It’s tournament time around the Shore Conference, and plenty of local soccer and field hockey teams are in the mix for some hardware this fall.
In fact, some of the local teams are among the favorites to be adding to their trophy collections in the near future, as both the Shore Conference and state tournaments wrap up.
It should make for an interesting couple of weeks, as some perennial powerhouses look to maintain their winning traditions while some postseason newcomers get their feet wet.
Boys soccer
There are six local boys soccer teams that qualified for the state tournament, including at least two teams that are expected to challenge for sectional crowns.
Teams needed to have a .500 record at the end of play on Saturday to qualify.
Three local teams – Red Bank Regional, Monmouth Regional and Rumson- Fair Haven – have already earned one championship this fall, as they each have claimed a division title. RBR, who won the Class A Central with an 8-2 mark (10- 4 overall), should be among the high seeds in the Central Jersey Group III bracket, which will also feature Ocean Township, who qualified at 6-6-5 despite falling to CBA (11-4-1) on Saturday in a Shore Conference Tournament game. The Class B North champions from Monmouth Regional will also be among the top teams in this bracket.
The Golden Falcons have been one of the Shore’s top teams all season, and at 12-3-2 (and 8-2 in the division) following Saturday’s win over Brick Township, have been looking forward to the postseason. On Tuesday, the Falcons took on top-seeded Howell in the quarterfinals of the SCT. With a win there, the eighthseeded Falcons would face either Monsignor Donovan or Jackson Memorial in a semifinal today.
Don’t count out Ocean as a contender in the CJ Group III; the Spartans have seemingly righted the ship after losing five straight following their 5-0 start. Now, Ocean seems primed for another solid run in the state tourney – which at this point we really should come to expect from head coach Tom Reilly’s squad.
Rumson-Fair Haven, who breezed through its Class B Central schedule undefeated (11-0) this fall, will be among the top seeds in the CJ Group II bracket. First-year head coach Jonathon Reynolds has his team poised to make a run at a sectional crown, though they’ll need to play better than they did in an SCT contest on Thursday, where they fell to the Spartans, 2-1. With the loss, RFH fell to 13-2-1 on the year, having lost just one time in its previous 15 games before Thursday’s defeat.
Another team in the CJ Group II mix is Shore Regional, who played second fiddle to RFH in the B Central race this year, but has put together a solid season nonetheless under another first-year head coach, Chris Gioia. The Blue Devils (9-6-1, 9-3 in the division) are hoping to save their best soccer of the season for the state tourney as well.
Girls soccer
The Red Bank Catholic and Rumson- Fair Haven girls soccer teams have been among the best squads in the Shore all season long. However, they are only two of the five local teams that will be playing in the state tournament over the next couple of weeks.
RBC (9-3-1, 7-2-1), who won the nonpublic title in the Class A Central division but finished a game back of Holmdel, will look to make a run at another Non-Public South A title starting next week. Firstyear head coach Kristin Kowit’s squad has played very well of late and beat topranked Wall Township on Monday, 1-0, in an SCT quarterfinal match-up on a goal from freshman midfielder Danielle Colaprico with just over a minute to play.
With that win, the eighth-seeded Caseys earned a shot at fifth-seeded Jackson Memorial last night in the semifinals.
RFH (10-4), meanwhile, finished a game back of Shore Regional (11-2) in the Class B Central race, and both teams are expected to be among the better teams in the CJ Group II bracket. Shore knocked off third-ranked Holmdel on Saturday, 3- 2, but fell to Freehold, 3-0, on Monday in an SCT quarterfinal game.
However, Shore’s win over the Hornets on Saturday proved their mettle, and made them a solid pick in the state tournament. That leaves Ocean Township, who finished tied with Wall Township for second in the Class B North, one game behind Freehold Borough. The Spartans (13-3-2) knocked off a good Middletown North team, 2-1, on Saturday, but lost a tough 2-1 double-overtime affair to third-seeded Brick Memorial on Monday in SCT action. Ocean will play in what should be a very tough CJ Group III bracket in the state tourney, where they could eventually see Freehold Borough once again.
Field hockey
Four local field hockey teams are heading for the state tournament, which opens tomorrow for some teams. The topranked Ocean Township Spartans (14-1- 1) beat Holmdel, 2-0, in an SCT semifinal on Monday, on the strength of a pair of first-half penalty corner goals from senior Jenna Galatro and freshman Mallory Nelson. With the win, Ocean earned a shot at Shore Regional in yesterday’s SCT final.
The Spartans are also the second seed in the CJ Group III tournament, where they will open with seventh-seeded Pemberton on Monday in Ocean. Central Regional is the top seed in this bracket.
Shore Regional, who is always expected to be in the championship hunt this time of year, faced that aforementioned Central team on Monday in the other SCT semifinal and posted an impressive 5-1 win. In the state tournament, the B Central division champion Blue Devils (13-1-2) are the second seed in the North II Group I bracket. They will open play in that tournament on Oct. 30 against either Robbinsville or Florence.
Red Bank Catholic, the A Central division co-champs (with St. John Vianney), is another team with state title aspirations. However, the Caseys (10-3-2) really have their work cut out for them, because they will compete in a loaded Central Jersey Group III bracket that also features SJV (13-2-2), Allentown, Holmdel and Rumson-Fair Haven.
The Bulldogs (5-5-4) are a dangerous team who may surprise someone, starting with SJV – their opening-round opponent on Tuesday.