Montclair High School girls soccer team shows its moxie in advancing in states

It was a tough pill to swallow in the Essex County Tournament for the Montclair girls soccer team.

The Mounties were looking to add another title to their long list of county championships.

But Glen Ridge shattered that dream in the semifinals with a 2-1 victory.

With the county tournament behind them, the last goal for the Mounties this year is the state playoffs.

The team so far has taken care of business there, with a 6-0 victory over sixth-seeded Passaic Tech in North 1 Group 4 state quarterfinals on Saturday morning, Oct. 29, which followed a 9-0 triumph over Union City in the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Third-seeded Montclair (14-1-1) travels to its Super Essex Conference rival, second-seeded West Orange, on Tuesday, Nov. 1, for the semifinals.

"We were really shocked, and it surprised us all," senior co-captain Hazel Aiello said about the loss to Glen Ridge. "It really was a wake-up call."

In the victory over Passaic Tech, sophomore Morganne Zinn registered a hat trick. It was back-to-back hat tricks for Zinn, who also accomplished the feat against Union City in the first round.

"I think we're just focusing on keeping the ball and better passing," Zinn said about how the team has played since the county loss, adding that she has been the beneficiary of it. "I think we are working together."

She said that the loss to Glen Ridge put a big chip on the team’s shoulder for the state tournament. "I think it is a huge motivation and the last time to get a championship," she said.

Since that defeat, the Mounties have outscored their opponents 15-0 in the state playoffs.

Along with the three goals from Zinn against Passaic Tech, Montclair received a goal each from junior Lucy Parker, sophomore Charlotte Dia and senior Sonia Neighbors.

Neighbors parked a shot into the back of the Tech net for a 3-0 lead with 22 minutes left in the first half. The rest of the way in the first half, Montclair continued to put shots on the Tech net but could not get that fourth goal.

In the second half, Zinn did her heavy lifting, as she scored her second and third goals in rapid fire in a two-minute span, at 12 and 14 minutes in, to give the Mounties a 5-0 lead.

Montclair tied West Orange 3-3 in the season opener on Sept. 8 in Montclair. The Mounties led 2-1 at halftime, but the Mountaineers evened it up by the time regulation ended.

Last year the Montclair girls came to the end of the road in the state tournament in the semifinals, when they lost, 2-1, to Ridgewood.