2013 All-Shore Team

First Team

 

Forwards

Eamon Kitson, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

The Shore Sports Network Player of the Year lived up to his billing this season, returning as a second-team All-Shore forward from a year ago and leading Rumson-Fair Haven to one of its best seasons in recent memory. Kitson led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 goals (fifth in the Shore Conference) and five assists, good for the fifth-highest point total in the Shore Conference (tied with Central’s Doug Jensen). The University of Vermont recruit did a fair amount of his damage in the postseason as well, registering four goals and three assists during both the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Group II Tournaments. Kitson was the head of a standout senior class that led Rumson to a share of the Class A Central championship and first-ever trips to the both Shore Conference Tournament final and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II championship games.

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Justin Gilson, Jr., Red Bank

Through the first eight games of the season, neither Justin Gilson nor the Red Bank team as a whole were having seasons to remember, but that all changed over the final 11 games. Gilson started the season as a defensive center midfielder and when coach Sean Reid pushed Gilson up to forward, both a 20-goal scorer and a dangerous team were born. The Bucs went 8-2-1 over their final 11 games and during that stretch, Gilson scored 17 of his 20 goals on the season. His biggest showing came in a wild 7-5 win over Long Branch, a game in which Gilson scored a career-high four goals to help Red Bank clinch a Shore Conference Tournament berth. Once in the SCT, Gilson continued to score, tallying a goal in each of his team’s two tournament games. The first of those games was a first-round road win against Howell and the second was a near-upset of Toms River North in 2-2 tie that ended with the Mariners advancing in penalty kicks. Gilson and a strong core of returning players will look to build on the team’s late-season success in 2014.

Photo by Cliff Lavelle.
Photo by Cliff Lavelle.
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Blake Czajkowski, Jr., Central

The Shore Conference’s leading scorer in 2013 nearly led the Golden Eagles to a Class B South title before an unexpected tie against Lakewood derailed any championship plans. Czajkowski has been a dangerous scorer from his first game as a freshman in 2011 and he continued to develop in his junior year. The junior striker doubled his goal output from a year ago, going from 10 goals as a sophomore in 2012 to 20 this season. Those 20 goals tied him with Red Bank’s Justin Gilson for the Shore Conference lead and his 12 assists gave him a Shore Conference best 52 total points. With 37 goals in his first three seasons, Czajkowski is a strong bet to eclipse the 50-goal milestone when he returns for his senior season next year.

Photo by Matt Manley.
Photo by Matt Manley.
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Wadneson Alexis, So., Ocean

In his first two seasons as a high school player, the man they call Waldo has proven to have a flare for the dramatic. After scoring all four of his goals as a freshman during the Spartans’ Shore Conference Tournament championship run, he followed that debut up with 12 goals this season. Those 12 goals included five game-winning goals and two more go-ahead goals and two game-tying goals. Alexis’ second career hat trick – the first came in the Shore Conference Tournament last year – came against Wall in a 3-3 draw during the first of three meetings between the teams. He also scored in a 2-1 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Tournament loss to the Crimson Knights, who allowed less than one goal per game. Few players drew the attention of opposing defenses to the degree that Alexis did as he enhanced his reputation as a scorer and with that experience in mind, he should return as one of the top scorers in the area for his junior season in 2014.

 

Midfield

Ryan Hammer, Sr., Manalapan

Manalapan won its third ever Shore Conference Tournament championship thanks to a talented roster that did not have a star for most of the season, that is until Hammer moved up to a forward spot and stepped up his goal-scoring. An injury to junior midfielder Adam Weisberger prompted the change in role for Hammer and since that injury to his classmate against Marlboro, Hammer scored eight of his team-high 10 goals. Four of those goals came during postseason play, three of which Hammer scored during the Braves’ SCT run. The junior’s signature game came in the SCT final against Rumson, in which Hammer scored both Manalapan goals in a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs. In all, Hammer finished his junior season with 10 goals and five assists to lead the Shore Conference’s No. 1 team and with a majority of the roster back in 2014, Manalapan will be among the Shore Conference favorites once again.

