Shore Sports Insider Week 4 Boys Soccer Top 10

It did not happen right away, but it finally happened last week: Top 10 turmoil. After two steady weeks to open the season, week three finally wrought a bit of chaos upon a few of the top teams in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10.

At the top of the list of upset victims was Christian Brothers Academy, which finally buckled after escaping a close call at the end of Week 2. While that CBA loss came against another top-five opponent in the rankings, last week also delivered the first wins of the season by unranked teams against ranked opponents, plus a tie between a ranked team and an unranked side.

With the season finally producing some upside-down results, the SSI Top finally gets a facelift. That includes the first new entrant into the Top 10 and, more notably, a new No. 1 team.

1. Manalapan (5-0-1, 3-0-1) Last Week: 4

Defense carried the Braves through the first two weeks of the season and last week, the scoring picked up significantly. The result is a surge to the top spot of the rankings, buoyed by a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over CBA on Wednesday. Manalapan’s only blemish so far is a tie against a Marlboro side that remains comfortably in the top five. Now, the Braves will sport the No. 1 bulls-eye heading into the new week, which includes just one game: a home division match vs. a resurgent St. John Vianney squad.

2. Christian Brothers Academy (6-2-1, 3-1-0) Last Week: 1

Two Saturdays ago, CBA survived a 4-3 slugfest at Toms River North, but came out on the wrong end of a similar game just four days later at Manalapan. CBA erased a two-goal deficit to beat Toms River North, but in the Colts’ first in-conference loss of the season on Wednesday, Manalapan wiped out a two-goal CBA lead to land the critical Class A North win. CBA has not finished outside of first place in Class A North since 2019 and if the Colts are going to get back to the top of the division, they will likely have to run the table in A North, which does not resume until Sept. 30 vs. Colts Neck. Before that, CBA will host Freehold Township and Monroe this week.

3. Freehold Township (6-1-1, 2-0-1) Last Week: 2

The Patriots could not muster a goal in a 0-0 tie at Shore Regional on Wednesday, but they made up for it by hammering out four in a road win over Southern Saturday in Shore Conference Tournament group play. Freehold Township is in prime position to both win the Class A Central division and claim the top spot in SCT Group 2, but the Patriots will have plenty more to play for this week with games vs. undefeated Jackson and No. 2 CBA. Freehold Township can all but wrap up the group by beating Jackson and the division by beating Rumson-Fair Haven on Saturday.

4. Marlboro (3-2-1, 0-1-1) Last Week: 3

With losses to CBA and Steinert and a tie vs. Manalapan, even Marlboro’s non-wins are a credit to its early-season résumé. Manalapan’s win over CBA enhances that result vs. the No. 1 Braves, especially considering the Mustangs have been getting over some injury issues that were particularly problematic vs. Manalapan. Throw-in a win over Princeton (5-1), and the Mustangs are not all that far off from the No. 1 spot. They won’t get there before the Shore Conference Tournament, but Marlboro will be a threat in October. The upcoming week includes two big Class A North games vs. Colts Neck and Middletown South, plus a Saturday date with Old Bridge.

5. Toms River East (5-0, 3-0) Last Week: 5

The highest-ranked of the Shore’s three remaining perfect records, Toms River East made a statement Saturday by crushing Barnegat, 7-0. The Bengals were among those undefeated Shore Conference teams heading into the day, but were no match for Toms River East’s well-rounded operation. The Raiders have made their case for a high ranking with their dominance, which includes a 5-0 win over East Brunswick and a shutout of Southern to go with that Barnegat win. Tuesday’s SCT group game vs. Ocean will be a telling one for both teams and could decide the winner of Group 3.

6. Manasquan (5-2, 2-1) Last Week: 6

A 3-0 win over Middletown South on Sept. 12 propelled Manasquan to the No. 6 spot last week and the Warriors opened their past week in ideal fashion with a comeback win at Ocean, 2-1. They followed that up by losing a wild, 4-3, game at Southern Regional, which stands as a loss to an unranked team at the moment, but is not a bad loss – especially since it is not a division or SCT group game. The win over Ocean keeps Manasquan in the running for a piece Class A Central championship and Thursday’s trip to West Long Branch to play Shore will be a huge game in sorting out the challengers to Freehold Township for the division’s top spot.

7. Toms River North (4-3, 2-1) Last Week: 7

The Mariners have barreled back to a record better than .500 by pummeling a collection of unranked teams. In its four wins, Toms River North has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 20-3 after wins of 6-1 and 4-0 last week over Brick Memorial and Lacey, respectively. Toms River North’s only losses this season are to teams ranked in the top five of the SSI Top 10 (No. 2 CBA, No. 3 Freehold Township and No. 5 Toms River East) and all by one-goal margins. The Mariners now have Lakewood transfer Abraham Torres eligible to pair with Chris Ruggiero up top and will unleash the tandem this week against Asbury Park, Toms River South and Allentown.

