Girls Soccer – Subtle Changes to the Shore 16 After Opening Round of the NJSIAA Tournament

Shore Sports Network Girls Soccer Week 8 Shore 16

1. Middletown South (13-3-1) Previous Rank: 1 -  Middletown South started its march to repeat as Central Jersey Group 3 champions with an opening-round victory against Neptune, 9-0. Sophomore Bea Tinoco scored a hat trick and added an assist in the win. On Monday Middletown South will host No. 8 Colts Neck in the quarterfinals. 

2. Central Regional (16-1) Previous Rank: 2 - Central opened the week with a win against Colts Neck on senior night. Seniors Gabriella Hansson and Laura Woermer scored for the Golden Eagles in a 2-0 victory. Central snuck by No. 15 seed Lenape in the opening round of South Jersey Group 4. Senior Arianna Chidiac scored the golden goal off a pass from senior Samantha Versnel in the first overtime. On Monday, Central will host No. 7 seed Washington Township in the quarterfinals. 

3. Manalapan (13-2) Previous Rank: 3 - Manalapan shutout No. 14 Rancocas Valley in the opening round of Central Jersey Group 4, 4-0. Senior Vanessa Sarf was the first of four different scorers for the Braves, scoring her 12th goal of the season. Manalapan will host No. 6 Old Bridge on Monday in the quarterfinals.

4. Freehold Township (15-3) Previous Rank: 4 - Freehold Township started its run to repeat as Group 4 champions with a victory against West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the opening round. Junior Gaby Parker led the Patriots with two goals and two assists in the game. Freehold Township will host the No. 8 seed Hillsborough on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

5. Howell (11-6) Previous Rank: 5 - Howell opened up their state playoff run with a 6-0 victory against No. 12 seed Hightstown. The Rebels scored three goals in each half, led by freshman Makenzie Memmolo with two goals and two assists. Senior Leila Oshiro added two more goals, while junior Ashley Smith had two assists. Howell will host No. 13 Montgomery, which upset the No. 4 seed East Brunswick, on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

6. Manasquan (12-4-1) Previous Rank: 7 - Manasquan scored six straight goals after conceding the first two in the opening round of Central Jersey Group 2. The Warriors tied the game in the closing minutes of the first half and scored four goals in the second half to put the game away. Manasquan had six different players score and sophomore Jordyn Hollawell had two assists in the game. Manasquan will host No. 7 Ocean Township on Monday in the quarterfinals. Manasquan defeated Ocean during the regular season, 5-1. 

7. Rumson-Fair Haven (12-5) Previous Rank: 8 - Junior Stella Saad and sophomore Lauren McBarron both had a goal and an assist for the Bulldogs as they began their run to return to the Central Jersey Group 2 finals for the second straight season. Rumson had five different goal scorers in the game and senior Katie Walls posted her 8th shutout of the season. Rumson will host No. 6 Metuchen on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

8. Wall (11-3-1) Previous Rank: 9 - Wall began its path to repeat as Central Jersey Group 2 champions with a 5-0 victory over Delaware Valley. Freshman Megan Farrell had two goals and an assist, while her sister Erin had a goal and an assist. Wall will travel to No. 4 Point Pleasant Boro on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

9. Red Bank Catholic (11-3-3) Previous Rank: 6 - RBC lost a non-conference tune-up game against DePaul Catholic, 3-2. RBC had a bye in the opening round of South Jersey Non-Public A and will host No. 7 Immaculata on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. 

10. Brick Memorial (12-4-1) Previous Rank: 10 - Brick Memorial defeated No. 14 seed Freehold Borough, 2-0, in the opening round of Central Jersey Group 3. Senior Chloe Gellici scored her 11th goal of the season off a header by senior Gabby Hernandez later in the first half to give the Mustangs the lead. Junior Giselle Lizardi hung on for her ninth shutout of the season. Brick Memorial will host No. 6 Hopewell Valley on Monday in the quarterfinals. The last time these two played each other was in the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals in 2021, when Hopewell Valley defeated the Mustangs in a shootout to advance to the finals. 

11. Point Pleasant Boro (13-2-2) Previous Rank 11 - Point Boro opened up Central Jersey Group 2 play with a 3-0 victory over No. 13 A.L. Johnson. The Panthers had three different goal scorers and junior Ava Bjorndahl posted her 12th shutout of the season. Point Boro will host No. 5 Wall on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

12. Marlboro (9-5-2) Previous Rank: 12 - Marlboro won their opening round game in Central Jersey Group 4 with an 1-0 victory over No. 7 Sayreville. Junior Carly Guzzardo scored her fifth goal of the season on a free kick in the 65th minute from 25 yards out. Freshman Jordyn Bauer once again showed that she is one of the top goalies in the Shore Conference, saving a penalty kick earlier in the second half to keep the game scoreless. Marlboro will travel to No. 2 Monroe on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

13. Trinity Hall (13-3-1) Previous Rank: 13 - Trinity Hall had a bye in the first round of South Jersey Non-Public A and will host No. 6 Paul VI on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.  

14. Lacey (12-5) Previous Rank: 15 - One goal was all Lacey needed to defeat No. 9 Toms River South in the opening round of South Jersey Group 3. Junior Natalie McGovern scored her 18th goal of the season and senior Lorynn Leporino made double-digit saves in the shutout. Lacey will travel to No. 1 Ocean City on Monday in the quarterfinals. 

15. Ocean Township (10-6) Previous Rank: 16 - Junior Isabella Santucci scored two goals in her first game back from injury to help Ocean win its opening-round game in Central Jersey Group 2. Santucci scored what ended up being the winning goal off her own rebound late in the first half and gave Ocean a cushion in the opening minutes of the second half. Ocean will travel to No. 2 Manasquan on Monday in the quarterfinals. Ocean fell to Manasquan during the regular season, 5-1. 

16. Manchester (11-8) Previous Rank: Not Ranked - Manchester returns into the Shore 16 after upsetting the No. 5 seed Lower Cape May in the opening round of South Jersey Group 2, 2-0. Junior Katelyn Carney scored her first goal of the season in the first half for Manchester. Manchester will travel to No. 4 Cinnaminson on Monday in the quarterfinals