Who’s No. 1? Shore Sports Insider 2024 Final Boys Soccer Top 10

For every week of the 2024 Shore Conference boys soccer season, there was a clear-cut No. 1 team in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10. Before the season, Howell entered with two returning All-Shore First-Team players and seven other returning starters from a team that was on the cusp three 2023 championships, making the Rebels the clear-cut preseason No. 1.

When Howell faltered due to injuries, Colts Neck’s early-season dominance carried the Cougars to the No. 1 ranking and they solidified that standing all the way through the Shore Conference Tournament, which they won for the first time in program history.

Even when Colts Neck suffered a stunning loss to Long Branch in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Tournament – its first and only loss of the season – the Cougars’ body of work gave them a comfortable cushion between them and the rest of the Shore Conference. It was going to take a special postseason from some other team to put the No. 1 spot in doubt.

Enter Southern. The Rams won the Group IV championship and after a season in which the No. 1 spot was never really up for debate, the 2024 campaign closes with a legitimate argument between two teams to finish the season No. 1. Is Colts Neck’s one-loss season and impressive SCT victory enough to offset crashing out of the state tournament in the second round? Is Southern’s brilliance of the final nine games of the season enough to ignore a respectable-but-underwhelming 10-5-1 season following an early exit from the SCT? These debates tend to carry well beyond the end of the season, but in this space, we have to choose sides. With that said, let’s get to the verdict.

1. Southern (19-5-1, 2-2-1) Preseason Rank: 4

At the start of the NJSIAA Tournament, Southern was not ranked in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10. Three weeks later, the Rams are the No. 1 team at the Shore to close out 2024. Winning a Group IV championship goes a long way in securing that No. 1 ranking, but in Southern’s case, it had to be more than that – it’s the teams the Rams beat on the way. Southern avenged losses to Central and Toms River North by dominating both the Golden Eagles and Mariners, then took down defending Group IV champion Princeton and one-loss Scotch-Plains Fanwood. The clincher for Southern, though, was a regular-season win over Group III champion Shawnee, giving the Rams a head-to-head win the champion in the group that Southern’s competition for No. 1 was competing to win.

Southern opened the season as the top-ranked team in Ocean County and within the top five teams in the Shore Conference in a Shore Conference season that figured to be wide-open. The Rams scuffled at times during the year and faced the prospect of a missed opportunity of a season following a round-of-16 loss to Central in the Shore Conference Tournament. From then on however, with Guy Lockwood taking over as head coach, Southern ran the table, finishing the season on a nine-game winning streak and winning its first ever Group IV title – the Shore’s first Group IV champion since Toms River South in 2009.

2. Colts Neck (18-1-2, 5-0-1) Preseason Rank: 3

When Colts Neck beat Christian Brothers Academy to win its first ever Shore Conference Tournament championship, the Cougars put themselves in a good position to finish No. 1, barring anything extreme in the NJSIAA Tournament. Unfortunately for them, the extreme scenario came to life. Long Branch stunned Colts Neck by coming back from a two-goal deficit to knock the Cougars out in the Central Jersey Group III quarterfinals, while Southern mowed down all comers in an always-difficult Group IV tournament. Colts Neck lost just one game all season and its two ties were to quality Group IV outfits – Manalapan and Princeton.

The entire résumé is cleaner than that of Southern and Colts Neck’s road to the Shore Conference Tournament final was loaded with blue-blood programs: Freehold Township, Manalapan, Manasquan, Ocean and CBA. It’s not enough to beat Southern’s late-season championship form but the Cougars had a year to remember and are set to return in 2025 with one of the top players in the state next season after Sean Moore led the Conference in total scoring (29 goals, 13 assists) as a sophomore.

3. Manalapan (17-4-1, 5-0-1) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

The No. 3 ranking comes down to Manalapan and CBA and the Braves get the nod for putting together a stellar body of work that includes wins over two teams (Rumson-Fair Haven and St. John Vianney) that beat CBA. That résumé also includes wins over Southern, Toms River North, Long Branch and Howell, plus a draw at Colts Neck in which Manalapan erased a 3-0 deficit. The only reason Manalapan did not get past the round of 16 in the SCT is because the Braves got matched up with Colts Neck and lost the rematch with the eventual SCT champs.

