Shore Conference Boys Soccer Top 10, 10/6
This week presented an opportunity for a number of teams to step up and take the No. 1 ranking in the Shore Conference and despite that opportunity, the top 10 has a very familiar look to it this week. Ocean has resided in the top spot because the Spartans are a good enough team that someone else should have to earn the No. 1 ranking over the defending Shore Conference Tournament champions.
Losses by Rumson-Fair Haven and Manalapan and a tie by Toms River North this past week help Ocean stay in its familiar spot despite three straight ties of its own. Save for one new team near the back end of the field, Ocean’s fourth straight week at No.1 sets the tone for a top 10 similar to the one from last week.
1. Ocean (6-0-4, 4-0-4) Last Week: 1
The Spartans’ last three matches all ended in ties and two of those were against teams with losing records (Freehold and Neptune). Still, Ocean is the only Shore Conference team without a loss this season and considering the defending Shore Conference champions have not been on the wrong end of a score yet, there is no reason for them to give up their post, even with an underwhelming resume to this point.
2. Manalapan (8-1-0, 7-1-0) Last Week: 3
The Braves are one of several teams that missed a shot at being No. 1 this week when they not only took their first loss of the season, but did so in a convincing 3-0 defeat against a banged-up, albeit talented, Colts Neck squad. Overtime wins against Christian Brothers and Jackson Memorial on consecutive days, however, are more than enough to bump Manalapan up a spot after a 3-1 week that kept them in sole possession of first place in Class A North.
3. Toms River North (4-1-3, 4-0-3) Last Week: 4
Like Ocean, Toms River North has been treading water with a handful of ties within the division so far. The only difference is the Mariners have lost a game, that coming against Monroe in their opener. With no losses against the Shore Conference, Toms River North has a case to be No. 2, but their best wins to this point are against bubble teams Brick Memorial and Toms River South.
4. Holmdel (8-1-1, 6-1-1) Last Week: 5
Coming off a statement win against Rumson-Fair Haven on Saturday, the Hornets are another team with a possible No. 1 resume. They have not lost since Sept. 16 against Rumson-Fair Haven and the only time they did not win during the ensuing span was a scoreless draw against Raritan on Thursday. The Hornets will continue to climb if they can keep winning and Toms River North, Manalapan and Ocean fall victim to their schedules.
5. Rumson-Fair Haven (8-1-1, 5-1-1) Last Week: 2
The Bulldogs would have been the clear choice for No. 1 had they held on to a 1-0 lead against Holmdel on Saturday, but the loss drops them to No. 5 and puts their hopes of an outright division title in jeopardy. Rumson has not had a signature win since beating Holmdel on Sept. 16, so the rematch with Raritan – which tied Rumson 1-1 – on Thursday will be a must-win in order to stay in the top five.
6. Freehold Township (8-2-0, 7-2-0) Last Week: 8
Since dropping its second loss of the season to CBA on Sept. 24, Freehold Township is 4-0 with wins over Colts Neck and the CBA team that beat the Patriots at the Academy. The Patriots are primed for a run at the division title and they can take a major step toward that title with a win over Manalapan on Thursday.
7. Colts Neck (4-1-3, 4-1-3) Last Week: 9
The Cougars have a case to be much higher with a convincing 3-0 win over Manalapan on their resume, but the entire body of work leaves Colts Neck outside the top five and third among the Class A North teams. Two ties against Howell and a loss to Freehold Township don’t quite stack up to Manalapan’s overall body of work, but Colts Neck is still looking to get healthy for a second run through the division.
8. Christian Brothers Academy (5-3-1, 5-3-1) Last Week: 6
The Colts have suffered three agonizing results in the last nine days. They tied Colts Neck 2-2 after the Cougars scored the equalizer with 13 seconds left in regulation, gave up two penalty kicks in a 2-1 loss at Freehold Township and surrendered the golden goal in a 1-0 loss to Manalapan with 17 seconds left in the second overtime. The young Colts have had some growing pains, but they still sit above .500 Colts Neck as the only winning team left on their pre-tournament schedule.
9. Raritan (6-2-2, 4-2-2) Last Week: Not Ranked
The Rockets have done a nice job handling their business in Class A Central and stepped up twice in ties against Rumson and Holmdel. Raritan will get one more crack at Rumson on Thursday and if it can pull off another positive result, the Rockets could end up being regulars in the top 10 the rest of the way.
10. Lacey (5-2-2, 4-2-2) Last Week: 10
The Lions remain at No. 10 over Jackson Memorial on the strength of a head-to-head win over the Jaguars. Both teams tied Toms River North and while Jackson has wins over two teams that beat Lacey – Toms River East and Brick Memorial – Lacey beat Toms River South (1-0 winners over Jackson). That plus the head-to-head win gives Lacey the edge.
Dropped Out
Jackson Memorial (7-3-1, 4-2-1) Last Week: 7 – Give Jackson Memorial credit for challenging themselves with non-division games against Long Branch and Manalapan, but in the end, those both backfired. Long Branch has struggled, taking away what might have amounted to a quality win, while Manalapan knocked off the Jaguars in overtime.
On the Bubble
Wall (4-1-6, 2-1-5) – The Crimson Knights love their 100-minute games. Wall has finished its last four games in a tie to up its season total to six.
Point Boro (9-2-0, 8-0-0) – A 3-0 loss to Shore is keeping the Panthers out for now, but another win over Central on Monday may be all they need to lock up another B South title, which keeps them in the mix.
Central (7-1-0, 7-1-0) – The Golden Eagles have been the most dominant team in B South (24 goals, four allowed), but none of that matters if they can’t win at Point Boro on Monday.
Matawan (4-3-1, 4-3-1) – A big win over Long Branch ended a three-game winless streak and keeps the Huskies in the hunt for Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournament berths.
Brick Memorial (5-5-0, 4-4-0) – The Mustangs have wins over Toms River East and Toms River South, as well as a convincing win over Lacey. The Lions just beat Brick Memorial the second time around, which keeps the Mustangs outside the top 10.
More From Shore Sports Network
