Sports
Playoff Pairings Announced for Ocean City Soccer Teams
The boys' team gets a No. 2 seed, while the girls are No. 6 in Group III South.
The seniors on the boys' soccer team wanted to restore the respect that the program achieved with decades of dominance.
The Red Raiders may not be completely back on top yet, but they are finally gaining some respect again. Ocean City is the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NJSIAA Group III South playoffs.
The Ocean City boys host No. 15 Highland on Nov. 1 in the opening round. The girls squad earned a No. 6 seed in their sectional tournament and will host No. 11 Lacey on Halloween.
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“I think we are happy with the spot we got,” Ocean City boys' coach Aaron Bogushefsky said. “I think the guys earned it.”
He added: “We are starting to get a little respect this year as far as rankings, and people saying that we are a team to beat.””
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The girls' squad looks like it could make a trip through the Shore Conference early in the tournament. If the Red Raiders beat Lacey in the opening round they most likely will travel up the Garden State Parkway to take on No. 3 Central Regional.
Should the Eagles be upset by No. 14 Cumberland then the Red Raiders will host the quarterfinals game. Timber Creek is the top seed in both the boys' and girls' brackets.
If the Ocean City boys keep winning, they will be home until the finals. Until then, the Red Raiders will have to contend with quality squads.
Ocean City’s second round opponent could be No. 7 Oakcrest or No. 10 Delsea. The Red Raiders already beat Oakcrest twice this season, but it’s a game they expect to be even tougher than the regular season if both teams get through the first round.
“Any time you beat a team twice that third time is tougher to do,” Bogushefsky said. “The teams become so familiar.”
No. 3 Lacey and No. 6 Kingsway are also on Ocean City’s side of the bracket.
“Lacey has been on a late season run and they do well in the Shore Conference,” Bogushefsky said. “They have a couple of good players who are goal scorers. They will be our main competition. Kingsway is a young team and they are on a roll lately. They will be tough to beat.”
This season other teams are saying the same thing about Ocean City.
