Toms River North Girls, Boys Reach Shore Conference Soccer Tournament Semifinals

TOMS RIVER, NJ — It's on to the semifinals for Toms River North, as both the girls and boys soccer teams from the high school are still alive in the Shore Conference Tournament.

The Mariners' girls team, which defeated Point Pleasant Boro 4-0 on Monday in the quarterfinals, takes on Freehold Township Wednesday, while the boys team, which defeated Holmdel 5-0 on Tuesday, will face top-seeded Christian Brothers Academy on Thursday.

All of the semifinals are being played at Central Regional High School.

The Mariners' girls team (15-1) beat the Panthers on Monday behind a pair of goals and an assist from Krystal Hund, North's leading goal-scorer with 22 for the season. Jenna Royson and Melissa Wilhelm each had a goal and an assist, and Emily Royson added an assist, while Ashley Tutzauer stopped five shots for her 10th shutout this season. The Mariners, who sit atop Shore Conference Class A South, suffered their lone loss at the hands of crosstown rival Toms River South and have two wins over Jackson Memorial, which is second in Class A South, according to official records kept on NJ.com.

The girls take on second-seeded Freehold Township (14-1-4) at 5 p.m. The Patriots beat Jackson Memorial in a shootout to advance to the semifinals, after downing Red Bank Catholic 2-0 in the opening round last week. Freehold Township, which was the NJSIAA Group IV co-champion last year, lost to Colts Neck in the Shore Conference Tournament final last season.

The winner of the Toms River North-Freehold Township game will face the winner of the semifinal between top-seeded Wall and fifth-seeded Colts Neck, which is at 7 p.m.

Toms River North's boys team faces an uphill battle Thursday at Central Regional when it takes on perennially tough and defending SCT champion CBA. The Mariners (13-4) beat Holmdel easily in the quarterfinals Tuesday, with Mitch Reed recording a hat trick and Anthony McNulty scoring a pair of goals, according to Shore Sports Network. North defeated Central 1-0 on a golden goal in overtime on Saturday in the first round.

CBA (18-1) suffered a 1-0 setback at the hands of Marlboro for its only loss of the season. The game will likely be at 7 p.m.

Photo by Karen Wall (Patch Staff)