Girls Soccer – Top 10 and Player Nominations

The Shore Conference girls soccer landscape is starting to take shape and with less than a month until the Shore Conference Tournament selection, teams are putting themselves into position to make the committee's selection another tough decision. There are 25 teams that have a .500 winning percentage or better to meet the tournament qualifications.

Very little movement in the top five but six through 10 saw some movement going on. Colts Neck holds onto the top spot even without veteran leader Frankie Tagliaferri who was called back up to the USWNT U17 training camp.

Top 10:

1. Colts Neck (5-0-1 overall) (3-0-1 B North)…The Cougars continue to perform at a high level even without junior Frankie Tagliaferri who was called back to the U.S. U17 training camp. Colts Neck holds a slim lead over Ocean for B North and squares off against the Spartans on Thursday at Ocean High School.

2. Freehold Township (5-0-0 overall) (3-0-0 A North)…The Patriots continue to roll along in A-North with three shutouts and a recent win over Manalapan to strengthen their grip on the division. They have a tough week coming up with conference games against Freehold Boro, Howell and Middletown South.

3. Toms River North (5-0-1 overall) (3-0-1 A South)…The Mariners had their four game shutout streak snapped against Toms River East, but they still remain unbeaten on the season. The young Mariners have only allowed a Conference-best 2 goals.

4. Ocean (5-1-0 overall) (3-0-0 B North)…The Spartans suffered their first defeat of the season with a tough double-overtime loss to Shore Regional, but remain one of the teams to beat heading into Shore Conference Tournament play. The Spartans will face a tough week ahead with matches against Colts Neck, Neptune, Wall and RBC.

5. Brick Memorial (3-0-2 overall) (2-0-1 A South)…The Mustangs continue to roll and remain unbeaten with an entirely new keeper tandem, defensive line and forwards. Two returning starters in Taylor Schaad and Lindsay Hernandez continue to show veteran leadership and have combined for 5 goals and 3 assists. They have a tough two-game swing coming up against Jackson Memorial and Toms River East.

6. Rumson Fair Haven (4-1-1 overall) (3-0-1 A Central)…The Bulldogs used a double-overtime win against Holmdel to take control of the division and have been on a scoring tear of late with 23 goals on the season in six games.

7. Point Pleasant Boro (6-1-1 overall) (5-0-0 B South)…The Panthers are the lone team in the top 10 who continue to fly below the radar and have quietly put together a great season so far. Led by Devon Wondolowski and Kaitlyn Seiter, Point Boro finds themselves atop the division and in a dog fight with Barnegat, Manchester and Central.

8. Toms River East (4-1-0 overall) (3-1-0 A South)…The Raiders suffered their first loss of the season but remains a contender in a tough A-South division. Sophomore Jillian Conklin continues to be the driving force for the East offense that has slowly put together a formidable offensive group with sixteen goals on the season.

9. Freehold Boro (3-1-0 overall) (2-1-0 A North)…Freehold Boro continues to improve on the young season, winning two straight division games to pull within one game of Freehold Township, who the Colonials face off against on Friday.

10. Shore Regional (4-2-1 overall) (3-0-0 B Central)…No one has been hotter since the first week of the season than the Blue Devils. Since opening with two straight losses, Shore Regional is riding a five-game streak in which they have gone 4-0-1 and scored 26 goals while allowing only 3. With the emergence of freshman forward Frankie McDonough and the return of Katie Stephens, who missed all of preseason and the opening contest, the Blue Devils look like they are back to form on offense.

Honorable Mention:

Manalapan (3-1-0 overall) (3-1-1 A North)

St. John Vianney (4-1-1 overall) (3-0-1 A Central)

Wall (3-2-0 overall) (2-1-0 B North)

Players Of The Month Nominations:

Frankie Tagliaferri, Jr., Colts Neck – Model of consistency: three goals and an assist in each of Colts Neck’s first three games. Stats (9 goals and 3 assists)

Noah Smith, So., Central – The Eagles goalkeeper ranks among the top goalies in the state and shore conference and has posted back-to-back shutouts in conference play. Stats (48 saves, 2 shutouts, 1 assist)

Jillian Conklin, So., Toms River East – The second-year standout has three goals and three assists on the season in the past three games. Stats (3 goals, 3 assists)

Gabriella Bair, Sr., Holmdel – Gabriella has been on a scoring tear lately scoring in three consecutive matches and against Manasquan she became the school's All-Time leading scorer. Stats (6 goals, 3 assists)

Amy Pasternoster, So., Wall – Amy continues to be a play maker on offense for the Knights who are starting to finding consistency and climb back into a tight B-North division.  Stats (4 goals, 2 assists)

Frankie McDonough, Fr., Shore - Frankie posted her first career hat trick against Ranney and has scored in three straight contest to become an offensive force and consistent player for Shore Regional. Stats (5 goals, 3 assists)