Courier News Boys Soccer Top 10
1. Scotch Plains-Fanwood (13-2): The Raiders dropped a 2-0 decision to Elizabeth last week but bounced back with back-to-back wins over Columbia and Union by a combined 8-0. Scotch Plains-Fanwood has posted nine shutouts so far this season, and in its two losses has allowed only three goals. The top-seeded Raiders will host No. 9 Plainfield in the Union County Tournament quarterfinals Saturday. Scotch Plains previously beat Plainfield 1-0 on Sept. 27.
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2. Pingry (7-2-1): Pingry has won its last four games after falling to Peddie 5-0 on Sept. 24. The Big Blue defeated Hillsborough, Hun and Phillipsburg by a combined 17-5, then defeated Gill St. Bernard's 1-0 on Saturday. Pingry will look to keep its winning ways going, as it faces North Hunterdon on Thursday before hosting No. 6 North Plainfield on Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.
3. Gill St. Bernard's (7-2-1): Gill St. Bernard's had a seven-game win streak snapped with a 1-0 loss to Pingry on Saturday. In those seven games, the Knights outscored opponents 27-4 with five shutouts. On Tuesday Gill started to work its way back from that loss, tying Skyland Conference rival Bernards 2-2 in double overtime. The Knights will next face Somerville in back-to-back games, on Thursday in a regular season matchup, then on Saturday in the SCT quarterfinals.
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4. Bridgewater-Raritan (7-2): Bridgewater-Raritan has gone 2-2 in its last four games, falling to Gill St. Bernard's 3-2 and Scotch Plains-Fanwood 2-1, and beating Ridge and Watchung Hills. The Panthers will face Montgomery on Thursday before hosting Watchung Hills on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the SCT.
5. Hunterdon Central (8-1): The Red Devils are riding a four-game win streak since falling to Scotch Plains-Fanwood 1-0 on Sept. 22. Hunterdon Central has only allowed two goals in those four games and will look to keep the streak going when it faces Franklin on Thursday and Wallkill Valley in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday.
6. Westfield (10-3-1): Westfield is on a seven-game win streak, and all seven games have been shutouts. The second-seeded Blue Devils, who sit atop the Watchung Division, will host 10th-seeded Dayton in the Union County Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
7. Bernards (9-1-1): The Mountaineers had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a 2-2 double overtime tie against rival Gill St. Bernard's on Tuesday. In those eight games the Bernards' defense allowed only three goals with five shutouts. Bernards will close out the week against Voorhees on Thursday, then will host Montgomery in the SCT quarterfinals on Saturday.
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8. North Plainfield (10-1): The Canucks have won five games in a row since falling to St. Peter's Prep on Sept. 24. In those five games North Plainfield has outscored opponents 17-5 with two shutouts. North Plainfield will host East Brunswick Tech on Friday before traveling to Pingry in the SCT quarterfinals on Saturday.
9. Montgomery (8-3): Montgomery has won back-to-back games in dominant fashion since falling to Hunterdon Central 1-0 on Sept. 27. In its two wins since, Montgomery has scored 12 goals and allowed only two. The reigning Somerset County Tournament co-champion will look to ride that momentum into the rest of this week when the Cougars face two tough teams in Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday and Bernards in the SCT quarterfinals on Saturday.
10. Somerville (8-4): Somerville has won three-straight games since falling to Bernards 1-0 on Sept. 29. The Pioneers have scored nine goals and posted two shutouts. They have a tough two games ahead of them as they face Gill St. Bernard's twice in three days, on Thursday in a regular season matchup and on Saturday in the SCT quarterfinals.
Records through Tuesday.
Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego