WEST ORANGE, NJ — On Friday night, October 26 2018, the West Orange Girls Soccer (WOGS) defeated Glen Ridge by a score of 2-1 to claim their first ever Essex County Tournament Title.

West Orange struggled to find the back of the net against Glen Ridge, thanks to some independent heroics from goalkeeper Elettra Giantomenico, who capped of the night with 16 saves. But early in the first half, Emma Mitchell managed to find the space to tuck away a shot in to the bottom right corner of the goal to give West Orange a 1-0 lead.

Glenn Ridge was not up to par for the majority of the game and had issues maintaining possession. It was clear West Orange were the dominant team, but Giantomenico kept Glen Ridge in the game. Mid-way through the second half, Ania Prussak, found the equalizer with brilliant free kick in the top right corner and gave Glen Ridge a lifeline in the game. Bad went to worse for WOGS as Kaya Schultz had to come off the field because she had sustained a concussion. Schultz has scored seven goals and assisted nine this season, so her unfortunate exit was a massive infraction for the team.

Normal time ended the players were forced to enter overtime. WOGS knew they were going to display some of their magic if they wanted to edge out over Glen Ridge and win tonight and that is exactly what happened.

In the first half of overtime, West Orange won a throw-in deep into Glen Ridge’s half. Kiley Capstraw stepped up to take it. Capstraw saw an opportunity and ripped a long pass toward the box. The ball landed in the path of West Orange senior captain Nyah Harper, who simply poked the ball into the back of the net, giving West Orange its first Essex County Tournament title.

The West Orange supporters went wild as this was a historic victory for West Orange. The inspirational victory also gave West Orange their first ever national ranking of 42nd in the whole country. It truly was a night to remember for the WOGS.