No.1 Seed Manalapan Waiting For Rockets In Second Round
By Mike Ready
HAZLET - The upstart Raritan boys’ soccer team drew a tough assignment in the upcoming Shore Conference Tournament after being seeded No. 16 in the field of 25 teams.
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Their opening round match-up pits them against cross-town rival Matawan Regional (6-5-1), seeded No. 17, Thursday, 9-24-13 at Raritan High School with a 3:45 p.m. start. Matawan lost two close games in their final two games of the season to No.4 Ocean and No.9 Wall, so they will be a formidable foe for the Rockets in first round action.
Should the Rockets (9-4-2) advance against the Huskies, their opponent would be No.1 seed Manalapan (12-2-1). Manalapan has been the most consistent team in Shore this season and it would take a herculean effort to defeat the Braves.
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If they can pull off the upset against the Braves, waiting in the wings most likely will be perennial Shore Conference power No.9 seed Colts Neck (7-3-4), another extremely skilled Class A North opponent. Just getting to the quarterfinals against the Cougars is a very tough road to hoe for this young Rocket team and would be a tournament shocker.
After graduating eight starters with only four returning and two freshmen in the starting lineup, the Rockets placed third in the Class A Central division (6-4-2), exceeding all expectations with a combination of speed, defense and a grittiness that had opponents wary of playing them by seasons end.
Scoring 26 goals and allowing only 14, the Rockets are led by junior midfielder Cassidy Tripolitis (4 goals, 5 assists), senior midfielder John McAree (5 goals, 3 assists), junior attacker Ryan Casciani (3 goals, 3 assists), senior midfielder Pat Goggins and freshman defender Angelo Fontanazza, both with three goals and two assists.
Goggins and McAree were All-Class A Central selections last season along with junior defender Roco Ferrigno (2 goals), who has been a force in the back for the Rockets. All three have continued their stellar play this season, as well as being team leaders.
Senior keeper Alex Pruckowski has been solid in the net all year and has made over a 100 saves on the year.
The Rockets may be over looked in this tournament and if that happens, watch for them to make some noise with a possible upset or two.
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