Boys Soccer – 2016 All-Shore Final Vote Winners

All-Shore Final Vote Winners

The votes are in and the 2016 Boys Soccer All-Shore Team is officially complete. The following players were voted by the readers as the final four members of this year’s All-Shore team and the first ever Shore Sports Network All-Shore Final Vote winners.

Forward

Dan Del Russo, Sr., Raritan

After sitting out his junior season of high school soccer, Del Russo was one of a handful of Raritan players who returned to the program this season and helped lead the Rockets to a share of the Class A Central division title. While the Rockets were a balanced squad, Del Russo stood out as the team’s top offensive threat up top, posting 10 goals and two assists for a 13-win Raritan side. Del Russo entered the final 36 hours of the vote trailing Point Boro’s Matt Kimak by more than 1,000 votes by a late headwind of support pushed him to victory in the final vote tally. In addition to Kimak (12 goals, 10 assists), Del Russo also beat out Manasquan senior Dan Del Guercio (8 goals, 9 assists), St. Rose senior Brendan Hueth (21 goals, 5 assists), Asbury Park senior Fenelson Etienne (15 goals, 3 assists) and Lakewood junior Anthony Calixto (21 goals, 3 assists).

Midfield

Justin McKenna, Sr., Middletown North

Middletown North enjoyed its best season in more than a decade, winning a share of the program’s first division title since 2004, reaching the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals for a second straight year and playing an NJSIAA sectional final for the first time since 1999. While Ryan Harmon led the team in scoring and goalkeeper Scott Weigel and the defense helped notch some of the best goal-prevention numbers in the Shore Conference, McKenna was a steady force in the middle of the field along with Harmon. He tallied eight goals and five assists, including a hat trick against Monmouth Regional and a two-goal game against Orange in the North Jersey Section 2, Group III quarterfinals. McKenna topped second-place Tyler Egnatuk of Toms River South (5 goals, 8 assists), as well as Brick junior Frank Firrito (15 goals, 10 assists), CBA senior Ryan O’Connor (4 goals, 6 assists), Ranney senior Brendan Wall (16 goals, 6 assists) and Shore senior Stevie Johnson (9 goals, 6 assists).

Defense

Justin Goldstein, Sr., Marlboro

Known for its organization and skill, Marlboro’s back four used experience and chemistry to turn in an all-around dominant defensive season. Along with fellow senior Ryan LaRocca, Goldstein manned one of the center fullback positions for the Mustangs, who allowed only 17 goals in 24 games in 2016. The defense was at the heart of one of the program’s best seasons, which included a school-record 20 wins, a third trip to the Shore Conference Tournament final and a third trip to a NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV final. The race for the final All-Shore defender spot drew the most votes of the four polls, amassing more than 111,000 total votes. Goldstein held off Holmdel sophomore Torre Avitabile, CBA junior John Askin, Point Boro senior Nick Duda, Pinelands senior Corey Cusack and Shore senior Mikey Barreca.

Goalkeeper

Jack Long, Manasquan

In his first season as a varsity starter, Long quickly established himself as a standout keeper in a division that was also home to highly-regarded goalies Scott Weigel of Middletown North and Nolan Cloney of Wall. Long was a steady hand between the pipes for a Manasquan team that returned five starters from the 2015 and yet matched its 2015 win total. The Warriors allowed 19 goals in 18 games and Long was responsible for seven shutouts in his lone varsity campaign. That included a pair of shutouts against Wall and one against Middletown North. Long beat out Raritan senior Chad Santopadre, Toms River South senior Dom Pizzi, Pinelands senior Brian Kelleher, Cloney and Asbury Park senior Joey Johnson to win the vote.