Preseason Top 10:
1- Christian Brothers Academy
2- Jackson Memorial
3- Holmdel
4- Freehold Township
5- Wall Township
6- Lacey Township
7- Ocean Township
8- Toms River South
9- Pinelands Regional
10- Manasquan
With the boys soccer season just underway, the question that remains is if Holmdel, Ocean Township or Christian Brothers Academy can overcome graduation departures and make another run at state titles. And who else is primed to make their own mark this season?
Last season, these three programs went on impressive runs that saw them all bring home their respective NJSIAA Group championships. Holmdel finished the season as the top team in New Jersey and captured a second consecutive Group 3 championship. Christian Brothers Academy reclaimed the thrown in Non-Public A defeating Delbarton, 2-1. Ocean Township defeated Christian Brothers in the Shore Conference Tournament final, 1-0, and then beat Millburn, 1-0, in the Group 4 championship.
It took Holmdel several years to put it altogether and finally in 2017 and 2018 the Hornets cemented themselves as one of the top teams in the state. Last season the Hornets finished the season with a record of 22-1, their lone loss coming in the semifinal of the Shore Conference Tournament to Ocean Township. Holmdel opened the 2018 campaign with five straight shutouts and never looked back from there. They outscored their opponents by a margin of 88-12. This season they will need to readjust, having lost 12 players to graduation, as well as the departure of longtime coach John Nacarlo. Luckily for the Hornets they return leading goal scorer Jack Giamanco, who tallied 23 goals and 10 assists in a break-out season, as he entered last season with just four goals.
Similar to Holmdel, Ocean Township, which finished 22-3, will have to reshape their lineup this season due to graduation, losing 19 players. With the graduation of so many players in the fold, Ocean’s game plan last season gave many underclassmen valuable field time which should pay off this season for the Spartans. Returning are Eli Brandimarte, Robert Lopes and goalie Isaac Greenspan. Ocean will have a tough division to compete in, but hope early season development will be enough to gel together again like last season.
Christian Brothers Academy will be in the same place as Holmdel and Ocean, graduating 17 from last year’s squad, but the Colts always find a way to rebuild without skipping a beat. This year will be no different with the return of Luke Pascarella, Connor Anderko, Michael Casper and Chris Vollrath leading the way. Christian Brothers should be able to make their way through the early part of the season finding their stride before another Shore Conference and NJSIAA run.
Boys Soccer Previews & Predictions:
A North will once again be one of the toughest divisions in the Shore Conference. CBA has come back to the pack due to graduation and opening the door for Freehold Township to continue their success, Howell to make a push for the division and Long Branch to get back to state form. The Patriots made a deep run into the States last year and return a core of their leadership in Bennett Messinger, Evan Savino, Zach Orrico and Adam Haven. Long Branch had the talent last season to compete and finished at 8-8-1, but the Green Wave should take some steps forward this season and compete for division and Shore Conference titles. Look for Jason Laviola and Patrick Odwyer to be the leaders and driving force for Long Branch this season. Prediction… Christian Brothers Academy
A Central features Holmdel, which will look to keep its hold on the division, but Manasquan and Shore Regional are also primed to build off last season. Manasquan is coming off a 14-7-2 season and returns a strong nucleus of depth and experience from last season’s Group 2 run and will lean on Tommy Johnson, Drew Gleenblatt and Frank Manno, who combined for 14 goals and 13 goals. Goalkeeper Joe Weinstein had a solid season with 108 saves and looks to build on that performance in his senior season. Shore Regional looks to be back in state championship form finishing last season with a sectional final loss to Holmdel, 4-0. The experience and depth should prove valuable for the Blue Devils as they make a serious run at the division and states again this season. Prediction… Holmdel
A South boasts Jackson Memorial, which will be looking to take the next step this season after making it to the South Jersey Group 4 final last season. The Jags will rely on the veteran leadership of Danny Russo, Ben Schnaak and Ronny Bantang. Jackson Memorial, which finished 15-3-1, will look to hold off Toms River South, which is always in the hunt for division and state titles year in and year out, and will lean on the experience of keeper Jalen Folsom and forward Shane Kluxen. Also throwing pressure at the Jags will be Central Regional and Toms River North, who both bring a mixture of youth and veteran leadership. Once again it will be one of the toughest divisions in the Shore. Prediction… Jackson Memorial
B North would be tough to pull against after Ocean’s incredible season, but can the Spartans duplicate it again this season after the number of players who graduated? Ocean should be in good position to compete for another division title, Shore Conference and state title with the amount of experience the underclassman got last season. Right on the heels of the Spartans will be the up and coming Colts Neck squad that is anchored by Jon Farfan and Christian Rivero. Wall Township returns a ton of experience and depth and could put them back into the conversation for tops in B North, Shore Conference and state titles. Prediction… Wall Township
B Central is always a tough division to figure out with the amount of talent and constant turnover, and this year is no different. After making a deep run in the Non-Public B tournament last season, St. Rose returns a bulk of its roster. Leading scorer Christian Bodine will look to carry the load for the Purple Roses. Asbury Park, a few years removed from its state run, looks to return to its winning form along with the new-look Mater Dei Prep, which brings in new coaches and mentality. Point Pleasant Beach and Ranney also bring back plenty of game-day experience to challenge for the division. Prediction… St. Rose
B South should run through Pinelands again this season as the Wildcats return a ton of experience for the group that reached the South Jersey Group 3 final a year ago. John Hart returns for the offense where he scored seven goals and assisted on six last season. Donovan Catholic took a step forward last year and will look to build on its 7-8-2 record with another year of experience. Lacey, which was hit with high graduation numbers after a 13-5-2 record, could make another run at Pinelands and South Jersey Group 3 with the return of leading scorer Sean Moffitt and Michael Cyphers. Prediction… Lacey Township
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