And then there were two
Manalapan (19-3-2) vs. Washington Twp. (17-2-2)
At Memorial Field, Neptune, 7 p.m.
Both teams have pretty much done the bare minimum to get to this point, winning their last three games by a goal each. Manalapan has not allowed a goal in the entire tournament, but have only scored one in each of its last three games. Washington, meanwhile, beat Pennsauken 2-1 and has since beat Toms River North and Lenape 1-0 each. I briefly talked to TRN coach Dave Mitchell about Washington, and he came away impressed. They can control the ball in the midfield, but they had some trouble finishing against North and, evidently, against Lenape.
I like Manalapan to move on for one reason: Jake Grinkevich. The play in goal has been superb and the defense in front of the goal has been nearly as good. We'll see what Washington has for George Quintano, who looks like he's good for a goal-a-game these days. If they are strong in the back, Manalapan might have some trouble, but they are going to have some opportunities along the way and they'll finish one at some point.
The Pick: Manalapan 2-0.
CBA (14-5-1) vs. Seton Hall Prep (21-1)
At The College of New Jersey, 6 p.m.
There is a preview coming out in Tuesday's paper that touches on the Seton Hall-CBA sports rivalry, so I won't get into that here.
The two teams are meeting for the first time in the Non-Public A finals, and it couldn't come at a worse time for CBA. Seton Hall Prep might have its best team ever, setting school records in wins (21), goals scored (93), and shutouts (15). Forwards C.J. Crooks and Sean Duggan are a lot to handle for a CBA team that is almost guaranteed to give up at least one goal a game (just two shutouts this year.
There is reason to believe for the Colts though. In 20 games this season, CBA has failed to score in only one of them, a 3-0 loss to Manalapan on Sept. 24. Seton Hall Prep keeps teams out of the goal, but CBA always gives themselves chances, and with Andrew Liapis playing like he is, they have a go-to finisher.
The second element that tips the scale more towards CBA is the Colts experience. They return a lot of key players from last year's runner-up team, and from what I've seen, they are indeed better than last year. If they can protect their goalie, they have the skill to put the ball in the net, whereas last year, they had a great goalie and had trouble scoring at times. Now that most everyone has played in this and on this turf (which killed CBA for the first half of last year's game), they should be comfortable with the elements from the outset.
Finally, the CBA is used to playing against great forwards, and that is Seton Hall's advantage in the game. CBA will put at least one in the net, but they will have to draw upon their past experience against guys like Kyle Bethel, George Quintano, and Gloucester Catholic's Kameron Teel to contain Crooks and Duggan.
A CBA win tonight is more than just a championship for the school. It's a certain measure of pay-back for a rivalry that has been very one-sided in favor of Seton Hall. It's a fifth championship for Dan Keane. It's a huge win for the Shore Conference, which would get a win against one of the state's best teams with the Conferences' third-best team. Whether or not the CBA kids believe any of it or feel the pressure, I don't know. But they know what it felt like to lose last year and to lose this year. I think that gets a very good game against a good team out of them, but guarding two great forwards is different than guarding just one. I think Seton Hall will be too much.
The Pick: Seton Hall 2-1.
At Memorial Field, Neptune, 7 p.m.
Both teams have pretty much done the bare minimum to get to this point, winning their last three games by a goal each. Manalapan has not allowed a goal in the entire tournament, but have only scored one in each of its last three games. Washington, meanwhile, beat Pennsauken 2-1 and has since beat Toms River North and Lenape 1-0 each. I briefly talked to TRN coach Dave Mitchell about Washington, and he came away impressed. They can control the ball in the midfield, but they had some trouble finishing against North and, evidently, against Lenape.
I like Manalapan to move on for one reason: Jake Grinkevich. The play in goal has been superb and the defense in front of the goal has been nearly as good. We'll see what Washington has for George Quintano, who looks like he's good for a goal-a-game these days. If they are strong in the back, Manalapan might have some trouble, but they are going to have some opportunities along the way and they'll finish one at some point.
The Pick: Manalapan 2-0.
CBA (14-5-1) vs. Seton Hall Prep (21-1)
At The College of New Jersey, 6 p.m.
There is a preview coming out in Tuesday's paper that touches on the Seton Hall-CBA sports rivalry, so I won't get into that here.
The two teams are meeting for the first time in the Non-Public A finals, and it couldn't come at a worse time for CBA. Seton Hall Prep might have its best team ever, setting school records in wins (21), goals scored (93), and shutouts (15). Forwards C.J. Crooks and Sean Duggan are a lot to handle for a CBA team that is almost guaranteed to give up at least one goal a game (just two shutouts this year.
There is reason to believe for the Colts though. In 20 games this season, CBA has failed to score in only one of them, a 3-0 loss to Manalapan on Sept. 24. Seton Hall Prep keeps teams out of the goal, but CBA always gives themselves chances, and with Andrew Liapis playing like he is, they have a go-to finisher.
The second element that tips the scale more towards CBA is the Colts experience. They return a lot of key players from last year's runner-up team, and from what I've seen, they are indeed better than last year. If they can protect their goalie, they have the skill to put the ball in the net, whereas last year, they had a great goalie and had trouble scoring at times. Now that most everyone has played in this and on this turf (which killed CBA for the first half of last year's game), they should be comfortable with the elements from the outset.
Finally, the CBA is used to playing against great forwards, and that is Seton Hall's advantage in the game. CBA will put at least one in the net, but they will have to draw upon their past experience against guys like Kyle Bethel, George Quintano, and Gloucester Catholic's Kameron Teel to contain Crooks and Duggan.
A CBA win tonight is more than just a championship for the school. It's a certain measure of pay-back for a rivalry that has been very one-sided in favor of Seton Hall. It's a fifth championship for Dan Keane. It's a huge win for the Shore Conference, which would get a win against one of the state's best teams with the Conferences' third-best team. Whether or not the CBA kids believe any of it or feel the pressure, I don't know. But they know what it felt like to lose last year and to lose this year. I think that gets a very good game against a good team out of them, but guarding two great forwards is different than guarding just one. I think Seton Hall will be too much.
The Pick: Seton Hall 2-1.
posted by Matt Manley at 7:02 PM
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