Boys Soccer – 2021 Shore Sports Network All-Shore Third Team

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Shore Sports Network 2021 Boys Soccer All-Shore Team

Selections made by SSN Senior Soccer Editor Matt Manley, based on stats, coaches' input and first-hand accounts.

*Click Here to See the First Team*

*Click Here to See the Second Team*

Third Team

Ernst Louisius, Jr., Forward, Neptune – The Scarlet Fliers turned in a big season in 2021, winning a share of the Shore Conference Class B North championship along with Wall and Manasquan. Louisius (16 goals and eight assists) either scored a goal or assisted one in each of the seven divisional games, with the junior striker scoring a goal each in losses to Wall and Colts Neck, then scoring a combined four goals and six assists during a five-game division winning streak to close out the co-title. Louisius also stepped up big in the state tournament, posting three goals and two assists in two Central Jersey Group III matches.

Gianni Smith, Sr., Forward, Central – After three years leading a Central team that toiled at the bottom of the Class A South division, it was finally time for Smith to shine as the best player on a winning side. The Golden Eagles made it back to the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time in five years and Smith helped them get there with his 17 goas and 12 assists. Central’s senior leader scored multiple goals in five games, including two hat tricks.

Kajas Matazinskas, Jr., Forward, Toms River East – One of the more skilled players in Ocean County, Matazinskas was the leading scorer on the No. 2 team in Class A South and put his best foot forward against some of Toms River East’s best competition. Matazinskas (14 goals, seven assists) scored multiple goals in three games during the 2021 campaign, including four in a 5-0 win over rival Toms River South. The junior striker also pumped in a pair of goals in a 2-1 win over No. 7 Marlboro and notched two more in a win over Class B North co-champion Neptune.

David Tuschmann, Sr., Forward, Colts Neck – Coming off a 25-goal season as a junior in 2020, Tuschmann was one of the Shore’s most accomplished scorers heading into the season. An injury curtailed Tuschmann’s pursuit of another big year, but the senior striker still managed to get back on the field to finish with 12 goals and an assist on the season. Tuschmann returned to action on Oct. 21 and proceeded to scored eight goals in Colts Neck’s final five matches, which included three goals in two state tournament matches.

Kaan Pehlivan, Sr., Midfield, Monmouth – After coming up one win shy of a sectional championship in 2020, Monmouth entered 2021 with high hopes, backed by a strong senior class. Pehlivan (seven goals, 10 assists) was the leader of that group, which produced a second-place finish behind Rumson-Fair Haven and tied with Holmdel in the Class A Central division. Pehlivan had four games with at least one goal and one assist, scored the lone goal in a Shore Conference Tournament penalty-kick win over Brick Memorial after a 1-1 draw and put up an assist in a big 2-1 win over Ocean Township.

Chris Osorio-Rodriguez, Sr., Midfield, Howell – The 2021 season got off to a rough start for Howell, which boasted a senior-laden roster hoping to make noise in Class A North. The Rebels went just 2-5 in divisional play, but got it together in time to make the Shore Conference Tournament and put together a memorable NJSIAA Tournament run. Osorio-Rodriguez was a steady contributor all the way through with his 11 goals and six assists and he also pitched in a goal each in two of Howell’s three NJSIAA Tournament wins. Even in a first-round penalty-kick shootout win over Princeton, Osorio-Rodriguez buried a penalty kick in the shootout to help the Rebels prevail on the road after a 0-0 draw.

Brian Miranda, Sr., Midfield, Ocean - Aidan Tisony and his 25 goals gained most of the notoriety from Ocean over the course of the season, but Mirandan’s play in the midfield tied the Spartans together. He finished with five goals and 11 assists, with two of his goals going against Class B North division co-champions Manasquan and Neptune and another coming in a Shore Conference Tournament showdown with Manalapan that ended on penalties in favor of Ocean after a 1-1 draw, with Miranda’s free kick tying the game in the second half.

Max Rosen, Sr., Midfield, Marlboro – A leader and top scorer for the No. 7 team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, Rosen delivered goals against Freehold Township and a loss and Old Bridge in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV opening round. Rosen’s goal vs. Old Bridge proved to be crucial in what ended as a 3-3 draw after 100 minutes. After Rosen’s goal helped Marlboro rally for a draw in the final minutes of regulation, he later came through in the penalty shootout to help his team advance to the sectional quarterfinals of the Central Group IV Tournament.

Nate Kerr, So., Defense, Neptune – Kerr burst onto the scene as a freshman starter in 2020 and as a sophomore, he already proved himself a capable leader on a Neptune team that won a share of the Class B North championship. Kerr finished the season with a goal and five assists out of the back, with all of his scoring coming during a six-game stretch in the middle of the season.

Donovan Davis, Sr., Defense, Shore – The Blue Devils put together a turnaround season in 2021 and while the underclassmen had a huge part in the scoring effort for Shore, Davis led a senior-laden defense that allowed 23 goals in 18 matches during the course of the season. Davis scored one goal out of the back, but it was his prowess on the defensive end that helped carry Shore to close wins over Holmdel, Point Boro, Pinelands and St. John Vianney, as well as draw vs. Rumson-Fair Haven and Manalapan.

C.J. Crolius, Jr., Defense, Middletown North – One year after stepping up as a sophomore leader on a senior-heavy team, Crolius is an All-Shore defender. He has been an All-A-North player each of the past two seasons and this year, the coaches voted him as the No. 6 defender in Monmouth County. Crolius does not push forward often, but is a capable distributor out of the back, as well as one of the Shore’s better one-on-one defenders. He and freshman teammate Ryan Barnao are one of the more intriguing defensive duos slated to be back in 2021.

A.J. Truszkowski, Sr., Defense, Toms River South – The 2021 season did not go according to plan for Toms River South but the Indians earned their way to a relatively satisfying finish to the year. After enduring a COVID-related stoppage and a 2-4-1 Class A South record, Toms River South won the first ever Shore Coaches’ Cup and reached the semifinals of the South Jersey Group III Playoffs. Truszkowski was the Indians’ steadiest player throughout the year, captaining a defense that allowed 25 goals and backed up sophomore goalkeeper Owen Heale.

Dawson Kaniuk, Sr., Goalkeeper, Toms River North – When Toms River North’s dominant defense let down – which was not often – the Mariners had a three-year starter to back that unit up. Kaniuk was the top goalkeeper in the Shore by goals-allowed average (0.6 per game) and shutouts (13) and in Toms River North’s 18 games that were against teams other than CBA, he let only five goals slip by him – good for a microscopic per-game average of 0.28.

Matteo Paolillo, So., Goalkeeper, Manalapan – After claiming the starting job as a freshman for a team that failed to win a game in 2020, Paolillo was the breakout keeper in the Shore Conference this season. He showed composure while staring down some of the top attacks in the Shore Conference and the state, particularly after getting the jitters out of his system in the form of a 4-0 opening-day loss to state-ranked Freehold Township. Paolillo went on to allow just 13 goals the rest of the way while securing nine clean sheets, which tied him for the third-highest total in the Shore Conference.

2021 All-Shore Third Team List