Manalapan’s ascension into the top five of the Shore Conference was powered by a talented junior class combined with a solid group of returning seniors. Throw in a sophomore goalkeeper in Chase Lee and next fall figures to be another exciting season for the Braves.

4. Christian Brothers Academy (16-6, 5-1) Preseason Rank: 2

For the first time since the 2019 season, CBA does not finish No. 1 in the final Shore Conference rankings. Despite that, this year might have been coach Tom Mulligan’s best coaching job yet. The Colts returned only two starters from last year’s team and after some early-season growing pains, they completely overhauled their formation and tactics while relying on the entire roster rather than seven or eight All-Shore players. Seventeen different players scored at least one goal and no one player on the CBA team had more than six goals this season.

Even without the star-studded roster, CBA won its fourth straight outright Class A North championship and reached the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament for the sixth straight season, including a fourth straight trip to the SCT final. There will be some more uncertainty heading into 2025 with some graduations at key spots, but this season was a reminder that CBA is always going to be a factor near the top of the Shore Conference.

5. Ocean (14-5-1, 4-1-1) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

The Spartans came up a tie short of winning a share of the Class B North division championship and lost a heartbreaker to Colts Neck in the SCT semifinal, but they still end 2024 with a lot of positives. They won a Shore Conference Tournament Group E that turned out to be the Group of Death in retrospect, with Ocean beating out two NJSIAA sectional champions (Southern and Long Branch) to finish group play undefeated. With that stellar performance in the group stage, Ocean rode all the way to the SCT semifinals and took a 1-0 lead over Colts Neck into halftime before the Cougars rallied to beat the Spartans on the way to winning their first SCT title.

Ocean settled for second place in Class B North and was bounced by perennial Group II powerhouse Delran in the quarterfinals of a loaded Central Jersey Group II section. With wins over Southern and Long Branch, plus a win over Rumson-Fair Haven one game after the Bulldogs routed Toms River North on the road, Ocean fought off a host of teams to grab the final spot in the top five – a return to familiar territory for one of the Shore’s most accomplished boys soccer programs.

6. Toms River North (16-7-1, 5-0-0) Preseason Rank: 5

In a lot of ways, Toms River North’s season was like that of CBA. The Mariners lost a strong senior class and it didn’t appear to phase them. Operating with that next-man-up mentality, Toms River North ran the table to win one of the toughest Class A South division races in recent memory – the fifth straight season the Mariners have won at least a share of the division title. After a quick exit from the Shore Conference Tournament, Toms River North regrouped to reach the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV final, which marked the fifth time in the last six years in which the Mariners played in a sectional final. There will be more significant losses to graduation following this season, but Toms River North has already proven it can just brush it off and compete for championships again the following year.

7. Manasquan (13-7-1, 3-3-0) Preseason Rank: 7

The 2024 season was another strong showing for Manasquan that yet again ended with some painfully-hard luck. The Warriors were one win shy of three benchmarks: winning a share of the Class A North public division title; reaching the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals; and reaching a second consecutive sectional final. Manasquan ran into Colts Neck in the SCT quarterfinals and actually grabbed a brief 2-1 lead before Colts Neck surged in front to win, 3-2 – Manasquan’s second 3-2 loss of the season to the Cougars. The Warriors later reached the semifinals of the Central Group II playoffs and took defending Group III runner-up Robbinsville the distance before losing on penalty kicks. Wins over Howell, Toms River East, Long Branch and Rumson made this year a memorable one for Manasquan, but graduating most of its 2024 roster will pose a challenge to next year’s team.

8. Toms River East (16-4-1, 3-2-0) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

Few teams in the Shore Conference challenged themselves with their schedule more than the Raiders did, which makes Toms River East’s four-loss season all-the-more impressive. On top of a quality non-division schedule that included games vs. Manalapan, Westfield, Manasquan, Holmdel, Moorestown, Marlboro, St. John Vianney, Lacey and Toms River South, Toms River East played in a division with three teams that all had big years – Southern, Toms River North and Central – and finished tied for second place. Like Manasquan, the Raiders graduate most of the core from this year’s roster and will have to meet their raised expectations with a less experienced group in 2025.

