Shore Conference Boys Soccer 2024 Preseason Top 10
It has been a long run at the top of the boys soccer rankings for Christian Brothers Academy, which has finished No. 1 in Shore Conference soccer in each of the past four seasons. It was not that long ago, however, that the Colts relinquished their perch as the No. 1 team in the conference. Looking at the conference on paper, we might be entering a similar stretch in 2024.
With CBA graduating nine starters and several public-school teams (and one upstart non-public team) bringing back large portions of their 2023 rosters, the Shore Conference is as open as it has been since the wild 2019 season, when the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament lost in the round of 16, every game in the semifinals and final of the tournament went to overtime, and two of them ended with a penalty shootout.
Although the season has all the makings of an unpredictable free-for-all for the SCT title – which, for the second straight year, will be decided by a World Cup style format – there is still a clear No. 1 team to open the season. Any time a public school opens the season as the No. 1 team, there is the possibility that said team loses and that could be the case this season. For now, though, given the résumé of this year’s preseason No. 1 team, combined with the names said team has coming back, the choice is clear-cut.
1. Howell
The Rebels have been excruciatingly close to winning a championship over the past three years and have been blocked by some elite teams: Freehold Township (2021 Central Group IV final), CBA (2022 and 2023 Shore Conference Tournament finals, plus the Class A North title) and Princeton (2023 Central Group IV final). Luckily for Howell, nine players with starting experience return this season, including All-Shore standouts Nick Turturro and Tye Maser. Howell has not been ranked No. 1 in the Shore in 17 years, which is also the last time the Rebels won a Shore Conference Tournament title. It will not be easy against this Shore Conference field, but this year’s Howell group will be ravenous in its pursuit of a postseason trophy.
2. Christian Brothers Academy
CBA already began its season with a pair of polar-opposite performances. The Colts were outclassed in a 4-0 loss to LaSalle Academy of Pennsylvania and bounced back with a 1-0 win over LaSalle of Rhode Island on Sunday. Brayden Perry scored the lone CBA goal and is one of only two returning starters on the team. The Colts are a work in progress, to be sure, but CBA has proven that progress leads to championships. That may not be the destination this year given the inexperience, but CBA can never be ruled out.
3. Colts Neck
With an almost overwhelming amount of offensive firepower, Colts Neck is going to be extremely difficult to beat if the return of senior goalkeeper Justin Appel and the maturation of its defensive lineup leads to a better effort keeping the ball out of the net this season. The Cougars, quite simply, could not keep teams from scoring and while they still scored far more goals than they gave up, certain matchups gave Colts Neck fits. Whether or not the defense comes together, brothers Kyle (22 goals) and Sean Moore (21) will also be giving opponents fits.
4. Southern
Southern does not have the one-two punch that Howell or Colts Neck has, but the Rams have a front six in their formation that can match up with just about anyone. Aidan Donnelly is a physical striker with a nose for the goal, while the midfield trio of Nick Prosperi, Brody Reyolds and Brody Nacarlo will keep Southern in control of most games. There are a few wrinkles to iron out in the back, but the return of standout keeper Ryan Schweigert should mitigate any early-season growing pains.
5. Toms River North
Although they lost quite a bit of scoring, the Mariners are preparing for another big season thanks to a promising group of new starters who mostly played exceptionally well in smaller roles last season. Christian Caso is a proven scorer up top and the rest of the formation will fill out with players who would have been good enough to start at most other programs. If you’re wondering how good coach Joe Mahon thinks his team can be this year, check the schedule outside of Class A South: Kearny, Lenape, CBA, Allentown, St. Joseph Metuchen and Manalapan.
6. Marlboro
Since stunning CBA, 1-0, on opening day of 2022, Marlboro has found itself on the wrong end of a lot of close games. The Mustangs have the ingredients to be a championship contender in the Shore Conference and Central Group IV tournaments this season if they become more adept at closing out those games. Finishing goals would go a long way in turning around some of those results, and Marlboro figures to be an improved goal-scoring outfit this season with the return of All-Shore midfielder Trevor Barrett, plus the return of striker Jake Langella from the academy ranks.
7. Manasquan
The move from Class B North to Class A North will be a challenging one for Manasquan, but the Warriors are as ready as they will ever be for the challenge. They return eight starters and a healthy dose of scoring from a 2023 team that came up just short of winning its first NJSIAA sectional championship. Cristian Gonzalez, Cruz Farkas and Brayden Kunz were big-time scorers for Manasquan last season, and Griffin Linstra will be a physical presence leading a strong defensive unit.
8. Middletown North
Josiah Stepney and Paulie Que have a chance to give the Moore brothers at Colts Neck a run as the highest-scoring duo in the Shore Conference this season, at least within the “A” divisions. Middletown North should have a relatively easy time creating goals with those two up top and a solid returning midfield, so the Lions’ success is going to come down to whether they can fill in a defense around standout center back Ryan Barnao, plus replace All-Shore goalkeeper Landon Terrell.
9. Holmdel
It would not be a stretch to claim that Holmdel was home to the two best players in the Shore Conference last season. Stepan Kapranov and David Weiner carried the Hornets to a second straight NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II championship. Heading into this year, Kapranov will be at the center of Holmdel’s attack after winning the Shore Player of the Year Award last season. Moving ahead without Weiner will make life much harder for Kapranov, but the Hornets still have a roster of capable supporting players, a quality defense and a superstar player good enough to work around the defensive attention he is going to draw.
10. Shore
The Blue Devils crack the preseason top 10 coming off their first NJSIAA Group I championship in program history, and they have every reason to believe this season can be even better. Graduating All-Shore midfielder Maxx Eichenbaum was a significant loss, but the Blue Devils counter that with the return of Jadyen DeRosa. Like Eichenbaum, DeRosa was a freshman standout who played academy soccer each of the past two seasons before closing out his high school career with one more run at a championship. Factor in a host of returnees and impressive depth for a Group I program, and Shore has a chance to win a division, 20 games and another Group I title.
Top 10 Watch List
Toms River East – Goalkeeper Bobby Calvo is the headliner, but the Raiders developed good chemistry last year with a group that returns some key pieces.
Ocean – If the Spartans can finally stay healthy, they have all the ingredients to return to the Shore Top 10 this season.
Central – The Golden Eagles lost their two top scorers but have a chance to be even better thanks to a deep, talented group of midfielders.
St. John Vianney – The Lancers bring 10 starters back, plus add a talented out-of-state transfer in Logan French as they look to make the leap into the tier of Shore Conference title contenders over the next two seasons.
Rumson-Fair Haven – With very little returning talent, Rumson won 12 games on the way to a Class A Central title in 2023. There is more in place to start this season, but the Bulldogs will have to make it work in the always-difficult Class A North division.
Manalapan – The Braves escaped Class A North in the Shore Conference realignment but still face a tough schedule with a team that graduated 19 seniors from the 2023 roster.
Middletown South – A pair of losses to academy soccer will challenge Middletown South’s depth, but the Eagles have been able to make use of that depth under coach Dan Riverso and should benefit from that this year.
Long Branch – The Green Wave are replacing two top scorers, an All-Shore defender and a head coach for the second straight year, but it has gotten to the point that we should all trust the program to remain competitive.
Freehold Township – After a run of 19 straight seasons qualifying for the SCT ended last year, Freehold Township would like to start a new streak in 2024.
Toms River South – Despite graduating their top scorer from 2023, the Indians should be an improved team thanks to the return of nine starters, plus the move from Class A South to Class B South.