8. Colts Neck (4-2, 1-1) Last Week: 8

Since opening the season with losses No. 1 Manalapan and state powerhouse Pingry on back-to-back days, Colts Neck has ripped through four straight wins by an aggregate score of 22-2. Sean Moore has 10 goals in those four wins and with 91 in his career (11 on the season), he enters this week three shy of matching the all-time Shore Conference record. The competition picks back up for the Cougars this week, starting with a Thursday clash with Marlboro and continuing games against Holmdel and Toms River South.

9. Ocean (4-2, 2-2) Last Week: 10

Following a tough, 2-1, loss to Manasquan to open the week, the Spartans rebounded by outlasting Long Branch, 1-0, to stay in the Top 10 for another week. Ocean’s chances at a division championship in Class A Central took a hit with the loss to Manasquan, but Ocean can improve its standing in the Top 10 and, perhaps, win SCT Group 3 with a win Tuesday night at unbeaten Toms River East.

10. Howell (7-0, 4-0) Last Week: Not ranked

The first Top 10 debut of 2026 belongs to Howell, which extended its season-opening winning streak to seven last week by Asbury Park, Red Bank and Manchester. Since winning a tight, 3-2, opener at Rumson-Fair Haven, Howell has overwhelmed its six subsequent opponents by a combined total and 24-1. It is hard to envision any team in Class B North catching the Rebels in the standings, but the undefeated start will be put to the test over the next two weeks, starting with Tuesday’s SCT group game vs. Shore Regional.

Dropped Out

Middletown South (3-3, 1-2) Last Week: 9 – Losses to Manasquan and St. John Vianney have bumped Middletown South from the rankings, but any concern stemming from those results should be mitigated by the fact that the Eagles went through a very similar stretch last year on the way to winning two tournament championships.

 

The Next 10

Shore (3-1-1, 1-1-1) – A competitive, scoreless draw against Freehold Township was a glimpse at Shore’s big-game upside, which could carry the Blue Devils deep into the SCT even before entering the NSJIAA Tournament as a favorite in Group I.

Jackson (5-0-3, 2-0-1) – While the record is not perfect, Jackson is one of five undefeated teams left in the Shore Conference and a draw against Southern has the Jaguars hanging around the edge of the Top 10. A date with Freehold Township on Tuesday will be Jackson’s chance to kick down the door.

Southern (2-2-2, 1-1-1) – The Rams swallowed a pair of frustrating draws vs. Jackson and Toms River South, then came through with a huge home win over Manasquan. Southern has a pair of must-win games this week vs. Point Boro and Matawan, the latter of which is an SCT group game.

Rumson-Fair Haven (4-2-1, 2-0-1) – The Bulldogs had their five-game unbeaten streak snapped by Marlboro last week and will have their hands full this week vs. Freehold Boro (5-1), No. 9 Ocean (4-2) and No. 3 Freehold Township (6-1-1).

Matawan (4-1-1, 3-0-0) – After picking up a crucial division win over Red Bank Catholic on Wednesday, Matawan hung tough with Jackson in a 2-1 loss that validates their status as a Top 10 bubble team. To get in the SCT, however, the Huskies will likely need a result at Southern on Saturday.

Lacey (4-3-1, 2-0-1) – Two of Lacey’s three losses are to Top 10 teams (Toms River North and Ocean) and the other is two an out-of-area program (New Brunswick) and tie vs. Jackson has the Lions squarely in the Class B South title hunt.

Point Pleasant Beach (6-0, 3-0) – Point Beach’s only close game during an undefeated start was a come-from-behind, 4-3 win at Central. The Garnet Gulls will get a boost in schedule difficulty over the next two weeks, starting with Thursday’s game vs. Lacey.

Barnegat (6-1, 2-0) – The Bengals’ first loss of the season was not pretty, but at least their 7-0 defeat came against a top-five team (Toms River East). The program’s first ever division championship is still a strong possibility, and an SCT berth could come down to Tuesday’s group game vs. Lacey.

Freehold Boro (5-1, 3-1) – Winners of five straight, the Colonials make their first appearance on the Top 10 radar as a team still in the Class B North running and set up for a possible Shore Conference Tournament bid.

Red Bank (4-2, 2-1) – The Bucs’ only losses are to teams in the Top 10 (CBA and Howell) and a win over Red Bank Catholic over the weekend puts Red Bank in a good spot with respect to SCT qualification.