Four Top 10 ranked teams will comprise the semifinals of the 52nd Essex County Soccer Tournament on Saturday evening at West Orange with all four teams also capable of deep runs in their respective state tournaments.
That quartet of teams – top-seeded, No. 1 ranked and 2-time defending ECT champion and 2025 Non-Public A state champ St. Benedict’s (13-0-1) will face fourth-seeded, seventh ranked and defending Non-Public B state champ Montclair Kimberley Academy (8-3-2) at 5 p.m. in Saturday’s first semifinal.
Then, in a scheduled 7 p.m. start, it will be second-seeded, second-ranked and defending Group 4 state champ West Orange (17-1) facing familiar neighboring foe, third-seeded Seton Hall Prep (9-5) in what should be a nip-and-tuck defensive battle also played on the Mountaineers superb soccer pitch located just off Pleasant Valley Way.
All four top seeds were also the ECT semifinalists last fall when St. Benedict’s edged West Orange, 1-0, in a highly-competitive championship match at Livingston.
The 2026 ECT final will be held 7 p.m., Wednesday (Oct. 28) at Caldwell’s Bonnell Field following the 4:30 p.m. ECT girls championship match.
Coach Jim Wandling’s St. Benedict’s Gray Bees remain a prohibitive favorite to win a third straight ECT title and will be the leading candidate to win a second straight Non-Public A state crown as well, although – perhaps – a very good Pingry squad could emerge from the South A bracket to give the Newark school a real battle should both advance to the title tilt.
West Orange, behind veteran coach Doug Nevins, are enjoying another banner season with one of the state’s top defenses.
SHP, guided by legendary coach Marty Berman, will once again be part of a very tough Non-Public, North A bracket along with St. Benedict’s, Bergen Catholic and Delbarton come state tourney time. The Pirates play a strong schedule in and out of the Super Essex Conference and boast one of the state’s top goalkeepers in Cornell University commit Liam Collins.
MKA, under its veteran coach Rob Leather, is another top soccer side which takes on a strenuous slate of foes in and out of the SEC and will be a heavy favorite to repeat as champs in Non-Public B where it is currently No. 2 in the power points behind 1-St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Benedict’s defeated MKA, 2-1, back on Sept. 23, in regular season SEC-American Division action, while West Orange edged SHP, 1-0, so perhaps two more close encounters are in store in the ECT semis Saturday night.
“St. Benedict’s is at such a high level and they are certainly one of those teams that you can play great against and still lose,” West Orange’s Nevins said as the ECT was getting underway. “I thought we had an even first half with them in our match this season and then they were the better team after that.
“It’s not fun playing the best team in the country, and it is both challenging and frustrating as your team tries to execute things you normally do.
“Their pace and ability level is just different, and the drop-off after playing them can be a massive difference.
“With that being said, we have really good teams in our county. We’re hoping that our schedule in and out of the SEC will help get us ready to make another deep run in Group 4 and that should be the same story for MKA (in Non-Public B).
“Seton Hall Prep, my high school alma mater and led by my former coach, the great Marty Berman, has an incredible goalie and a very good defense.”
