West Orange players kneels and huddle during the home game against St. Benedict's Prep this eeason.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The second-seeded West Orange High School boys soccer team defeated No. 3 seed Montclair Kimberley Academy 3-1 on Monday, Oct. 27, in the 51st Essex County Tournament semifinals, hosted by Livingston. Junior Yanke Suarez scored two goals, and senior Marcus Jackson had one goal for WOHS. Senior Carl Hall had two assists, junior Darius Millington had one assist and junior Agustin Arrieta made five saves for the Mountaineers, who improved to 18-1 on the season.
The Mountaineers will face top-seeded St. Benedict’s Prep in the ECT championship game, hosted by Caldwell, on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m.
St. Benedict’s Prep, the defending ECT champion, is the No. 1 team in the state by nj.com and the No. 1 team in the nation by United Soccer Coaches. WOHS is ranked No. 3 in the state by nj.com.
WOHS lost to St. Benedict’s Prep 2-1 for its only defeat of the season, back on Oct. 18, at WOHS’ Lincoln Field.
The Mountaineers, who received a first-round bye, defeated No. 15 seed Livingston 5-0 in the second round on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Lincoln Field. Jackson scored two goals; sophomores Marcus Williams and Aidan Ackerman each had one goal and one assist; Hall scored a goal; sophomore Maddox Bruffau posted two assists; and juniors Justin Amaya and Jatniel Vargas Espino each added one assist. Arrieta and senior Dylan Flitt each made two saves.
In the quarterfinals, the Mountaineers defeated No. 10 seed Bloomfield 2-0 at home. Hall scored one goal and assisted on senior Dennis Banegas’ goal. Senior Luc Brown and Amaya each had one assist. Arrieta made one save. WOHS defeated Bloomfield 6-0 on Sept. 29 at Bloomfield in a Super Essex Conference crossover divisional game.
Photo Courtesy of Miles Burton/West Orange High School Sports Media Association
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