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Jack Flanagan, Sr., Holmdel

Holmdel has become the model program in the Shore Conference, at least among public schools – and the Hornets have done so thanks to players like Flanagan who have both taken the baton from previous standout players and have helped to lead the younger players. The senior center midfielder factored heavily into Holmdel’s scoring this season with nine goals and six assists while also serving as a key cog in the defense. Flanagan often marked opposing center midfielders when necessary, which potentially curbed his scoring to some degree. In three varsity seasons, Flanagan tallied 21 goals and 15 assisted while playing for two NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II championship teams as well as two runners up in both the Group II and Shore Conference Tournaments.

Jack Flanagan (9) defends Rumson's Kieran Doherty. (Photo by Cliff Lavelle)
Jack Flanagan (9) defends Rumson's Kieran Doherty. (Photo by Cliff Lavelle)
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Garrett Muzikowski, Sr., Jackson Memorial

Few teams lost as much talent from last season as Jackson Memorial did, but the return of Muzikowski, one of the team’s top players as a junior during a 23-2 season, helped the Jaguars remain competitive at the top of the Class A South race. Muzikowski got off to a torrid start this season by scoring 10 goals in his team’s first nine games, including a four-goal outburst to rally the Jaguars to a 5-2 win over Long Branch after falling behind 2-0. Muzikowski’s scoring slowed down over the course of the season, but he still accounted for a Shore Conference Tournament goal in a 3-1 loss to Holmdel and ended up accounting for more than half of Jackson Memorial’s goals. The Jaguars could have taken a big step back this season with only two starters returning in the field, but Muzikowski’s all-shore season made assured that did not happen.

Photo by Bill Normile.
Photo by Bill Normile.
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Pete Martin, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

Martin is one of two players on this year’s All-Shore First Team to miss last year’s high school season while playing for his academy team and as expected, his return had a major impact on the Bulldogs this year. Playing in the middle of Rumson’s formation, Martin scored five goals and unofficially led the Shore Conference with 14 assists. The five goals were a modest number for a player who scored  10 as a sophomore in 2011, but to Martin’s credit, three of those five goals this year came during the postseason. He scored the first goal of the Shore Conference Tournament championship against Manalapan to put the Bulldogs in front early and then scored two more goals in a 3-2 win over Cinnaminson in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II semifinals, his only two-goal game of the season. With a roster full of seniors, Rumson was bound to be a strong team with or without Martin, but it’s probably not a coincidence that over the last three seasons, the Bulldogs are 33-9-2 with him and 8-7-1 without him.

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Defense

Nick Sica, Sr., Toms River North

Like Rumson’s Pete Martin, Sica passed on playing high school soccer last season and after securing a scholarship offer to Long Island University of Brooklyn, he returned to Toms River North this season. With a crowded midfield, Sica settled in as a center fullback for the Mariners and became one of the dominant back-line players in the Shore Conference and among the best in the state while leading Toms River North to the Class A South championship. Sica also played in the back during his sophomore season, so while the move represented a transition to some extent, it was a natural one in many ways for Sica. For his efforts this season, Sica was selected as the co-player of the year in Class A South along with Jackson Memorial senior Garrett Muzikowski.

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Michael Jelinsky, Sr., Colts Neck

Few players can handle all the responsibilities of center fullback as Jelinsky has for the Cougars over the past two seasons. Despite missing some time in the middle of the year due to a head injury, Jelinsky was an anchor for the Cougars again this season. His size made him excellent in the air and he is also skilled enough to handle the ball and distribute it from the back. He also has a big leg that came in handy on free kicks and even beyond. Jelinsky scored two goals this season, one of which was a 45-yard strike to the upper part of the net in a Shore Conference Tournament win over Jackson Liberty, which Jelinsky set up by dribbling through a host of Lion defenders to get the shot. Led by Jelinsky, Colts Neck allowed 16 goals in 18 games and was one of only three teams to beat Manalapan this season, which the Cougars did in convincing fashion, 3-0.

