CBA senior Tiarnan King scored his first varsity goal in CBA’s 1-0 win over Manalapan in the Shore Conference semifinal.
CBA’s Jake Homowitz, Tiarnan King and Will Thygeson formed a wall in the second half of the Colts SCT final. 
CBA senior captain Marco Mastriani celebrated moments after the Colts won the Shore Conference championship. 
Christian Brothers Academy grabbed the 2021 Shore Conference boys soccer tournament with a 3-0 win over Toms River North at Barnegat High School.
By Rich Chrampanis
BARNEGAT – Christian Brothers Academy was the favorite in Shore Conference soccer but there were some preseason prognostications who said Toms River North could be a threat to win the top spot in Monmouth and Ocean counties. So it was only fitting that the 12-1-1 Mariners would be standing in the way of the 16-0-1 Colts in the conference championship game at Barnegat High School Oct. 28.
But CBA left no doubt about the top Shore team following a 3-0 win over Toms River North, giving the school an 11th career Shore Conference soccer title.
“Everyone wasn’t so confident in us,” senior Dylan Cupo said. They’re a really good team but we came out and we put it to them. Everyone performed well and it was really great to get that win.”
CBA’s defensive effort has been stellar all year long: The shutout of TRN was the Colts sixth straight clean sheet. On the offensive end it was the combination of Will Thygeson and Dylan Cupo that did the damage.
Thygeson is the Colts leader in assists with nine but was on the other side in the championship game, scoring two goals. Cupo set up the junior in the 34th minute on a cross that was headed home to give CBA a 1-0 halftime lead. Early in the second half, Thygeson scored his second on a rebound and Cupo delivered the exclamation point with a goal in the 50th minute.
It’s the Colts first Shore Conference title since 2016. Last year’s CBA team very well could have had a title if the tournament hadn’t been canceled because of the COVID pandemic.
“Last year was a great team, but we didn’t have a Shore Conference Tournament,” Thygeson said. “But that 2016 team, they were an amazing team and we are just lucky to be the next group in the legacy of CBA success. We don’t take it for granted. We know coming out here every day is a gift and we are looking to keep building on our mark in CBA history.”
CBA now turns its attention to the Non-Public “A” state tournament. The Colts are the top seed in the South bracket looking to add to the school’s seven state championships, most recently in 2018.
The article originally appeared in the November 4 – 10, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
