Boys Soccer – VOTE: Week 5 Surf Taco Boys Soccer Player of the Week
Each week during the 2022 soccer season, Shore Sports Network will recognize some of the top performers in the Shore Conference over the calendar week and give the fans of the Shore Conference to vote for the overall winner for the Player of the Week. This week, we are scrapping the division-by-division format to give you eight standouts from postseason play during play between Monday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 16.
Read about the exploits of the eight candidates and vote for the best of the best to win the latest Player of the Week competition of the 2022 season. Vote once per hour until the poll closes on Thursday at 10 p.m. The winner will be announced on Friday and awarded a $25 gift card to Surf Taco.
Week 5 Player of the Week Nominees
Aidan Antonio, Southern
Southern got by a tough Jackson Liberty side in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament, then nearly pulled off what would have one of the great upsets in tournament history. Antonio scored the game-winner near the midway point of the second half of the Rams’ 3-2 win over Jackson Liberty on Tuesday, then scored six minutes into the round of 16 match at CBA – a game the Rams took into overtime before CBA won it on golden-goal penalty kick.
Cooper Attaway, Shore
Like Freehold Boro, Shore has made the most of its entry into the Shore Conference Coaches’ Cup win winning its way into the championship game. Last week, Shore scored two wins – one a penalty-kicks victory over Pinelands and the other a 3-1 win over St. John Vianney. Attaway starred for the Blue Devils in both wins, with the freshman scoring two goals in the overtime battle with Pinelands and then posting a goal and an assist in the semifinal win over the Lancers.
Kenny Caruso, Toms River South
Caruso continued his scoring tear in 2022 throughout last week, which included two memorable performances in the Shore Conference Tournament. The junior striker scored two goals to help the Indians upset Neptune in the opening round of the tournament, then scored the game-tying goal in the second half of Toms River South’s loss at Marlboro in the SCT round of 16. Caruso capped his week by scoring the first three goals in his team’s 5-0 win over Barnegat on Saturday.
Ammar Danish, Freehold Boro
Freehold Boro is not in the Shore Conference Tournament, but the Colonials are enjoying their own version of postseason success with Danish leading the way. Freehold Boro has won four of its last five games and with Tuesday’s win over Red Bank, reached the finals of the Shore Conference Coaches’ Cup – a tournament for teams that did not qualify for the SCT. Last week, Danish scored two of his team’s three goals in a 3-0 win over Barnegat in the SCCC, then followed it up with the lone goal in a 1-0 win over a Matawan team that did qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament.
Danny Dougan, Red Bank
Red Bank is another squad that has had its best stretch of the season during the Shore Coaches’ Cup, winning its first two games of the season in tournament games against Brick Memorial and Monmouth. Dougan went off for a hat trick in a 4-1 in over Brick Memorial, which avenged a Bucs loss to the Mustangs in the first round of the 2021 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs. The junior scored again in a 3-1 win over Monmouth, with Dougan’s goal opening the scoring in the first half.
Cade Jacobs, Marlboro
Jacobs has been Mr. Clutch for Marlboro this season and his past week might have been his most memorable showing yet. After opening the season with a golden goal to beat CBA on opening day, Jacobs pulled off his second golden goal of the season this past week, nothing the overtime winner in a 2-1 win over Toms River South in the Shore Conference Tournament round of 16. The following day, Marlboro closed out its Class A North divisional slate with a come-from-behind, 2-1 win over Freehold Boro in which Jacobs jumpstarted the rally with the game-tying goal.
Kajus Matazinskas, Toms River East
Matazinskas is the most dangerous scorer in the Class A South division, so when he and his team were shutout in a regular-season, overtime loss at Toms River North, it stung. Last week, however, the Raiders got their shot at redemption and didn’t let it slip away. Matazinzkas assisted the first Toms River East goal of the game, converted the game-tying penalty kick late in the second half and scored the golden goal in overtime to lead the Raiders to a 3-2 win over their archrivals.
Alec Pentikis, Rumson-Fair Haven
Rumson got what appeared to be a tough draw in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament, with Jackson Memorial paying the Bulldogs a visit after qualifying for the tournament with a win over Toms River North. That appeared to be the case after Jackson Memorial scored the first goal of the game 12 minutes into the match, but the Bulldogs responded with 6 straight goals, including a hat trick from Pentikis. The senior striker then saved the day on Tuesday with the game-winning goal in the 77th minute to give Rumson a 4-3 win over Red Bank in the Ridge Road rivalry game.
Honorable Mention
Class A North Honorable Mention: Tim Bertscha, Freehold Twp.; Mike Colantino, Middletown North; Luke Strada, Middletown South; Shawn McCann, Middletown South; Yasine Isa, Marlboro; Kieran McLean, Freehold Boro; Dylan Millevoi, CBA; Charlie Scanlon, Howell
Class A Central Honorable Mention: Kevin Barfield, Shore; Stephan Kapranov, Holmdel; Ronan Hogg, Rumson-Fair Haven; Bo Pepe, Wall; Anthony Cano, Monmouth; Antonio Santos, Rumson-Fair Haven; Jonathaun Lauria, Rumson-Fair Haven; Frankie Brusco, Holmdel; Bobby Milke, Red Bank Catholic
Class A South Honorable Mention: Ryan DiCillo, Central; Eddie Candia, Toms River South; Kajus Matazinskas, Toms River East; Ray Keller, Toms River North; Jayson Nardone, Brick; Tyler Korinchak, Jackson Memorial
Class B North Honorable Mention: Jairo Chira, Colts Neck; Sam Gershon, Colts Neck; Griffin Linstra, Manasquan; Ernst Louisius, Neptune; Jeremy Hernandez, Long Branch; Carlos Guerra, Red Bank; Anthony Vasquez, Long Branch; Mike Flanagan, Manasquan
Class B Central Honorable Mention: Dylan Gonzalez, Henry Hudson
Class B South Honorable Mention: Muberaq Aderogba, Manchester; Logan Gross, Lacey; Jared Elliott, Point Boro; Connor Yurgel, Jackson Liberty; Mateo Musmanni, Lacey
You're Not From Jersey Unless...
More From Shore Sports Network
