Week 6 Shore Sports Insider Boys Soccer Top 10
Save for a couple of makeup games in divisional play, the Shore Conference boys soccer regular season is complete and the focus turns to the Shore Conference Tournament on Wednesday. It was a predictably unpredictable regular season, although the first five-plus weeks of the season yielded rankings that are close to indisputable within the top three-to-five spots.
Unfortunately for some of those teams that have earned positions at or near the top of the rankings, the seeding process for the SCT no longer exists and they are subject to the random draw of this year’s bracket. Thanks to said random draw, we could be in for a match-up of No. 1 vs. 2 in Friday’s round of 16, but only if No. 2 can survive a challenging first-round game on Wednesday.
1. Colts Neck (12-0-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 1
After a lull in the schedule following a 3-3 tie vs. Manalapan, Colts Neck began to ramp up last week with a 1-0 win over a solid Middletown South side. The Cougars will need to level up again this week, starting with a home game vs. Freehold Twp. and – if they survive that game – a date with either Manalapan or Howell in the next round of the Shore Conference Tournament.
2. Manalapan (13-1-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 2
Manalapan has faced challenges throughout the season and enters the SCT as well-suited to win the tournament as any team in the field. The Braves also got the hardest draw of any team other than the team they are facing on Wednesday, which is Howell – the runner-up in each of the past two seasons. If Manalapan beats Howell and likely Colts Neck to make it to next week, the Braves become the favorite to win the whole thing.
3. Christian Brothers Academy (12-4, 5-1) Last Week: 3
CBA’s rivalry clash with Middletown South on Friday looked as though it would end similarly to losses vs. Rumson-Fair Haven and St. John Vianney, but the Colts pulled out the win with a furious final two minutes. That results against a motivated, capable opponent was another important step for CBA, which has beaten quality teams but has shown its inexperience in close games prior to last week’s win. It’s another badge of honor for a team attempting to overcome heavy graduation losses to win its fourth straight SCT title.
4. Toms River North (9-5-1, 5-0-0) Last Week: 4
Coming off a huge week that included wins over Central and Southern, Toms River North had a forgettable week this past week, mostly because the Mariners prioritized setting themselves up for the SCT. The starters mostly rested in a 4-0 loss to Manalapan in order to stay fresh for an important SCT group game the following day, which the Mariners won, 1-0, at Freehold Township. Toms River North will continue to recharge with a first-round bye and prepare to challenge for its first SCT title since 2005.
5. Toms River East (10-2, 3-2) Last Week: 5
Earning a bye increases Toms River East’s odds that it will reach the Shore Conference Tournament final for the first time since 2006, but the Raiders will have their hands full once they take the field. Their first opponent will be the Manasquan-Jackson Memorial winner and if the Raiders advance, the next opponent will likely come from the Colts Neck-Manalapan-Howell trio. Toms River East has faced quality competition and been in every game, but this tournament is another level that will put the top-five ranking to the test.
6. Manasquan (8-3-1, 3-2-0) Last Week: 7
On top of having to deal with Jackson Memorial and, potentially, Toms River East later in the week to open the Shore Conference Tournament, Manasquan will try for the Class A North public-division co-title on Monday vs. Marlboro. The road to any kind of championship for the Warriors is a difficult one, but they have been tested by a tough Class A North schedule and have the kind of senior presence that usually fuels deep tournament runs.
7. Middletown South (7-5-3, 2-3-1) Last Week: Not ranked
Two gut-punch penalty kicks spoiled what would have been a colossal week for Middletown South South, which dropped one-goal decisions to both Colts Neck and CBA. Instead, it was only an encouraging week, at least once the Eagles players get past the sting of those losses. Middletown South started the week with a win over St. John Vianney, which ended up setting the Eagles up with an SCT draw that should give them a legitimate chance to reach the semifinals.
8. St. John Vianney (9-3, 5-1) Last Week: 6
Although St. John Vianney has picked up a pair of huge wins this season vs. Ocean and CBA, both have been followed by missed opportunities. After beating Ocean to gain the inside track for the Class B North championship, SJV coughed up a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 loss to Neptune. Following a 2-1 win over CBA in SCT group play, SJV came up short of winning Group B when it lost to Middletown South this week. To the Lancers’ credit, they did not let a second chance at the division title get away; they rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat Matawan and clinch the outright B North title thanks to an Ocean tie vs. Raritan.
9. Ocean (10-2-1, 4-1-1) Last Week: 9
The Spartans let a chance to win a share of the Class B North outright title get away from them with last week’s tie vs. Raritan, but Ocean will reset with a golden SCT opportunity this week. After a first-round bye, the Spartans will face one of two fast-improving teams in Red Bank and Neptune and would be guaranteed to host the quarterfinals should the Spartans get there.
10. Southern (9-4-1, 2-2-1) Last Week: 10
Wins over Central and Shawnee are keeping Southern in the top 10 and the Rams’ dangerous attack will keep their potential opponents on edge during the tournament season. Southern took Manalapan to overtime two weekends ago and now have a draw that gives the Rams a chance to make a deep run. Southern has also had some close calls in games it figured to coast, so the Rams would be wise not to sleep on Raritan.
Dropped Out
Howell (8-4, 4-2) Last Week: 8 – Injuries have been an issue all season for Howell and last week, red cards added to the Rebels’ struggles. Howell was down to nine players on the field by the end of its loss to Red Bank and played without two key starters due to both injury and a red card in the loss at Central. The Rebels, however, are in the SCT and will have a chance to regroup for a deep run.
Top 10 Watch List
Central (8-4, 3-2) – The Golden Eagles continue to pound at the top 10 door and will have their chance to kick it in this week in the SCT round of 16 after Central earned a first-round bye by beating Howell.
Marlboro (9-3-1, 2-2-1) – The Mustangs are a healthier, more confident team than they were three weeks ago after knocking off a strong Lenape side to close out the week.
Wall (9-6-1, 2-3-1) – Wall has bounced back nicely from a lopsided loss to Manalapan and will try its luck against a difficult SCT draw that paired the Crimson Knights up with two teams that have made it to each of the last two semifinals: CBA and Middletown North.
Rumson-Fair Haven (7-6-1, 3-2-1) – They have not always been consistent, but Rumson has shown it can be dangerous with a win over CBA and one-goal losses to Howell and Manalapan.
Middletown North (7-5, 2-3) – After an up-and-down regular season, Middletown North is hoping for another run to the SCT semifinals after making back-to-back runs to the Shore final four as a double-digit seed.
Holmdel (6-5-1, 2-4-0) – The Hornets have had some SCT disappointments in recent years as a favorite, so perhaps they are primed for an underdog run.
Red Bank (10-5, 6-0) – The Bucs just finished off one of the biggest weeks in program history by knocking off Howell and Shore to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament out of a loaded Group C, with a win over Ranney sandwiched between them that clinched the program’s first division title since 1972.
