WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School girls soccer team enjoyed another terrific season. The Mountaineers, under longtime head coach Sean Devore, finished with a 10-7-2 record after losing to Ridgewood, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Lincoln Field in West Orange.
The game was scoreless through regulation and two overtimes. Ridgewood, seeded No. 5, won the game on kicks from the penalty area. West Orange was the No. 4 seed.
The Mountaineers finished runner-up for the second straight year in the Essex County Tournament, falling to Livingston, 1-0, in the final on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Livingston.
It marked the fourth straight year that the team reached the ECT final. They won the ECT title in 2021 and 2022, beating Livingston and Glen Ridge, respectively.
In 2023, they lost to Livingston in their bid for a three-peat county title.
West Orange went 2-1-2 in the Super Essex Conference–American Division, which is the top division in the SEC. Livingston won the divisional title with a 4-0-1 mark and Montclair was second at 4-1. WOHS and Livingston played to a 1-1 tie on Sept. 13 at Livingston in a divisional game, the Mountaineers’ fourth game of the season.
Photo by Steve Ellmore