Shore Sports Insider Week 9 Boys Soccer Top 10

The Shore Conference Tournament is complete and the NJSIAA Tournament is one week away, which means the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 undergoes a significant shuffle this week before going into a holding pattern until the completion of the first two rounds of the state tournament.

Before today, only two teams had occupied the top spot in the rankings: Christian Brothers Academy and Manalapan. That all changes with the newest Top 10 and we have Manasquan to thank for that. The Warriors completed their run through the Shore Conference Tournament with their second straight-up victory over CBA, which came after two wins in penalty kicks to get to the final.

With the No. 1 spot under new management, there is a healthy debate to be had for the No. 2 spot between the two former No. 1 teams and that debate could involve several more teams before the year is over.

 

1. Manasquan (15-2-1, 3-1-1) Last Week: 4

Heading into the Shore Conference Tournament, this year’s Manasquan team was behind last year’s squad in championships. In 2025, the Warriors won the Class A Central division championship and this year’s team could not keep pace with Freehold Township in finishing second this fall. This year’s team, however, was built for October. It started with beating CBA to win SCT Group 1 and ended Saturday with another win over CBA to win the program’s first ever Shore Conference Tournament championship. Now, Manasquan will try to do what Middletown South did last year: follow up a first ever SCT with a trip to the state championship game.

2. Christian Brothers Academy (15-5-1, 5-1-0) Last Week: 2

Manasquan jumped CBA in the rankings by beating the Colts for a second time, but CBA remains No. 2 in the rankings thanks to its quarterfinal win over previous No. 1 Manalapan. CBA split a pair of games with those Braves, beat Marlboro by three goals, took out Colts Neck twice and also owns a 4-0 win over a Seton Hall Prep team whose only other in-state losses are to St. Benedict’s and West Orange. As the Class A North division champion, Manalapan has a case to remain ahead of CBA, but the Colts get the nod with the more recent win over the Braves, plus a resume that has a few more eye-catching wins.

 

3. Manalapan (14-2-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 1

After turning on the film, there is a case to be made Manalapan played better in its 1-0 SCT quarterfinal loss to CBA than the Braves did in their 4-3, overtime win vs. the Colts during the regular season. Manalapan went through a torrid scoring stretch that came to an end with a perplexing 6-0 loss to East Brunswick. The Braves have cleaned up the defense since that loss (two goals in four games), but the attack has not been quite as potent, which raises the possibility that Manalapan is trading some offense for defense. Save for that East Brunswick loss, no team in the Shore has been as consistently good as the Braves.

 

4. Toms River East (15-3, 5-0) Last Week: 5

There is something about the Class A Central division that the Raiders have not been able to figure out. Toms River East is 1-3 vs. teams from A Central and 14-0 against everybody else. As of this posting, the Raiders are on a two-game losing streak after losing to Rumson-Fair Haven on Monday, which was a hangover match following Wednesday’s SCT semifinal loss to Manasquan on penalty kicks. Toms River East is still likely grieving over that SCT heartbreaker, but it will have plenty to play for next week as the No. 1 seed in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III section.

5. Freehold Township (14-5-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 6

Last week got off to a rough start for Freehold Township, which lost to Manasquan on penalty kicks following a scoreless 100 minutes. Things got better from there, though, with the Patriots dominating both Marlboro and Freehold Boro to lock up the No. 1 seed in the very deep Central Jersey Group IV section of the NJSIAA Tournament. The first-half goal scored by Freehold Boro on Saturday was the first goal allowed by Freehold Township’s defense since a 4-1 loss to Howell on Oct. 2 – a stretch of seven scoreless matches.

 

6. Marlboro (11-5-2, 4-1-1) Last Week: 3

The Mustangs are another team that could use the current week as a mental reset after a tough week last week. Marlboro dropped a 2-1 decision at home to Toms River East in the SCT quarterfinals, then suffered a 4-0 home loss at the hands of Freehold Township. A Tuesday road test at Toms River North will be another opportunity to prepare for an unforgiving Central Jersey Group IV section, which the Mustangs have prepared themselves for with games against Princeton, Kearny, Steinert, Manalapan, CBA, Toms River East and Freehold Township.

 

7. Colts Neck (11-7-1, 3-3-0) Last Week: 8

On the heels of a third straight trip to the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, Colts Neck appears to be in a good place heading toward the NJSIAA Group III Tournament. Unlike each of the past two years, the Cougars will not be the No. 1 seed in the section, but the attack has been operating at a high level of late. A 1-1 tie vs. Toms River South came just three days after the 2-1 loss to CBA in the SCT semifinals, so the Cougars will be looking to steal back some momentum this week as they chase their first sectional title since 2000.

