Glen Ridge High School senior Olivia Hoover beams as she signs a letter of intent to continue her soccer career at the University of Delaware.
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — Glen Ridge High School senior Olivia Hoover has signed a letter of intent accepting an athletic scholarship to the University of Delaware where she will continue her soccer career.
Hoover played just three games this season due to injury. She unfortunately injured her knee in the first half of the season opener against West Essex in a 2-2 tie in which she scored one of the Ridgers’ goals. She didn’t come back to the team until the NJSIAA, North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1, state tournament, trying to help the Ridgers win a sectional title for the 10th straight season.
In her first game back, Hoover had two goals and added an assist in the 4-3 upset win over seventh-seeded Hasbrouck Heights in the first round.
GRHS, seeded 10th, then lost at second-seeded Cedar Grove, 2-0, in the quarterfinals on Nov. 5 to end the season.
Oscar Viteri, who completed his 21st year as the GRHS head coach, commended Hoover for her efforts in coming back from the injury.
“She helped us out as best she could,” Viteri said. “She’s been a starter for me since her freshman year. Last year, she was up top for us and at midfield. This year, I had her penciled in as a forward because after we lost Sydney (Mansfield) to graduation, we needed a go-to player and Olivia would have been that player, but she got hurt after she scored in the first game. (She’s a) very good player, very good technical player, very creative at creating space. She created a lot of scoring chances for us when she was healthy.”
The Ridgers, who had several other players injured during the season, finished with a 4-9-5 overall record. Despite the losing mark, the team managed to beat West Orange, 1-0, in the second game of the season and also tied Montclair, 0-0. Glen Ridge played West Orange again in the Essex County Tournament quarterfinals, but lost, 1-0. West Orange went on to win the ECT title.
Photo Courtesy of Rob Hill/GRHS athletic director
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