9. Long Branch (12-11, 0-6) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

Long Branch was not even on the top 10 radar during the course of the season, but a run to the Central Jersey Group III championship and a hard-fought loss to eventual Group III champion Shawnee was enough to push the Green Wave into the final top 10 of the season. Even in going 0-6 in Class A North divisional play and opening the season 2-10, the Green Wave were competitive in just about every game while playing with a lineup that was not yet used to one another.

Once the team gelled, it was nearly unstoppable. Not only did Long Branch win the sectional championship for the first time in 27 years; the Green Wave upset undefeated Colts Neck as part of its road to the final. Long Branch also won the Shore Conference Coaches Cup after missing out on the SCT – a bid they just missed out on when they lost to Group IV champion Southern in overtime in the final game of group play.

10. St. John Vianney (12-6, 5-1) Preseason Rank: Not ranked

There are as many as six teams with a reasonable claim to the No. 10 ranking and sorting through the fray is splitting hairs. In the end, it is St. John Vianney that takes the spot thanks to a body of work that includes an outright Class B North division championship, wins over top 10 opponents CBA and Ocean, and a head-to-head win over fellow top-10 contender Central – albeit in a state-tournament tune-up game. The division championship was the second straight for SJV after the Lancers won Class B Central in 2023 and the Lancers’ win over CBA was its first vs. the Colts since 2012. Seven of St. John Vianney’s starters this season were juniors, so expectations will remain high in 2025.

Just Missed

Central (12-8, 3-2) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – Central also had two wins over Top 10 opponents (No. 1 Southern and No. 8 Toms River East) while also claiming wins over Washington Township and Howell. The eight losses also reflect Central’s inconsistency at times this season, but the Golden Eagles showed they could rise to the occasion at several points in 2024 and will have a solid returning core in 2025.

Howell (10-6-1, 4-2-0) Preseason Rank: 1 – The Rebels were decimated by injuries this season, with both of their returning First Team All-Shore players (Nick Turturro and Tye Maser) missing chunks of time. Howell still managed to win the Class A North public division title, but its huge expectations coming off the success of the past two seasons were left unmet thanks to early losses in both the SCT and South Group IV playoffs.

Rumson-Fair Haven (12-8-1, 3-2-1) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – The Bulldogs played a loaded schedule with a roster that returned only four starters from 2023 and managed to put together a strong season. They beat three top 10 teams (No. 4 CBA, No. 6 Toms River North and No. 9 Long Branch) and reached the quarterfinals of the SCT while developing a solid returning 2025 core that could be formidable if it can find some goal-scoring.

Lacey (16-6, 3-2) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – Some early-season injury issues contributed to early losses to Toms River South, Manchester and Brick Memorial, but Lacey rounded into form in October and rolled to the SCT semifinals for the first time since 2011, highlighted by a 5-0 rout of Central in the quarterfinals.

Holmdel (11-7-1, 2-4-0) Preseason Rank: 9 – Outside of 2023 Shore Conference Player of the Year Stepan Kapranov, the Hornets were not as steeped in talent as in years past, but still managed to get their jabs in during the course of the season. Holmdel beat three top 10 opponents (No. 7 Manasquan, No. 9 Long Branch, No. 10 SJV) and also picked up a late-season win over Central.

 

Next Five

Middletown South (9-8-3, 2-3-1) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – Despite losing two players from 2023 to the MLS Next program just before the start of the season, the Eagles posted a winning record against a very challenging schedule.

Toms River South (14-6-2, 5-0-0) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – The Indians bounced back from a down season in 2025 by winning the Class B South title and tying Toms River North in a rivalry game.

Marlboro (12-6-1, 3-2-1) Preseason Rank: 6 – Another hard-luck team with talent. After a rash of injuries slowed them down in mid-September, the Mustangs had a chance to do damage in the tournaments but lost on penalty kicks in the first round of both the SCT and Group IV playoffs.

Red Bank (13-8-1, 6-0-0) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – In year No. 2 under coach Dave Santos, the Bucs made huge strides, winning their first Shore Conference division title since 1972 and their first state tournament game since 2015. They also took down Howell, Wall and Shore Regional late in the season.

Wall (10-11-1, 2-3-1) Preseason Rank: Not ranked – Finishing below .500 does not meet Wall’s usual standard, but its schedule was especially difficult in 2024 and the team was less experienced than usual. Wins over Rumson and Central were evidence the Crimson Knights were not too far from being a top 10 outfit.