 

8. Toms River North (10-6, 4-1) Last Week: 7

What Class A Central has been to Toms River East, Class A North has been to Toms River North. The Mariners are 1-3 against A North teams, which includes a split against Colts Neck and losses to CBA and Manalapan. Although the win-loss record against that group of teams is not to Toms River North’s liking, the schedule the Mariners have played has them ready to challenge for a sectional championship in a wide-open South Jersey Group IV bracket.

 

9. Howell (16-3, 6-0)

A solid showing in the Shore Conference Tournament has Howell ready for battle in the Central Jersey Group IV section, which will also include Freehold Township, Manalapan and Marlboro from the Shore Conference. The Rebels have already beaten Freehold Township, 4-1, and put forth a strong effort in a 1-0 loss to Manalapan in the SCT round of 16, so all indications are Howell will be a tough out next week in Central Jersey Group IV.

 

10. Ocean (12-4-2, 2-2-2)

A 4-0 drubbing of Shore on Monday cements the No. 10 spot for Ocean, but the Spartans already had the inside track for the final spot in the rankings before the last of the SCT consolation matches. They had previously defeated Jackson to end last week and they also own a road win over Toms River East during SCT group play. Ocean is lined up to be the No. 3 seed in Central Jersey Group II next week and a deep run could mean a rematch with No. 1 Manasquan in the sectional final.

 

Dropped Out

Point Pleasant Beach (16-1, 5-0) Last Week: 9 – As long as the Garnet Gulls were perfect, they were a Top 10 team, but with a softer schedule than any other team in the running for the Top 10, they had to remain perfect. Point Beach will regroup from its loss to Holmdel in the Coaches Cup final with a tune-up vs. Toms River South before heading into the Central Group I Playoffs as the No. 2 seed.

Jackson (14-3-3, 3-1-1) Last Week: 10 – The Jaguars picked up a penalty-kick win over Middletown South to end the week after a 0-0 draw (SCT consolation games are decided by penalty kicks), which was a good dress rehearsal for the South Jersey Group IV tournament. Jackson is set for the No. 5 seed and a potential quarterfinal trip to Southern.

 

The Next 10

Shore (10-5-2, 2-2-2) – The Blue Devils will be one of the most battle-tested teams in Group I, but as the No. 4 seed, it is likely they will have to win a game or two on the road to hoist another trophy.

Rumson-Fair Haven (10-7-3, 2-1-3) – A win over Toms River East snapped a three-game losing streak and has the Bulldogs building some momentum heading into a projected first-round matchup vs. Holmdel in the Central Group II Playoffs.

St. John Vianney (10-9, 2-4) – Drawing a spot in the Class A North division was a difficult challenge for a young Lancers team, but they have survived that gauntlet in preparation for another one: the South Jersey Non-Public A bracket.

Lacey (11-7-2, 3-1-1) – After a long run in Group III, Lacey has dropped to Group II this year, which could open up a real chance for the Lions to make a deep state tournament run. Lacey projects to be the No. 4 seed in South Jersey.

Toms River South (9-8-2, 2-2-1) – A 1-1 tie vs. Colts Neck and a Tuesday test vs. Point Beach will serve as excellent preparation for Toms River South, which looks to be on a collision course with Toms River East in a potential sectional quarterfinal in South Jersey Group III.

Southern (8-7-2, 2-2-1) – The Rams won their last four games before the NJSIAA Tournament cutoff to climb to the No. 4 spot in South Jersey Group IV, according to the projections that will be made official later this week. With the section once again up for grabs, a three-peat for the two-time defending champions is very much in play.

Matawan (12-4-1, 6-0-0) – A loss to Holmdel in the semifinals was a disappointing exit from the Coaches Cup for a Huskies team that wanted a shot at formerly unbeaten Point Beach. Beating Barnegat Monday was a solid response and Colts Neck Wednesday will be a good test for Matawan heading into the North Jersey Section 2 bracket of the Group III Playoffs.

Middletown South (5-12, 1-5) – The record remains unsightly, but Middletown South has been competitive against good teams throughout the year and is getting healthy at the right time as the defending champion on Central Group III.

Holmdel (6-11, 0-6) – After a 2-11 start, the Hornets won four games in the Coaches Cup to claim the tournament title and consecutive wins over Barnegat (13-6), Matawan (12-4-1) and Point Beach (16-1) completely changed Holmdel’s fortunes in the Central Jersey Group II seeding.

Barnegat (13-6, 4-0) – Nate Scisco is one goal away from 40 for the season and he is likely to get it before his Bengals enter the South Jersey Group II Playoffs as he projected No. 7 seed.