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Montclair played superb defense vs. Livingston in Thursday's North 1, Group 4 state sectional final and after the win Mountie standouts Carla Osborne (10) and scoring ace Morane Zinn (26) could smile after 2-1 victory at Allen 'Jake' Jacobson Fieid. And, after celebrating, players, coaches and the team's managers and friends could also gather around the NJSIAA trophy. (SC photos and by Gene Nann-genenann.smugmug.com) (continued from page 1) Montclair's ability to withstand any further scoring attempts by the Lancers was enhanced with the fact the home team managed just one more corner kick in the final 40 minutes and a close-in direct kick also failed to create another dangerous situation in front of the Mounties' reliable junior goalkeeper Sophie Porter (seven saves). The ever-present Osborne along with fellow junior Ella Overton and freshman Kaitlyn Moshovos have combined to be one of the better trio of backline defenders in the state. When Zinn drops back to center back the defense just becomes that more inpenetrable. It's a Montclair team which has worked in a superb cast of young players into a successful mix this fall with the freshman Moshovos along with sophomores such as midfielder Deliah Nicoll and forwards Autumn Donegan and Raina Ali all providing strong play along with veteran seniors such as Zinn, midfielder Angie McGloughlin and forward Anna Brower. "It's a young group which has continued to improve as the season has moved on and right now we feel we're playing our best soccer of the season," said Osborne, who is also a member of the Puerto Rican U-17 team. "We all know about the great tradition of Montclair soccer and we're trying our best to live up to those high standards." Montclair, which won an overall Group 4 state championship in 2014, has also won state sectional titles in 2001, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. The 2020 team won a regional tourney crown during the covid-truncated season when there was no full NJSIAA state tourney. For Zinn, who remembers being in the 8th grade when Montclair won a state sectional title i 2019, it was a matter of making sure that 2024 would not end without a win against Livingston. "We were determined not to lose a third time to them this season," said the Mounties' leading scorer and hero of Thursday N1G4 final. "We have continued to gain more and more confidence as the season has progressed and today was a full team victory that we can enjoy before getting ready for Monday's next biggest game." NOTES- Montclair is ranked 10th in the state according to nj.com with Westfield No. 8 and Livingston No. 9...Montclair's veteran midfielder Angie McGloughlin is a University of Albany commit...The Mounties survived and advanced vs. Morristown in this past Monday's N1G4 semis via winning a penalty kick shootout after a 0-0 tie through 100 minutes of soccer, while Livington was edging fifth-seeded Ridgewood, 2-1...The Mounties' sophomore midfielder Delilah Nicoll is the granddaughter of retired, longtime Mounties team orthopaedic Dr. Cornelius Nicoll...The Mounties lost the services of valuable senior forward and University of Vermont commit Cara Flynn earlier this season when she suffered a torn ACL. Follow Steve Tober on 'X' @Chattermeister
Coaches, Brian Carr of Livingston (top photo) and Dan Contreras of Montclair were busy guiding their respective teams during Thursday afternoon's N1G4 state sectional final. In the end it was the collective effort of the Mounties' defense which proved most decisive. Ccopyright 2005 Sideline Chatter - comments - contact the webmaster
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