Soccer season is upon us, so it is time to take a look at what to expect from the top teams in the Shore Conference this season.
BOYS
Holmdel: It was a magical year for the Hornets in 2017, finishing 22-1-1, capturing their first Shore Conference title and won the Group 2 state title. Holmdel was named the No. 8 high school team in the country by MaxPreps. Holmdel will return Anthony Arena as a senior this year, who scored 35 goals and recorded 25 assists last season, setting new single-season records in both categories at Holmdel. With one of the top players in the state returning for one more run, Holmdel should be primed for another special year.
Christian Brothers Academy: The Colts earned the top seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, but fell in penalty kicks to No. 8 Toms River South after playing to a 1-1 tie in regulation. Despite that, CBA captured the Class A North title with a 20-3-1 record and advanced to the Non Public A state title, where they fell, 4-1, to Delbarton. Dominic Bellomo returns for his senior year after leading the team with nine goals last season.
Jackson Memorial: The Jaguars earned the No. 3 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament last year and advanced to the semifinals, where the fell to eventual champion No. 2 Holmdel. Junior Dan Russo will return for his junior year to lead Jackson Memorial, who only had two seniors on their roster last season. They claimed the Class A South title last season with a 17-4-1 record and enter this season as the favorites to repeat..jpg)
Ocean: Ocean earned the No. 5 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, where they advanced all the way to the title game, where they fell to Holmdel. They won Class B North with a record of 18-4-2 and went 13-1 in their division. Santieno Harding returns for his senior season after missing part of his junior campaign with a knee injury, when he still managed to score 11 goals and seven assists.
Asbury Park: It was a year to remember for the Blue Bishops in 2017, claiming the B Central division title with a 15-5-1 record, reaching the Central Group 1 final for the second year in a row and finishing fifth in NJ Advance Media’s final Group 1 rankings. They did graduate four key seniors including Davensky JoinVilmar, whose 31 goals was second in the Shore Conference last season. But Wenderlens Garius leads the returning seniors in what should be another successful season for the Blue Bishops.
Pinelands: The Wildcats are coming off one of the best seasons in program history. They earned the No. 6 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, where they advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. They won Class B South last year for the first time after going 17-5-1 and will be led once again this year by Kieran Sundermann who was their leading scorer a season ago, putting up 14 goals and 15 assists as a junior.
GIRLS
As summer winds down, the hopes and dreams of high school girls soccer players across the Shore Conference begin to take shape. The summer workouts, strengths and condition programs, speed and agility programs and last-minute vacations to rest the body and mind before the start of the season have led them to the start of preseason soccer.
Last year, four Shore Conference programs battled through the riggers and stiff competition of the Shore and up against some of the top teams in the state to play the final day of the season in their .jpg)
respective Group Championships. Shore Regional captured the NJSIAA Group 1 title over Glen Ridge for their third straight State crown. Wall finished off their dream season with a record of 24-1-2 and their second straight NJSIAA Group 2 crown and first outright title with an overtime win over Westwood, 4-3. Freehold Township added to their trophy case with their second title in three years with a co-championship with Ridge after a scoreless double-overtime affair.
This season looks to be no different at the Shore Conference with high expectations and a number of teams saying “Why not us!”
A North looks to be stacked again this year as perennial powers Colts Neck and Freehold Township look to continue their winning ways while dealing with stiff competition from Manalapan, Marlboro, Neptune, Freehold Boro and Howell. All seven schools have built great feeder programs in town and the mix of young and veteran players could prove to be a conference to watch this season. Prediction… Freehold Township.
A Central once again has Shore Regional looking like the team to beat in this division. Can the veteran group stay focused and hungry enough to capture their fourth straight state title or can Rumson-Fair Haven, Saint John Vianney or Holmdel finally catch the Blue Devils? The youth movement looks to improve the outlook for Red Bank Regional, Matawan and Raritan who will look to improve on last season. Prediction… Shore Regional.
A South, the “Black and Blue” division, was probably the happiest in all the conference to the new rule changes this year that each team will only face each other once in the regular season. This conference top to bottom would beat the heck out of each other and in the process prevented three or four programs from rightfully being ranked higher in conference and state tournaments. Once again Toms River North looks to be in the driver’s seat in this division but cannot take any game for granted, as Toms River East, Toms River South, Jackson Memorial, Brick Township and Brick Memorial all have postseason talented rosters and ready to take control of the division. Prediction… Brick Township.
B North could be the conference to watch this year with a number of teams having a shot at the division, Shore Conference and state titles. Wall will look to hold onto their crown after an incredible 2017 campaign, but can they replace the losses from graduation? Middletown South who had their own Cinderella run last year knocking off top ranked Northern Highlands before falling in the finals, 2-1, to Allentown. Middletown North has the talent and speed to turn some heads this season and improve on their 13-7 record a year ago. Manasquan, Ocean and Red Bank Catholic, also no strangers to power programs, look to continue their growth from last year and reclaim their programs’ rich histories. Prediction… Middletown North.
B Central at first glance looks to be Point Pleasant Beach’s to lose. Coming off a 15-win season, the Garnet Gulls will look to improve on their success in the Shore Conference and NJSIAA tournaments. St. Rose will look to build on their success from a season ago and reclaim their program’s success. Trinity Hall, Ranney, Mater Dei Prep and Keyport will all look to improve off their seasons a year ago and hope the mix of young players and veterans can put them back on winning ways. Prediction… Point Pleasant Beach.
B South last season was all about the success and resurrection of Manchester High School. The Hawks made a deep run in both the Shore Conference and state tournaments and will look to continue that again this season. They will have plenty of competition and teams looking to dethrone them , such as the veteran groups in Pinelands, Lacey, Jackson Liberty and Point Boro. Prediction… Pinelands.
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