LITTLE SILVER – Two years ago, the Red Bank Regional boys soccer team got off to a slow start, being winless in its first five games and scoring just five goals in that span.
Coach Sean Reid then decided to make a change and move outside back Justin Gilson to forward, and the switch paid off in a big way.
“We had lost three of those five games by a goal, so I made the switch,” said Reid. “Gilson scored 22 goals and we went 15-3-2 the rest of the season.”
“The coach just decided to switch it up a bit and we took off from there,” said Gilson, who will be playing soccer at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton next season.
Gilson followed up his fine junior season by scoring 27 goals last fall as Red Bank finished 13-6-1, including two wins over B Division North champion Wall.
“We had a good season and it could have been a little better,” said Gilson. “But we made a nice playoff run before losing the (Group 3) sectional final to Princeton. However, they had a very good team.”
Gilson got off to a good start last season by scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 win over Ridge Road rival Rumson-Fair Haven and following it up by scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Neptune.
Red Bank had hoped to do well in the Shore Conference tournament, being the third seed, but were upset in the first round by Marlboro, 6-3, despite two goals from Gilson.
“That was a disappointment,” said Gilson. “Our starting goalie got hurt in that game and we missed him.”
Gilson had a good state tournament by scoring two goals in a 3-0 win over Steinert and one in a 2-1 win over Northern Burlington. He also scored the lone goal in the 4-1 loss to Princeton.
“Justin has character and that is his strong point,” said Reid. “He’s a coaches dream. He always marks the other players well and his defensive ability helps make him a good scorer. He’s a hard worker and still works with me in the summer.”
As a junior, Gilson scored a career-high four goals in a win over Long Branch, but the Bucs ended up losing in the states to Princeton once again.
Gilson also was a two-year starter in basketball as the Bucs enjoyed winning seasons both years.
Red Bank finished 14-7 last winter, but they slumped in the second half of the season after getting off to a 9-1 start.
The big game of the season came in the finals of the Buc Holiday Classic when they stunned defending NJSIAA Tournament of Champions winner St. Joseph’s (Metuchen) in a 59-54 overtime thriller.
“That was an exciting game,” said Gilson. “Sadiq Palmer tied the game with a basket to force the overtime and we controlled it from there. Our fan support was great in that game.
“They had a great player (Breein Tyree) and we felt we had to control him and let the other players try to beat us,” he said.
Red Bank had another good season in Gilson’s junior year going 17-11 and reaching the CJ Group III finals before losing, 72-63, to Ewing.
“The game was at Ewing and the gym was packed,” said Gilson. “Despite losing, we played well and it was an awesome atmosphere.”
Gilson was a standout in the classroom, making the National Honor Society and winning a number of awards, including the Sam Mills Scholarship Award. He was a member in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also won an Academic All-American Award for soccer
He played both soccer and basketball at Markham Place Middle School and helped it to a Middle School championship in soccer, and in the seventh grade he played on an unbeaten regular season basketball team.
“I’ll be leaving for Florida Atlantic Aug 8,” said Gilson. “I’ll be a preferred walk on and hope to play a lot. They had a tough season last year but have had good teams in the past. They need goal scorers and I think I can help.
“Florida Atlantic is a perfect setup for me as far as academics, coaching and soccer is concerned,” he said. “I’ll major in accounting. I want to be a certified accountant when I get out of college and work in the city.”
– By Jim Hintelmann
With photo by Jaclyn Shugard
