep
Non-Division Losses: At LaSalle (Pa.), at Manasquan (SCT), at Bergen Catholic
Non-Division Ties: Vs. LaSalle (R.I.)
Why They’re Here: With a 2-2 record vs. the top four teams in this projection, CBA is the most proven of the loaded group of second-place teams. The Colts own wins over Marlboro and Toms River North and lost to both Manasquan and Manalapan, with all four matches coming on the road. CBA would have to travel in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals and while their four losses and one tie have all come on the road, the Colts have also managed to pull off some solid results away from the Academy.
10. Toms River East (11-1, 4-0)
Division Wins: At Point Boro, Southern, Toms River North, Toms River South
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: East Brunswick, Barnegat (SCT), at Raritan (SCT), Central, at Lacey (SCT), Brick, at Middletown South
Non-Division Losses: Ocean (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: With a one-loss record and win over Toms River North, Toms River East cannot be lower than No. 10 and has at a reasonable argument to be seeded No. 9. There could be a significant preference for No. 9 over No. 10 if Jackson is the No. 7 seed and drawing the No. 10 seed would mean a round-of-16 game on grass.
11. Freehold Township (9-4-1, 4-0-1)
Division Wins: At Long Branch, Manasquan, at Ocean, Ranney
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: At Shore
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Toms River North, Holmdel (SCT), Toms River South, at Southern (SCT), Matawan (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Old Bridge, at Jackson (SCT), at CBA, at Howell
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: A rash of injuries slowed Freehold Township in late September, but the Patriots are creeping back toward full strength and starting to look like it. Wins over Toms River North, Manasquan and Ocean make the Patriots worth a look for the No. 10 seed, but the losses to Jackson and Howell put them behind Toms River East.
12. Colts Neck (8-6, 3-3)
Division Wins: Holmdel, at Middletown South, St. John Vianney
Division Losses: At CBA, at Manalapan, at Marlboro
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Ranney (SCT), Point Boro, Brick (SCT), Asbury Park (SCT), at Southern
Non-Division Losses: At Pingry, at Toms River North (SCT), at Moorestown
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Colts Neck owns five wins over teams in the SCT, but only one of those teams is in the first-place tier and it is 4-9 Middletown South. On the brighter side, Colts Neck’s losses are all to top-level teams, both in the Shore and elsewhere.
13. Rumson-Fair Haven (8-3-3, 2-0-3)
Division Wins: Long Branch, at Shore
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: At Manasquan, Ocean, at Ranney
Non-Division Wins: Neptune, at Pinelands (SCT), Freehold Boro (SCT), at Brick Memorial (SCT), St. Rose (SCT), Bloomfield
Non-Division Losses: Howell, at Marlboro (SCT), at Manalapan
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: The combined record of the three teams Rumson has lost to this season is 34-6-2, so there are no bad losses on the Bulldogs’ slate. There is also a win (Shore) and two ties (Manasquan, Ocean) against top-eight seeds, so there is enough weight on the Rumson resume to land at No. 12 and no worse than No. 13.
14. St. John Vianney (8-7, 2-4)
Division Wins: At Holmdel, Middletown South
Division Losses: CBA, at Colts Neck, at Manalapan, Marlboro
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Donovan Catholic (SCT), Keyport (SCT), Manchester (SCT), Union, at Howell (SCT), at Red Bank Catholic
Non-Division Losses: Jackson, Matawan, Shore (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: A win over Howell gives St. John Vianney a case to be ahead of Rumson, but the Bulldogs’ body of work is slightly cleaner than that of the Lancers, who have a loss to Matawan that, while not a bad loss, is a result that other teams bidding for a spot in the top-half of this tier do not have.
15. Wall (8-5-1, 4-2-0)
Division Wins: At Asbury Park, at Freehold Boro, Raritan, Red Bank
Division Losses: Howell, at Middletown North
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: Point Boro (SCT), at Neptune (SCT), Manchester, Lakewood (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Manasquan, at Middletown South (SCT), at Central
Non-Division Ties: Matawan
Why They’re Here: A season-opening loss to Middletown North was not an ideal start and it will keep Wall outside the top 14, but the Crimson Knights have picked up their play lately and wins over Freehold Boro and Point Boro are looking better now that both teams qualified during the last leg of SCT group play.
16. Long Branch (7-9, 0-6)
Division Wins: None
Division Losses: Freehold Twp., at Manasquan, Ocean, at Ranney, at Rumson, Shore
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: St. Rose, at Pinelands, Toms River South (SCT), at Middletown North (SCT), New Egypt, Brick, at Monmouth (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Barnegat, at Red Bank Catholic, at Manalapan (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Long Branch’s only win over a team that made the SCT was the win that landed them second place in Group 4, which was a 1-0 victory over Toms River South. The Green Wave is 1-7 vs. the field, 6-2 vs. Shore teams that did not make it and 0-6 vs. teams in the top two tiers of the tournament.
17. Howell (13-2, 6-0)
Division Wins: Asbury Park, Freehold Boro, at Middletown North, Raritan, at Red Bank, at Wall
Division Losses: None
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Rumson, at Donovan Catholic (SCT), at Manchester (SCT), Keyport (SCT), at Ocean, Freehold Twp., at Holmdel
Non-Division Losses: Shore (SCT), St. John Vianney (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Howell’s only losses are to the top two teams from their group and the Rebels’ wins this season include victories over Rumson, Ocean, Freehold Township and Wall. They also beat two other teams in this tier (Red Bank, Freehold Boro), so with all of that, Howell’s placement is one of the easier calls of the seeding process.
18. Southern (4-5-2, 2-2-1)
Division Wins: At Brick Memorial, at Point Boro
Division Losses: At Toms River East, Toms River North
Division Ties: Toms River South
Non-Division Wins: Manasquan, Matawan (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: Freehold Twp. (SCT), Colts Neck, at Holmdel (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: At Jackson (SCT)
Why They’re Here: Picking the second team in this tier is much tougher than deciding the top team. Southern is tied for the fewest wins in the tournament, but the Rams have played a tougher schedule than the other teams that are close to this spot and with some success. The win over Manasquan stands out among the third-place finishers and the only “bad” loss on the resume was to a Class A North team (Holmdel).
19. Lacey (8-5-1, 3-1-1)
Division Wins: At Brick, Central, Manchester
Division Losses: At Point Beach
Division Ties: At Jackson
Non-Division Wins: At Toms River South, at Raritan (SCT), at Barnegat (SCT), Point Boro, at Cherry Hill East
Non-Division Losses: Vs. New Brunswick, at Ocean (SCT), at Toms River North, Toms River East
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Lacey has challenged itself outside of the Class B South schedule, so while Southern’s strength of schedule looks better on paper, it is not for lack of effort on the Lions’ part. A win over Toms River South gives Lacey an edge for the No. 19 spot over the Indians and also gives them some ammo to jump Southern (the Rams tied Toms River South). Lacey also doesn’t have a loss that mirrors Southern’s loss to Holmdel, so the No. 18 seed is in play if the committee likes Lacey’s steady hand over Southern’s big win.
20. Toms River South (6-6-1, 2-2-1)
Division Wins: At Brick Memorial, Point Boro
Division Losses: Toms River North, at Toms River East
Division Ties: At Southern
Non-Division Wins: At Monmouth (SCT), Middletown North (SCT), Freehold Boro, Central
Non-Division Losses: Lacey, at Long Branch (SCT), at Freehold Twp., Manalapan (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: With a head-to-head loss to Lacey and a win over Freehold Boro, Toms River South is a safe bet to land at No. 20. The Indians tied Southern during the Class A South season and has been pretty steady all year, but Southern will likely get the nod for having beat Manasquan.
21. Freehold Boro (7-6, 4-2)
Division Wins: Asbury Park, Middletown North, at Raritan, at Red Bank
Division Losses: At Howell, Wall
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Pinelands (SCT), Brick Memorial (SCT), St. Rose (SCT)
Non-Division Losses: At Rumson (SCT), Seneca, at Toms River South, at Marlboro (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Before Freehold Boro locked up its SCT spot with a 6-0 rout of St. Rose on Saturday, the Colonials strengthened their position within the tournament by beating Red Bank on Thursday. Point Boro has a case to grab this spot thanks to a win over Middletown South, but Freehold has been the much more consistent team and some of its recent losses have been competitive (Rumson and Seneca in overtime; 2-0 to Marlboro).
22. Point Pleasant Boro (6-9, 1-4)
Division Wins: Brick Memorial
Division Losses: Southern, Toms River East, at Toms River North, at Toms River South
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: At Middletown North, North Brunswick, Neptune (SCT), Middletown South (SCT), New Egypt
Non-Division Losses: At Wall (SCT), at Colts Neck, at Lakewood (SCT), at Lacey, at Point Beach
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: The Panthers looked destined for the Coaches Cup before they pulled off their biggest win of the season by knocking off Middletown South to take third place in Group 7. A loss to Lakewood could push Point Boro lower but everything else surrounding the Panthers is pretty steady.
23. Ranney (4-7-1, 1-4-1)
Division Wins: Long Branch
Division Losses: At Freehold Twp., at Manasquan, Ocean, Shore
Division Ties: Rumson
Non-Division Wins: Asbury Park (SCT), Brick (SCT), Henry Hudson
Non-Division Losses: At Colts Neck (SCT), St. Rose, at Toms River North (SCT)
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: A loss to St. Rose stands out as a damaging result in Ranney’s case to stay out of the No. 24 spot, but the Panthers have a win over one second-place finisher (Long Branch) and a tie against another (Rumson). Other than St. Rose, all of Ranney’s losses are to teams in the top 12 seeds and the Panthers’ one tie is against the projected No. 13 seed.
24. Red Bank (7-7, 2-4)
Division Wins: At Asbury Park, at Middletown North
Division Losses: Freehold Boro, Howell, Raritan, at Wall
Division Ties: None
Non-Division Wins: West Windsor-Plainsboro North, at Red Bank Catholic (SCT), Central (SCT), Monmouth, Ewing
Non-Division Losses: CBA (SCT), at Manasquan (SCT), at Barnegat
Non-Division Ties: None
Why They’re Here: Red Bank has two losses to teams that did not qualify for the SCT (Raritan and Barnegat) and none of its seven wins are against teams that qualified. There is a case for the Bucs to land at No. 22 but those two resume flaws make them vulnerable to land at No. 24.
Projected Match-Ups
(24) Red Bank at (9) CBA, winner at (8) Middletown South
(23) Ranney at (10) Toms River East, winner at (7) Jackson
(22) Point Boro at (11) Freehold Township, winner at (6) Shore
(21) Freehold Boro at (12) Colts Neck, winner at (5) Ocean
(20) Toms River South at (13) Rumson-Fair Haven, winner at (4) Toms River North
(19) Lacey at (14) St. John Vianney, winner at (3) Manasquan
(18) Southern at (15) Wall, winner at (2) Marlboro
(17) Howell at (16) Long Branch, winner at (1) Manalapan
Projected Coaches Cup Seeds
1. Point Pleasant Beach
2. Matawan
3. Barnegat
4. Holmdel
5. Central
6. Raritan
7. Middletown North
8. Neptune
9. Red Bank Catholic
10. Monmouth
11. Brick
12. Donovan Catholic
13. Lakewood
14. Brick Memorial
15. St. Rose
16. Asbury Park
17. Manchester
18. New Egypt
19. Henry Hudson
20. Pinelands
21. Keyport