Photo by Matt Manley.
Photo by Matt Manley.
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Brian Dolan, Sr., Manalapan

Manalapan seemingly had a different hero every game before Ryan Hammer went on a goal-scoring binge to close the season, so picking out a top player on the Braves probably varies from game to game. Dolan was not the choice of the Class A North coaches – they selected sophomore Mike McNicholas as the Braves’ best defender – but the senior captain was a jack-of-all-trades who could give the Braves anything they needed in a game. Dolan served as an outside back for the majority of his minutes, where he did everything from handling and distributing the ball, to marking top forwards, to carrying the ball forward on the attack. He was Manalapan’s third leading scorer with three goals and four assists, scored a dramatic game-winning goal in a 3-2, come-from-behind win over Colts Neck that clinched a share of the Class A North title, and also assisted a golden goal by Rocky Garretson in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals against Ocean.

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Brian Dziobak, Sr., Freehold Township

Dziobak missed almost half the season with a broken orbital bone, so that he appears on the All-Shore first team should speak to his impact and overall ability. In only 10 games, Dziobak scored five goals and assisted on four more from his stopper position while leading the Patriots to an 8-2 start in that stretch. He was injured in Freehold Township’s 10th game, a 3-1 win over Marlboro, and from that point on, the Patriots went 5-4-1 in Dziobak’s absence. The defense also suffered with Dziobak out, with the Patriots allowing 15 goals over the final 10 games after giving up only seven in the first 10. Games played is a consideration in the All-Shore selection process, but it is a component of impact. Dziobak may not have had the time on the field that others had, but his impact was as evident as anyone’s.

Photo by Matt Manley.
Photo by Matt Manley.
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Goalkeeper

Paul Kelly, Sr., Monsignor Donovan

The first team goalkeeper spot was a photo finish between Kelly and Chris Seager of Ocean and in the case, the tiebreaker was the numbers. Both goalkeepers are good athletes with size and reach and both won games for their respective teams with some big saves over the course of the season. In the end, though, Kelly’s numbers are undeniable. Yes, shutouts is a team statistic as much as any other number in soccer, but his 12 shutouts doubled Seager’s total of six and the 12 goals allowed in 21 games (0.57 goals per game) beats out the 17 goals in 20 games (0.85) allowed by Seager and Ocean (one of the goals allowed by the Spartans came with Seager on the bench).  Kelly capped his four-year varsity career by breaking the single-season school record for shutouts (12), which put him at 36 for his career. In each of the past three years, Kelly finished in the top five in the conference in shutouts, including the highest total in the conference this year.

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Second Team

Forwards

Russell Romano, Jr., Christian Brothers Academy – The top goal-scorer in Class A North, Romano had a breakout season with 12 goals and will enter next season near the top of an impressive list of returning forwards.

Lorenzo Scala, Sr., Toms River East – Scored 10 goals to go with seven assists for a Toms River East team that had its share of ups and downs, but finished strong.

Mike Dalton, Sr., Monsignor Donovan – The Griffins’ top scorer with 10 goals and eight assists, Dalton earned the praise from opposing coaches on Monsignor Donovan’s tough non-division schedule.

Jason Kyriacou, Sr., Holmdel – Despite battling injuries like many of his Hornets teammates this year, Kyriacou scored 12 goals and five assists to lead Holmdel in scoring.

 

Midfield

Stevenly Joseph, Sr., Neptune – Joseph had already earned respect as one of the best players in Class B North prior to the season, but this season was his statistical breakout with 14 goals.

Georges Fiori, Sr., Middletown North – Voted the top player in Class A North by the coaches, Fiori was more of a facilitator than a goal-scorer with defenses keyed on him, but his five goals still led the team.

Justin Silverberg, Sr., Ocean – With the emergence of Wadneson Alexis, Silverberg spent more time checking back to the middle of the field and still contributed six goals and six assists for Ocean.

