Shore Sports Insider Week 8 Boys Soccer Top 10

With the Shore Conference boys soccer season in the thick of the Shore Conference Tournament, the latest Shore Sports Insider Top 10 is all about the SCT. The eight teams still playing in the tournament were the top eight teams from the most recent rankings, so naturally, the top eight has not changed this week.

Despite the steady rankings overall, there are a pair of teams outside the top five  that have looked as impressive as any other in the conference lately, which could mean there is a major Top 10 shift in the works once the tournament is over. The bottom of the rankings, meanwhile, welcomes back a team that had previously dropped out.

 

1. Manalapan (13-1-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 1

The No. 1 seed is supposed to grant its recipient an easier road to a championship game than other teams in a given tournament. That reward came with no such advantage for Manalapan, which got past its first Shore Conference Tournament test Friday with a 1-0 win over a 14-3 Howell team that was the No. 17 seed because its only two losses came in SCT group play. Next up, the Braves will host ninth-seeded Christian Brothers Academy, which would have likely been the No. 2 seed in the tournament had the Colts tied or won their group game at Manasquan. If Manalapan does win its first conference championship since 2013, the Braves will have earned it.

 

2. Christian Brothers Academy (13-4-1, 5-1-0) Last Week: 2

Two teams got a rematch with CBA and the Colts turned away both of them. CBA beat Red Bank Regional for a second time to advance out of the SCT first round, then scored a second win of the season over Middletown South to pay the Eagles back for beating the Colts in last year’s SCT semifinals. After getting revenge for last year, CBA will try to get revenge for a loss from this year on Monday, then the Colts travel to play a Manalapan squad that erased a 3-1 deficit to beat CBA in September.

 

3. Marlboro (11-3-2, 4-1-1) Last Week: 3

The Mustangs hold down the No. 3 spot after marching past a Lacey side playing its best soccer of the season. Marlboro’s overall resume remains as impeccable and impressive as any team in the Shore Conference, but Manalapan’s undefeated record vs. the Shore and Class A North title and CBA’s head-to-head win over Marlboro keep the Mustangs No. 3 in the rankings while at No. 2 in the SCT field heading into Monday’s showdown with 14-1 Toms River East.

 

4. Manasquan (12-2-1, 3-1-1) Last Week: 4

For the first time all year, Manasquan allowed more than a goal on a game played on turf when St. John Vianney paid the Warriors a visit in the SCT round of 16. Fortunately for the Warriors, they scored five goals in the match to sew up a 5-2 win over the Lancers and reach the SCT quarterfinals. It marked just the third time Manasquan conceded more than one goal in a game and one of the other two teams to do it will be Manasquan’s next opponent. Freehold Township beat Manasquan, 4-2, in Freehold during the Class A Central regular season and will invade Manasquan on Monday to battle for a spot in the SCT semifinals.

 

5. Toms River East (14-1, 5-0) Last Week: 5

The Raiders flexed their muscles in the first two rounds of the SCT, first bulldozing Point Boro, 6-0, and then blanking Shore Regional, 2-0, on the road. Those two wins run Toms River East’s winning streak to nine heading into Monday’s trip to Marlboro in the SCT quarterfinal round. The last time Toms River East was in an SCT semifinal was 2008, when the Raiders lost to Marlboro on penalty kicks one game short of the final. That game took place before just about everybody on this year’s team was born, so there will be some history at stake for the Raiders Monday in Marlboro.

 

6. Freehold Township (12-4-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 6

A stretch that included three losses in four games dropped Freehold Township to 7-4-1, but since then, the Patriots have been as dominant has any team in the conference. After losing to Howell, 4-1, on Oct. 2, Freehold Township won five straight by a combined score of 23-0, including a resounding 6-0 win at Ocean Friday in the SCT round of 16. Next up, Freehold Township will try to secure a second win this season over Manasquan in pursuit of a second straight trip to the conference semifinals.

 

7. Toms River North (10-4, 4-1) Last Week: 7

After handling Colts Neck, 5-2, to win their SCT group, Toms River North played just once over the next nine days and that was an overtime loss at Notre Dame on Oct. 10. With that in mind, you can forgive Toms River North’s attack for being a tad rusty on Friday against Rumson-Fair Haven and even while off a beat, the Mariners still pulled out a 2-1 win over a very tough Bulldogs side. On Monday, Toms River North will try to prove its win over Colts Neck was no fluke when the two teams meet in the rematch.

 

8. Colts Neck (10-6, 3-3) Last Week: 8

Colts Neck had no answer for Toms River North when the two teams met in the final leg of the group stage and the Cougars are hoping they have come up with some answers in the 13 days since that 5-2 Toms River North win. The results during that stretch have been encouraging for Colts Neck, which has defeated Middletown South, Freehold Boro and Jackson since the Toms River North loss, with a loss to Moorestown mixed in. Now that the games are do-or-die, it is worth mentioning that Colts Neck has been to each of the last two SCT championship games and has as much recent success in this tournament as any other team.

 

9. Point Pleasant Beach (14-0, 5-0) Last Week: 9

For the second time this season, Point Beach faced a two-goal deficit in the second half and one need only look at the Garnet Gulls current 14-0 record to guess how that game turned out. Despite its 4-11-2 record, Manchester has put a scare in a few noteworthy opponents this season and added Point Beach to the list before the Garnet Gulls flipped a 2-0 deficit into a 4-3 win on a late goal by junior Evan Hajeski. With Point Beach opting out of the Shore Conference Tournament, winning the Coaches Cup remains an attainable goal prior to the NJSIAA Tournament.

 

10. Jackson (12-2-3, 3-1-1) Last Week: Not ranked

The Jaguars are back in the Top 10 off a home loss to Colts Neck in the SCT round of 16 because of what happened elsewhere in the tournament. Jackson’s win over Freehold Township has kept the Jaguars in the conversation over the last three weeks and that win is looking even better with each day. The strength of schedule is still an obstacle in keeping up its Top 10 appearances and the 7-2 loss to Point Beach is not a great look either, but Jackson is a two-loss team with a major win.

 

Dropped Out

Ocean (8-4-2, 2-2-2) Last Week: 10 – A 6-0 loss to Freehold Township knocks the Spartans from the No. 10 spot for the time being, but they will get an immediate shot at climbing back into the field with a consolation match at Jackson on Monday.

 

The Next 10

Howell (14-3, 6-0)

Rumson-Fair Haven (9-5-3, 2-1-3)

Shore (8-4-2, 2-2-2)

Matawan (10-3-1, 6-0-0)

St. John Vianney (9-8, 2-4)

Lacey (9-6-1, 3-1-1)

Toms River South (7-7-1, 2-2-1)

Southern (4-7-2, 2-2-1)

Barnegat (12-4, 4-0)

Middletown South (5-10, 1-5)