The Glen Ridge HS girls’ soccer team is elated after prevailing in the PK shootout in the ECT semfinals held at Belleville HS on Wednesday night, Oct. 24.
GLEN RIDGE, NJ – The 11th-seeded Glen Ridge High School girls’ varsity soccer team upset No. 2 seed Nutley in a penalty-kick shootout to advance to the Essex County Tournament championship game.
Glen Ridge won the shootout, 5-4, after the score was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation and two overtimes during the ECT semifinals doubleheader held at Belleville HS on Oct. 24.
Glen Ridge, which moved to a 6-6-2 record, will face top-seeded and unbeaten West Orange HS in the championship game on Friday, Oct. 26, at Caldwell High School at 5 p.m. West Orange defeated No. 5 seed Livingston, 4-0, in the other semifinal to improve to 14-0-2.
After a scoreless first half, Ania Prussak scored to give Glen Ridge a 1-0 lead. Nutley tied it 1-1 with 10 minutes left in regulation. The score remained tied at the end of regulation and two overtimes, forcing a penalty-kick shootout that Glen Ridge won. Nutley moved to 10-2-2.
The Ridgers, under 18th-year head coach Oscar Viteri, will appear in their third ECT final in the 36-year history of the tournament. They are looking for their first ECT title. They lost in the finals in 2002 and in 2014 against Millburn and Montclair respectively.
West Orange is making its first-ever appearance in the ECT final.
Glen Ridge lost to West Orange in the second game of this season, 5-1, Sept. 12 at Watsessing Park.
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