If asked at the beginning of the 2018 boys soccer season what are you sure will not happen this season, a.jpg)
great answer might be – to have three teams from the Shore Conference all bring home state championship hardware. That great answer would have been incorrect, as the unprecedented happened. Holmdel, CBA and Ocean Township all won state championships in Group II, Non-Public A and Group III, respectively.
The Holmdel Hornets ended the season undefeated, with a record of 22-0-1, ranked No. 1 in the state. Holmdel defeated Glen Rock, 3-1, to win their second straight New Jersey Group II championship after defeats in their previous three appearances in the championship game, dating back to 2011, 2012 and 2015. A hard-fought game, pitting two teams hungry for the trophy, saw yellow and red cards flying and early missed opportunities before Holmdel got down to business.
Glen Rock opened the scoring with a goal by Jason Kapiloff. His goal in the 32nd minute both opened and closed the scoring for a Glen Rock team who would come up short for the first time all year finishing up at 23-1-1. Holmdel’s response began with junior Jack Giamanco scoring his 23rd goal of the season (27 goals, 17 assists for his career) in the 36th minute on a breakaway to knot the score at 1-1, which is how it remained until the second half.
After the break, in the 64th minute, Holmdel senior Mark McStay headed in a goal for his fifth goal of the year (22 goals and 21 assists for his career) to put Holmdel ahead for good. Later, for insurance, Monmouth University-commit senior Anthony Arena sent a laser into the goal for his 18th goal on the season (65 goals, 49 assists for his career). Arena closed out the scoring on a 2018 season that saw Holmdel roll through a season unblemished but for a 2-2 tie with Ocean back on Oct. 22, in the Shore Conference Tournament.
Christian Brothers Academy (19-4) ended the year ranked third in New Jersey with a victory over then-top-ranked Delbarton, 2-1, in a thriller. The game was won on a free kick as time in the second overtime ran down. The game’s outcome rested on the shoulders of junior Luke Pascarella, who lined up for the free kick with 19 seconds left and placed the ball inside the Delbarton wall and between goalkeeper Kyle Swift and the left post, bouncing the ball off of the post, into the goal. For Pascarella, this marked his 13th goal of the season and 19th for his two-year career as a Colt.
Scoring in the Non-Public A championship final opened early with Delbarton’s Brendan McSorley popping the net in the fourth minute. Not until the 75th minute did CBA senior Jack Hempstead score his first career goal to tie the game at one goal each and force the contest into overtime. Pascarella delivered CBA its second title in three consecutive appearances in the final, bringing home the chip last in 2016. The Colts’ losses during this campaign came at the hands of St. Benedict’s Prep (Post-Grad), Howell, Holmdel and Ocean. This year’s championship marks the seventh overall for the program, tying them for eighth best for state titles.
The win by the Colts marked the first defeat for Delbarton’s program since 2016. 
Rounding out the third Monmouth County state champion of the 2018 soccer season, the Ocean Spartans showed their grit, bringing home the NJ State Group III chip, beating the Millburn Millers, 1-0. The game matched No. 8 Milburn and No. 9 Ocean at Kean University, while the victory marked the first NJ state title for Ocean in 22 years and the second ever for the soccer program.
The lone goal of the game was scored by senior James Schultz, in the 72th minute, raising his season total to 11, to go along with three assists (22 goals and 7 assists for his career). His header came on an assist from senior Leo Montesinos, for his eighth of the year and his career. The low-scoring affair was not an indication of activity around the goal, as Millburn’s goalie took five shots on goal, while Ocean keeper Max Winters turned away 11 shots, high for the year, totaling 89 on the year and 237 saves over his four-year career.
2018 proved to be a very successful year for boys soccer in Monmouth County with plenty of hardware finding a home here. Three of the six total state championships – Group II, Group III and Non-Public A –
will be defended in 2019 by a Monmouth County program. Great work! JSN is proud of you all!
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