Soccer – Monmouth Reigns Supreme in Girls and Boys Senior All-Star Games

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TINTON FALLS - Soccer fans at the Shore got one last look at the top seniors from Monmouth and Ocean County Monday night at the Capelli Sports Complex and the all-stars from Monmouth once again proved to have the edge.

Marlboro's duo of Max Shushkovsky and Mike Steinberg each scored to lead the Monmouth boys and seven different Monmouth girls scored a goal to spark a one-sided win as both teams from the Shore's northern county won at Monday's Senior All-Star Game double-header.

Steinberg scored the game's first goal in the 44th minute and Shushkovsky scored the game-winner in the 69th to lead Monmouth to a 3-1 win on the boys side. Shushkovsky was named Monmouth's game MVP.

PHOTO GALLERY: Boys Senior All-Star Game by Paula Lopez

Senior All-Star MVP Max Shushkovsky (Marlboro) with Monmouth County coaches (from left) Ron Poll (Holmdel), Tom McGill (Manasquan) and Josh Mehl (Freehold Twp.). (Photo by Paula Lopez)

In the first end of the double-header, St. Rose standout Julianne Leskauskas scored the first of seven Monmouth goals by seven different players in a 7-0 rout of Ocean County and was awarded the MVP of her team.

Leskauskas started the scoring parade and Shore's Julia Eichenbaum, Red Bank Catholic's Reagan Pauwels and Middletown South's Emma Laudisi each scored before halftime to stake the Monmouth seniors to a 4-0 lead.

PHOTO GALLERY: Girls Senior All-Star Game by Paula Lopez

Monmouth County MVP Julianne Leskauskas (St. Rose) with Monmouth County coaches Megan Barry (Middletown South) and Frank Lawrence (Red Bank Catholic). (Photo by Steve Meyer)

Monmouth Regional's Ranya Senhaji, Manasquan's Paige Reichy and Manalapan's Lauren Bruno each added a goal in the second half.

Southern Regional senior Megan Lockwood was named MVP of the Ocean County team while Brick Memorial goalkeeper Ashley Maribo turned in a strong performance while facing a constant barrage of shots.

The second of the two All-Star games was much more competitive, with the Ocean side quieting an imposing Monmouth attack during a scoreless first half. Toms River South goalkeeper Jalen Folsom handled the goalkeeping duties in the first half and took home MVP honors for his six saves in 40 scoreless minutes.

The scoring picked up in the second half starting with Steinberg's curling strike to the upper right corner of the goal from 18 yards out. Three minutes later, however, Ocean answered when Lacey's Mike Cyphers blasted a shot off the head of Ocean Township's Eli Brandimarte and into the goal for the equalizer.

Christian Brothers midfielder Michael Casper bid for the go-ahead goal midway through the half by chipping Manchester keeper Rich Mariotti but Southern's Ben Hanneman came flying into the goal to volley the ball away from the frame for the defensive play of the game.

Hanneman's heroics only delayed the inevitable, however. Shuskovsky got an open look from just inside the 18-yard box on the right side and skipped a low shot out of the reach of Mariotti and in for a 69th-minute score.

Monmouth added an insurance goal in the 76th when Monmouth Regional's Mason Martelloni poked a through-ball from Freehold Township's Bennett Messinger into the goal.

The boys Senior All-Star game was the second installment of the re-imagined institution and this year's version was more competitive than last year's 5-0 affair.

Shushkovsky and Steinberg were the leading scorers on Marlboro's 14-5 squad this past fall, with each tallying 33 total points. Steinberg got there with a team-high 14 goals and five assists while Shushkovsky had 13 goals and seven assists.