GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The Glen Ridge High School girls soccer team enjoyed an inspiring run in the Essex County Tournament.
The 12th-seeded Lady Ridgers, under 22-year head coach Oscar Viteri, finished as runner-up. They lost to third-seeded West Orange High School, 5-0, in the ECT championship game on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 22, at Caldwell High School.
West Orange won the ECT title for the second year in a row.
Glen Ridge had its five-game unbeaten streak end and moved to an 8-7-2 record on the season.
The unbeaten streak started after a 2-0 loss to West Orange on Thursday, Oct. 6, in a Super Essex Conference crossover game.
Glen Ridge stunned top-seeded Montclair, 2-1, in the ECT semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Livingston High School. It was Montclair’s first loss of the season. Montclair, ranked No. 7 in the state by the Star-Ledger, was 13-0-1 going into the game.
Senior Ava Kotronis scored both goals for Glen Ridge, and sophomore Katie Powers had one assist. Junior Olivia Gist made nine saves for Glen Ridge.
Glen Ridge avenged a 1-0 loss to Montclair on Sept. 19 in an SEC crossover game.
Glen Ridge defeated Science Park, 5-0, on Wednesday, Oct. 19, in an SEC crossover game. Kotronis and Powers each had two goals, and senior Megan Farnham-Varga had one goal. Freshman Grace Sutton, and sophomores Ava Decker and Keira Runnions each had an assist. Gist made two saves, and freshman Alison Snyder and senior Jada Cush each had one save.
Glen Ridge defeated No. 21 seed Orange, 9-0, in the ECT preliminary round on Monday, Oct. 10; defeated No. 5 seed West Essex, 1-0, in the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 12; and eliminated fourth-seeded Verona on Friday, Oct. 14, in the quarterfinals in a penalty-kick shootout, 5-4, after the game was scoreless through regulation and two overtimes.
The Ridgers hope to make a strong run in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state tournament.
Glen Ridge, seeded fifth, will host No. 12 seed Secaucus in the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. at Watsessing Park. The winner will host the winner of No. 4 North Arlington and No. 13 New Providence in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 29. The top seed is Hasbrouck Heights. The No. 2 seed is Cedar Grove and the No. 3 seed is Hoboken.
Glen Ridge won the state sectional title for nine straight seasons from 2012 to 2020.
About the Author
