Preseason Honors and Team Rankings
The Shore Conference boys soccer season begins this week, and the preseason All-Shore team and Top 10 team rankings have been released. Colts Neck senior Sean Moore, a two-time All-American, enters the season with 80 career goals. He set a new personal high with 30 goals last season and will lead the Cougars as they look to reclaim the Shore Conference title and pursue a state championship that has eluded them the past two seasons.
Middletown South tops the rankings after a 17-4-1 season in 2025. The Eagles return leading scorer Connor Saul, who had 16 goals last year, including a hat trick in the sectional title win over Colts Neck and a goal and an assist in the state semifinal win over Moorestown. Grant Pipercic and Liam McGrath are also key returners.
Colts Neck is ranked No. 2 after a 19-3 season. With Moore leading a younger group, sophomores Adrian Kruglyansky, Christian Sclafani, and Leo Shatku are expected to gain experience. Christian Brothers Academy (16-3-4) is No. 3, returning John Little, Shane Landau, Matt Papagni, and Brady Lepore. Ocean Township (12-7) is No. 4, bringing back Connor Shaw and Nic Critelli, each with 11 goals, plus defensive cornerstones Matthew Makower and Luciano Ibarra.
Southern (16-7-2) is ranked No. 5 after winning the South Group 4 title for the second straight year, though the Rams fell 1-0 to North Brunswick in the state semifinal. Toms River East (17-6-1) is No. 6, led by Sam Los and a core group including Ayden Salazar, Brady Gillen, Brennen Hutton, and Evan Cappetta. Manasquan (13-8) is No. 7, with Cruz Farkas's 21 goals to replace but Noah Matuch (7 goals), Adam Rodricks (6 goals), Quinn Petrulla, Travis Levy, and John Visceglia returning. Toms River North (8-8-5) is No. 8, with an elite defense and 10 shutouts but questions about offensive production. Shore Regional (13-7-1) is No. 9, bringing back four of its five leading scorers, including Silvio Pessoa, Bryan Barbosa, Bryan Silveira, and Michael Ilvento. Brick Memorial (16-8) rounds out the Top 10, with Nate Stryker, Nick Stryker, and Matthew Heptig returning but goalkeeper Ryan Wheeler graduated.
All-Shore Standouts
The All-Shore team features several players with notable credentials. Brody Powers of Point Pleasant Beach, a senior forward, has 58 career goals and raised his play as a junior with 27 goals and 10 assists. Connor Shaw of Ocean Township, a senior forward, tallied 11 goals and seven assists last season. Nate Stryker of Brick Memorial, a senior forward, had 27 goals as the Mustangs posted a 16-8 season and reached the Central Group 3 sectional semifinal before falling to Colts Neck.
In the midfield, Connor Saul of Middletown South led the Eagles with 16 goals. Sam Los of Toms River East, a senior midfielder, was second on the team with 11 goals and added four assists as a junior. Michael Ilvento of Shore Regional, a senior midfielder, was second on his team with 10 goals, including two in the team's playoff win over Highland Park. Brady Gillen of Toms River East, a junior defender, had 10 assists last season, second only to Aiden Reis. Chris Ruggiero of Toms River North, a senior defender, led his team in scoring from the back with four goals. Christian Oberti of Toms River South, a senior defender, had one goal and one assist as a junior while his team kept a clean sheet in 12 games, including both playoff wins. Jordan Vieira of Long Branch, a senior defender, helped the team keep a clean sheet in seven of their final eight victories and allowed only one goal in a state semifinal loss; Long Branch recorded 10 clean sheets last season, with Vieira earning All-County recognition. Gavin Stryker of Toms River North, a senior goalkeeper, allowed more than one goal in just four of 21 games, and the Mariners kept a clean sheet in 10 games.
Shore Regional: Experience and Expectations
Shore Regional coach Christian Pontier said the depth of experience across his roster, built around seniors who played on the program's 2023 Central Jersey, Group 1 championship team as freshmen, gives the team its most significant edge heading into the season.
The attack will center on senior midfielder Silvio Pessoa, who produced six goals and six assists in only nine games last season while battling injury, and senior midfielder Michael Ilvento, who scored 10 goals and added four assists. Pontier said fans should expect "highly entertaining attacking soccer," with a team that shares the ball and works to generate as many scoring chances as possible.
Pontier has been head coach for 17 seasons at Shore Regional, with 19 total seasons in the program. His career record is 199-126-13. Last season, Shore Regional finished 13-7-1 and lost to Middlesex in the Central Jersey, Group 1 quarterfinals.
The Blue Devils graduated two contributors from last season: forward Cooper Attaway and defender Madden DeRosa. Four players join the program: sophomore defender Alexander Bruinsma arrives from Switzerland, senior midfielder Matheus Lopes transfers from Long Branch, sophomore midfielder Hlia Vasilopoulos moves up from the junior varsity level, and senior defender Sean O'Rourke, who did not play last season, joins the varsity roster.
Pessoa figures as the focal point of the offense after an injury-shortened campaign. Pontier described him as "one of the leading assist guys in the Shore Conference two years ago" who "only played nine games due to injury last year." Pessoa has drawn interest from Division 3 programs. Ilvento slides in alongside Pessoa in Shore Regional's expected 4-2-3-1 formation.
Pontier also identified junior forward Bryan Barbosa as his top breakout candidate; Barbosa scored nine goals as a freshman but finished with six last year. Junior midfielder Bryan Silveira scored six goals last season as a sophomore and returns as a starter. Senior center back Jackson Motzenbecker has started every game of his career, including the Group 1 championship game in 2023. Sophomore Juan Sanchez steps into a full-time starting goalkeeper role.
Looking Ahead
Pontier ranked Colts Neck first in his preseason top 10 for the conference, followed by Middletown South, CBA, Marlboro, Toms River East, Freehold Township, Manalapan, Holmdel, Southern, and Toms River North.
Shore Regional opens its season on Sept. 8 at home against rival Rumson Fair-Haven. The Shore Conference produced three sectional champions last year but no state champions, as Middletown South and Ranney finished as runners-up in Group 3 and Non-Public B, respectively.