Courier News Boys Soccer Top 10
1. Bernards (17-1-1): Bernards takes over the No. 1 spot in the Courier News Top 10 for the first time this season, and it's for a pretty good reason. The Mountaineers, the No. 4 seed in the Somerset County Tournament, defeated No. 3 Pingry to win its first championship title since 1990. Bernards' only loss and only tie this season has come against Gill St. Bernard's, and since that one loss has gone 17-0-1 in its last 18 games, with nine shutouts. The Mountaineers earned the No. 2 seed in the NJSIAA Central Group II Tournament, and earned a first round victory over Carteret, which was also coach Joe LaSpada's 500th win. They will host No. 10 Raritan in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
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2. Westfield (16-3-1): Westfield, the No. 2 seed in the Union County Tournament, won its first title since 2010 and 11th overall with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood. The Blue Devils are on a 15-game win streak and haven't lost a game since falling to Princeton on Sept. 17, and in that span have posted 10 shutouts. Westfield earned the fifth seed in North 2 Group IV and picked up a first round win over No. 12 Phillipsburg. It will travel to fourth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday.
3. Hunterdon Central (15-1): Hunterdon Central won its 15th Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament title and third in five years with a 5-0 win over Sparta on Saturday. The Red Devils haven't lost since Sept. 22, and are on an 11-game win streak. Goalie Dan Mecadon, who won the H/W/S Tournament MVP, anchors a defense that has posted 11 shutouts so far this season, including one in the first round of the Central Group IV Tournament. Hunterdon Central, the No. 1 seed, will face eighth-seeded Freehold Township on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
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4. Scotch Plains-Fanwood (18-3): Scotch Plains-Fanwood had a six-game win streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to Westfield in the Union County Tournament final, which halted the Raiders from winning their sixth straight UCT title. Scotch Plains-Fanwood, which earned the No. 3 seed in North 2 Group IV, defeated No. 14 North Hunterdon, 1-0, in the opening round and will face 11th-seeded Ridge in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
5. Pingry (12-4-1): The Big Blue has gone 3-2 in its last five games, which included a 3-1 loss to Bernards in the Somerset County Tournament final. Pingry bounced back with a 6-0 opening round victory over No. 12 Paramus Catholic in North Non-Public A. Pingry, the No. 5 seed, will travel to No. 4 Delbarton in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
6. Gill St. Bernard's (13-3-1): Since falling to Somerville in the Somerset County Tournament quaterfinals, Gill St. Bernard's has won five-straight games by a combined 35-3 with three shutouts. The Knights, the top seed in South Non-Public B, earned a bye into the quarterfinals and will face eighth-seeded Ranney on Thursday.
7. Bridgewater-Raritan (11-5): Bridgewater-Raritan snapped a three-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over No. 13 Plainfield in the opening round of North 2 Group IV. The Panthers, the No. 4 seed, will host No. 5 Westfield on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
8. Somerville (10-8-1): Somerville ended its season on a three-game losing streak, but that doesn't take away from the kind of season the Pioneers had. Somerville advanced to the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, where it lost 1-0 to Pingry on a penalty kick. In the first round of North 2 Group III, ninth-seeded Somerville fell to No. 8 West Morris 1-0 in double overtime.
9. North Plainfield (14-4): North Plainfield went 3-2 in its final five games to close out the season. The Canucks, the fourth seed in Central Group II, were upset 3-1 by Rumson-Fair Haven in the opening round.
10. Bound Brook (12-7): Since losing back-to-back games against North Plainfield and Belvidere, Bound Brook has won its last three games by a combined 18-1 with two shutouts. The Crusaders earned the No. 5 seed in Central Group I and opened the tournament with a 5-1 victory over No. 12 Manville. They will travel to fourth-seeded South River in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Records through Tuesday.
Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego