Although flexing “2019 state champs” on the back of a hoodie would be exciting for the West Essex Girls Soccer team, they remain focused on finishing their regular season with a bang first.

Despite the struggles of last season lingering on the turf at the start of their season, the girls still dominated in their new conference.  Although moving into a lower conference usually gets a bad rep, they are using this to their advantage and are determined to keep pushing. 

Regardless of their success this season, the bond between these girls is unbreakable. Their relationships are easy to spot on the field. 

“Every game as soon as someone scores, everyone’s face just lights up even if we win or lose,” senior Aldina Ljesnjanin said. 

  Facing tough loses against Livingston and Cranford stung, but this did not stop the girls from giving their all against any team they opposed. Beating Glenn Ridge, a team in an upper conference, and defeating Millburn, the team that knocked them out of counties last season, were big wins for West Essex this season. 

In light of their successful regular season, the girls remain hopeful for more big wins to come as they enter their state run. 

“I feel like we’re dominating, and I’m really hopeful for the state tournament,” Ljesnjanin said. “I feel like we’re going to make it far.” 

Something the girls did extremely well was fill in for last year’s seniors. They expected it to be a lot more difficult, but they handled it with ease and successfully filled the shoes of past talent. 

Putting the county tournament in their past, varsity soccer looks forward to going as far as possible in states. With a strong starting lineup consisting of every grade level, the future for this team is looking bright. 

“We have all worked hard time after time in practice,” senior Hayley Sek said. “It’s definitely paid off.”