MONTCLAIR- As Maggie Murphy worked her way into position near the West Morris goal it was as if Shea Branigan already knew exactly where her Montclair Kimberley Academy teammate would be as she delivered a pinpoint pass which Murphy fired into the net for a commanding 8-4 lead which would become 11-4 at the half.
MKA was on its way to an impressive 15-8 NJIGLL Freedom White Division victory against a solid West Morris squad (6-2) this past Thursday, revealing once again how its crisp passing combined with strong defense makes the Cougars a good bet to be a strong obstacle for anyone as they look to defend their NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B state title in early June.
On the horizon for MKA (8-1) in its busy May is hoping to win a first-ever Essex County Tournament title and capture a prep B tournament crown in addition to looking to put the finishing touches on nailing down a NJIGLL Freedom-White Division championship.
On Saturday, the Cougars suffered their first loss of the season in a heartbreaking 9-8 setback at neighboring Montclair in a contest that was extended to five overtimes.
Regardless of absorbing their initial defeat of 2024, the seamless ball movement exhibited by MKA bodes well for success over the long haul
“Passing is something we’ve been working on and it’s nice to see us executing those passes better and better as we move along,” said veteran coach Chelsea Goss. “What’s nice about this team is that we’re balanced and it’s not just one person who has to do everything.
“People feel comfortable stepping up to play their role, whatever that is, and we continue to learn how to feed off each other’s strengths while also taking risks on offense; and it’s paying off for us!”
Defensively, there is a cohesive foursome who do their work in front of 4-year starting goalie Orly Sedransk to help make the Cougars even better than last year’s group in the back which helped lead the way to a 16-7 record and culminating with a 14-8 win over Holy Spirit in the Non-Public, Group B final at Hunterdon Central.
“Our defense has done a really good job stepping up our game on the first slide and that comes through communicating,” said University of Chicago-bound senior Ava Moore, one of the leaders on ‘D.’ “We have really good energy, we know how to work with each other and that translates out on the field.
“We are very aggressive and that contributes to our quick slides and being able to shut down a team like West Morris which is quick-passing team.”
Moore works alongside other starting defenders including juniors Ciara Branigan and Deborah Giddins along with freshman Caroline Cuneo to form a sturdy group in front of Sedransk, the outstanding Penn commit.
“Our defense is a 100 % step up from last year, our first slides are there and when our second slides are working our ‘D’ really comes together out there,” said the Cougars’ superb senior net minder. “We are determined to win all the different championships we can with this group, and we definitely would like to play for an Essex County Tournament title this season.”
The ECT assembles its field on Tuesday with Glen Ridge being the likely No. 1 seed; however, MKA could be selected to be right near the top of the elite group of teams in the county set to compete for a county championship in May.
The ECT commences with first round action on Saturday (May 4) followed by quarterfinals Monday, May 6, and semis, Wednesday, May 8, at the higher seed, and culminating with the championship game, 4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11, at Verona’s Sellitto Field following the ECT boys final at 2:30 p.m. |
