Boys Soccer – VOTE: Surf Taco Week 1 Player of the Week

Each week during the 2020 fall season, Shore Sports Network the top performers in each Shore Conference division and the SSN readers have a chance to vote for the overall Surf Taco Player of the Week.

Below are the top players from each of the Shore Conference's six divisions plus two wild cards who are in the running for the award in Week 1. Read about their accomplishments this week and vote for the player who should be recognized as overall Player of the Week.

Overall Player of the Week winners will be awarded a Surf Taco gift card. Vote once every hour at the bottom of this post until the poll closes at 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

Class A North Player of the Week

Zach Orrico, Freehold Township

Orrico picked up where he left off during his All-Shore 2019 season with two clutch goals on Saturday. With his team trailing, 2-1, and fewer that 90 seconds to play at Middletown North, Orrico one-timed a near-post cross from teammate Shane O’Malley for the tying goal and finished it with a golden goal off a lead from Adam Havens 38 seconds into the second overtime period.

Class A North Honorable Mention: Eric Tsirkin, Marlboro; Chris Osario, Howell

Class A Central Player of the Week

Michael Reid, Ocean

Ocean ended 2019 with some positive momentum following a run to the Central Jersey Group III final and it appears to have carried into 2020. The Spartans won two huge games against fellow Class A Central contender Monmouth Regional and Reid had a huge role to play. The junior scored the golden goal on a header to beat the Falcons on opening day, then scored the first of three unanswered goals in Saturday’s 4-2 Ocean win.

Class A Central Honorable Mention: Lupo Ryder, Raritan; Hunter Amodeo, Raritan; Alec Pentikis, Rumson-Fair Haven; Chris Fontanazza, Raritan

Class A South Player of the Week

Kevin Kiernan, Southern

Southern needed a spark in each of its showdowns with three-time defending Class A South champion Jackson Memorial. The Rams fell behind 2-0 in each match and each time, it was Kiernan wo ignited the comeback. He scored two goals to pull his team even on Thursday and added an assist in the 4-3 win, then scored the first of Southern’s three unanswered goals on Friday while again adding an assist in a 3-2 Rams win.

Class A South Honorable Mention: Ali Baish, Toms River North; Danny Lindov, Toms River South; Steve Bado, Jackson Memorial; A.J. Emnace, Toms River North; Zack Meyer, Brick; Eli Chong, Brick; Ryan Smith, Brick Memorial; Ryan Leavitt, Southern

Class B North Player of the Week

Simon Cardenas, Manasquan

Coming off a banner 2019 season, Manasquan got a tough challenge from a rejuvenated St. John Vianney side and came out 1-0-1 thanks to the goal-scoring prowess of Cardenas. The senior notched two goals in a 3-0 Manasquan victory on Thursday that the Warriors put away late, then scored his team’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw on Friday.

Class B North Honorable Mention: Jake Pepe, Wall; Jack Gardell, Matawan; Johnny Troiano, St. John Vianney

Class B Central Player of the Week

Matt Kirkpatrick, St. Rose

St. Rose opened its season with a 10-goal scoring frenzy, led by Kirkpatrick and junior teammate Kyle Corrigan, who combined for seven goals. Kirkpatrick led the way with four goals in the win as the Purple Roses gifted new coach Simon Muckle his first win.

Class B Central Honorable Mention: Kyle Corrigan, St. Rose; Josh Boyan, Point Beach; Owen Curtis, Point Beach

Class B South Player of the Week

Elton Canka, Jackson Liberty

Jackson Liberty and Barnegat are coming off very different 2019 seasons. While Barnegat had its best season by win total in program history, Jackson Liberty bottomed out with a 0-15 campaign, but when the two teams met to open 2020, Jackson Liberty reversed the course by beating the Bengals twice. Canka scored the golden goal on opening day to give the Lions a 1-0 win, then scored the first of three Jackson Liberty goals in a 3-0 win.

Class B South Honorable Mention: Johnny Hart, Pinelands; James Cahill, Pinelands; Owen Clearwaters, Point Boro; Vincent Paolillo, Manchester; Joey Kurak, Manchester; Noah Hamouda, Lacey

Wild Cards

Eric Tsirkin, Marlboro

Tsirkin did not play for Marlboro’s ranked squad in 2019 but returned to high-school soccer to make an impact for a Mustangs team that lost a significant amount of goal-scoring from a year ago. The senior midfield delivered in the first game of the season, notching a hat trick to lead Marlboro to a 4-0 win over Middletown South.

Lupo Ryder, Raritan

The Rockets roared out of the gate in 2020 with two seven-goal performances in a sweep of Red Bank Catholic. While there were a host of scorers in the two games, Ryder led the way with a goal and an assist in the opening-day win and four in Saturday’s 7-0 win over the Caseys.