Millburn Girls Soccer Blanks West Essex

After dropping their first game of the season on Friday, the Millburn girls soccer team rebounded very well. Tuesday’s 3-0 home win over West Essex gave them two straight victories, keeping the girls unbeaten at home and improving their overall record to 9-1.

“I think it was a good win. We kept possession well and we passed the ball well, I think,” said Millburn team captain Shannon Foley. “We started playing our soccer again, I think. In the past games, we’ve been kind of not playing our game.”

Jenny Olensky kicked the scoring off for the Millers at Dr. Keith A. Neigel Field with a free-kick from 25 yards out that sailed over the West Essex’s goalie’s head and out reached arm for a goal. West Essex net minder Carissa Castiglia would have had to grow an extra foot or two to have a chance at blocking the shot, which came with 23:17 left to play in the half.

Nearly 15 minutes later, Nikki Willens found junior forward Katie Beimfohr with a pass into the middle of the box. Beimfohr finished the score for her ninth goal of the year, putting a strangle hold on the game. Only twice this season—both wins for Millburn—has a team scored more than once against the locals.

Tanya Sood capped Millburn’s scoring for the half and the game during extra time in the opening half. Sood took a pass from Brianna Siracuse and found herself with just one defender to beat—dangerous territory for just about any defender in the conference. Sood blew by the defense for a breakaway and beat the keeper with a low shot to the left from pointblank range. It was Sood’s 13th goal in 10 contests this season.

“She’s just a really good finisher. Our forwards are just scoring machines,” Foley said. “Our entire team is helping the forwards score. We get them in the right positions, they make the right runs, we play the right balls and Tanya is right there, along with Katie Beimfohr, the other forward, and they just finish the goals.”

Up 3-0, the Millers played keep away for the rest of the game and preserved the shutout. Millburn out-shot the Knights 8-6, and Millburn goalie Tori Graessle picked up four saves. West Essex fell to 3-6 overall. It was Graessle’s and Millburn’s sixth shutout of the season.

“The defense has been playing really great,” Foley said. “We can play out of the back confidently and I really commend our defense. They’re doing a really good job.”

The Miller girls play Nutley on Thursday, who they’ve beaten twice this season by a combined 11-1 score, and the semifinals of the county tournament is on Sunday against Livingston at the Nutley Oval.