West Orange HS girls soccer team seeks another banner season

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School girls soccer team returns a strong nucleus from last year’s squad, which won the Essex County Tournament championship and finished with a 13-4-3 record.

West Orange will begin the season on Sept. 8 on the road against Montclair in a divisional game.

Though West Orange graduated three key starting defenders in Tori Rideau-Winds, Kennedy Morgan and Caitlin Bridgers, the team will be ready for another challenging season. The SEC American Division is the top division in the conference. WOHS also is in North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s postseason.

“The SEC American and North 1, Group 4 are always very challenging,” said WOHS eighth-year head coach Sean Devore. “Essex County will also be very difficult this year with a lot of great teams. If we work hard and come together, we’ll have a chance to compete.

“We are looking forward to competing against some great competition this upcoming season.”

The seniors are Anna Deer, Charlie Dvorin and Sidda Mitchell, who are all midfielders and captains. The juniors are Madison Cyrus, Lucy Fishkin, Josephine Locricchio, Daniella Malanga, Morgan Miller, Chloe Mondi, Hayley Rodriguez, Francesca Schuler and Jaiden Schultz.

The sophomores are Hannah Amoyaw, Aminata Diop, Aria Evans and Lauren Villasin.

The key newcomers are seniors Cassandra Carter and Eleni Palaguachi, sophomore Isabella Pincham,  junior Shelly Guallpa and freshmen Josephine Foglia and Amarin Oshir.

Deer, Mitchell, Villasin and Schultz are all returning all-conference players.

Last season, West Orange defeated divisional foe Livingston, 2-1, in the ECT final. It was West Orange’s second ECT title in the 38-year history of the tournament. The team’s first ECT title was in 2018. 

Livingston, however, returned the favor in the North 1, Group 4 sectional semifinals, winning 3-0, to end West Orange’s season. In divisional play, West Orange beat Livingston, 2-1, in its seventh game of the season.

2022 WOHS schedule:

• Sept. 8: at Montclair, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 10: vs. Cedar Grove, 10 a.m.
• Sept. 13: at Kearny, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 16: vs. Verona, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 17: vs. Westfield, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 19: at Bloomfield, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 21: at Newark Academy, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 23: vs. Nutley, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 27: at West Essex, 4 p.m.
• Sept. 29: vs. Montclair Kimberley Academy, 4 p.m.
• Oct. 1: vs. Millburn, time to be determined.
• Oct. 3: at Livingston, time to be determined.
• Oct. 6: at Glen Ridge, 4 p.m.
• Oct. 8: at Pascack Valley, 10 a.m.
• Oct. 10: vs. Mount Olive, 4 p.m.
• Oct. 25: at Cranford, 4 p.m.

  West Orange High School girls soccer