Chris Barcas, Sr., Wall – The Crimson Knights are loaded with potential returning talent, but it will be hard to replace Barcas’ senior leadership, not to mention his seven goals and five assists.

 

Defense

David D’Agostino, Sr., Wall – A dangerous player pushing forward and a solid defender to boot, D’Agostino scored his lone goal of the season against Ocean and created an own goal against the Spartans when Wall beat Ocean in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs.

Tyler Roman, Sr., Ocean – The Spartans started a relatively young defense, so Roman’s performance at sweeper was imperative to the team’s success in protecting goalkeeper Chris Seager.

Ryan Strang, Sr.,Rumson-Fair Haven – The heart of Rumson’s back line, Strang was a tough defender who could make a run up the field. He finished the season with a goal and four assists.

Sean Suskevich, Sr., Monsignor Donovan – Among players who were primarily defenders, none scored as many goals as the Griffins’ sweeper (eight). Suskevich also deserves credit for the lowest goals-per-game mark in the Shore (0.57 per game).

 

Goalkeeper

Chris Seager, Sr., Ocean – The Monmouth University recruit capped a tremendous four-year career in net and finished with 19 career shutouts after six this year.

Jack Wishart, Jr., Wall – Few goalkeepers mix the reckless abandon required to make a big save and the feel for the position required to record six shutouts while giving up 19 goals in 23 games.

 

 

Third Team

Forwards

Jose Cesaire, Sr., Asbury Park – One of the best pure talents in the conference, Cesaire scored 17 goals to help lead the Bishops to a second consecutive winning season.

Jason Tonelli, Sr., Colts Neck – Tonelli followed up a breakout junior season with 10 goals and three assists as a senior.

Sean Moore, Sr., Toms River North – The leading scorer on the Class A South champion, Moore scored 10 goals in his final season with the Mariners.

Brendan Barcas, Jr., Wall – Coincidentally, Brendan Barcas had the exact same stats as older brother Chris (seven goals and five assists), good enough for a second consecutive third-team selection.

 

Midfield

George Kavarakas, Sr., Ocean – Like Brendan Barcas, Kavarakas returns as a third-team selection after anchoring the Spartans midfield with four goals and five assists. One of those goals was an overtime winner against Matawan and another forced overtime against Toms River North in the SCT.

Josh Sommerer, Jr., Toms River East – The Raiders junior broke out with nine goals and eight assists and leads a strong group of returning talent at Toms River East in 2014.

Matt Dell, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven – Dell mastered the balance of holding at defensive center midfield while making the occasional push forward to score. He finished with nine goals (third on the team) and five assists, including a game-winner in a 1-0 win over Holmdel in the SCT semifinals.

Doug Jensen, Jr., Central – The Golden Eagles had the highest scoring duo in the conference in Jensen and Czajkowski (31 goals and 25 assists). Jensen accounted for 11 goals and 13 assists.

 

Defense

Cameron Wenz, Sr., Wall – Speedy center back anchored the Wall defense, even while playing through injury down the stretch of the season.

Mike McNicholas, So., Manalapan – One of the best sophomores in the Shore, McNicholas is halfway through what should be a great career at Manalapan.

Jackson Irwin, Sr., Christian Brothers Academy – The Colts return most of their starting lineup, but will need to replace a senior leader in Irwin, who anchored a defense that allowed only 13 goals in 20 games.

Connor Shields, Sr., Holmdel – The Hornets keep turning out quality sweepers and Shields is the latest example after anchoring a defense that allowed 13 goals in 21 matches while also tallying six assists.

 

Goalkeeper

Tyler Marchiano, So., Holmdel – The Hornets have found another gem in goal. Marchiano got better with each game and pitched three NJSIAA tournament shutouts to cap an 11-shutout season in his first year in net.

Chris Tierney, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven – Tierney will head to the University of Vermont with teammate Eamon Kitson after a six-shutout season in 2013.

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