Westfield has not won the girls’ soccer Union County Tournament since sharing the 2002 crown with Oak Knoll. The Blue Devils last won the championship outright in 2001.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood has won the last four titles, sharing one of them. The Raiders captured their first crown in 2005 and joined Westfield as the only team to be a champion four years in a row.
Westfield has won the most UCTs, with 18 championships on its resume.
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If Westfield and Scotch Plains do not get upset along the way, the arch rivals will face each other in the final, with the Blue Devils seeking to win their 19thchampionship and Scotch Plains out to win for a fifth straight year.
Scotch Plains defeated Westfield 1-0 in the 2007 championship match, while the teams played to a 1-1 tie in the 2006 final, with the squads sharing the crown.
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Scotch Plains defeated Johnson 3-0 in last year’s title contest.
Westfield earned the top seed and Scotch Plains the second seed at Thursday night’s seeding meeting for the 29th tournament.
New Providence earned the third seed and Union the fourth.
Johnson, which reached the championship game last year for the first time since 1994, is the seventh seed.
Play commences next week with two preliminary round matches.
Competition will continue Oct. 10 with eight first round games at the higher seeds at various times.
The quarterfinals are Oct. 17 at the higher seeds at various times.
Like last year, the semifinals and final will be at A.L. Johnson High School in Clark. The semifinals are set for Oct. 25 at 5 and 7 p.m. and the final for Oct. 31 at 7 p.m., right after the boys’ final, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
In the first round on Oct. 10, Westfield will play the winner of the 17-Elizabeth at 16-Roselle Park game and Scotch Plains will play the winner of the 18-Plainfield at 15-Roselle Catholic matchup.
Westfield is 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state by The Star-Ledger. Scotch Plains is 3-1-1 and scheduled to play Union Catholic Friday at 4 p.m., but not at Union Catholic since the new FieldTurf at the Scotch Plains school is not quite ready for play yet.
The first game Union Catholic will play on its new FieldTurf could be next Thursday’s (Oct. 8) 4 p.m. home match vs. Brearley.
2009 UCT GIRLS’ SOCCER SEEDS:
1-Westfield (6-0)
2-Scotch Plains (3-1-1)
3-New Providence (6-0)
4-Union (3-5)
5-Cranford
6-Summit
7-Johnson
8-Oak Knoll
9-Governor Livingston
10-Brearley
11-Union Catholic
12-Kent Place
13-Rahway
14-Linden
15-Roselle Catholic
16-Roselle Park
17-Elizabeth
18-Plainfield
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Matches to be played before Oct. 10
18-Plainfield at 15-Roselle Catholic, 4 p.m.
17-Elizabeth at 16-Roselle Park, 4 p.m.
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, Oct. 10 at various times
TOP SIDE OF THE BRACKET:
12-Kent Place at 5-Cranford
13-Rahway at 4-Union
9-Governor Livingston at 8-Oak Knoll
17-Elizabeth/16-Roselle Park at 1-Westfield
BOTTOM SIDE OF THE BRACKET:
11-Union Catholic at 6-Summit
15-Linden at 3-New Providence
10-Brearley at 7-Johnson
18-Plainfield/15-Roselle Catholic at 2-Scotch Plains
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, Oct. 17
Matches at the higher seeds at various times.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, Oct. 25 at Johnson
Bottom side of the bracket match, 5 p.m.
Top side of the bracket match, 7 p.m.
FINAL
Saturday, Oct. 31 at Johnson
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES SINCE 1997
2008: Scotch Plains 3, Johnson 0
2007: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 0
2006: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 1 – co-champs
2005: Scotch Plains 1, Oak Knoll 0
2004: Governor Livingston 1, Cranford 0
2003: Oak Knoll 5, Governor Livingston 0
2002: Westfield 1, Oak Knoll 1 – co-champs
2001: Westfield 2, New Providence 0
2000: Cranford 3, Union Catholic 1
1999: Union Catholic 4, Cranford 1
1998: Union Catholic 1, Cranford 0
1997: Union Catholic 2, Scotch Plains 0
NOTES: Scotch Plains is the four-time defending champion, winning its first championship in 2005.
Westfield won 12 straight championships from 1981-1992 and then won three more in a row from 1994-1996. The Blue Devils last won the crown in 2002, sharing it with Oak Knoll, and last captured the title outright in 2001.
Johnson reached the final last year for the first time since falling to Westfield 2-1 in the 1994 championship game. The Crusaders have never won the crown.
Governor Livingston won its first and only crown in 2004.
Oak Knoll won the title for the first time in 2002 – sharing it with Westfield – and then won it outright for the first time in 2003.
Cranford won its first and only title in 2000.
