In 2023, Mount St. Dominic, No. 5 in the NJ.com Top 20, started its season with a 14-0 record, and lost in the semifinal round of the Essex County Tournament to West Orange.

Fast forward two years later, Mount St. Dominic found itself in a similar situation, as a program with a 19-0 record and a reputation as one of the best teams in the state.

This time, it delivered.

Top-seeded Mount St. Dominic (20-0) captured its first Essex County Tournament title in program history with a 4-1 victory over second-seeded Livingston, No. 15 in the NJ.com Top 20, in Livingston.

“We [Mount St. Dominic] came into this season with a renewed dedication, because we felt like we came up a little short last year,” Mount St. Dominic head coach Angelo Del Vecchio said. “We were going for it it, last year we set lofty goals but we didn’t hit a lot of them, this year the focus was to keep getting better, and we’re connecting better with hopes to keep it going.”

After trailing 1-0 at halftime, it was important for the veteran leadership to show its poise heading into the second half for Mount St. Dominic.

Vanderbilt commit Lena Tusche tied the game 1-1 seven minutes into the final period, and Princeton commit Gianna Camporeale knocked in two goals in three minutes to give Mount St. Dominic a 3-1 lead later in the period.

“At halftime we sat down and knew that the product in the first half wasn’t our best,” Tusche said. “We’ve been in that position before, so we were ready. Obviously we knew they [Livingston] were going to come out super hard, but it was up to us to come together as a team and attack. The biggest thing was to stay calm and we did a nice job of that.”

Camporeale and Tusche have been two pillars of the senior leadership for Mount St. Dominic, as the pair combined for 12 out of the 17 goals scored in the Essex County Tournament run.

“We are best friends,” Tusche said. “We are the attack in the middle of the field, but as a team we are going at it together and it’s something I am so grateful and proud of.”

Livingston (14-3-1) came into Saturday looking for its third consecutive Essex County title, but needed to do so without some key pieces due to injury, such as Izzy Kilelee, Hunter Lantzman, Casey Conklin, Zoe Nightingale, and Stella DiFrancisco.

Dina Bojkovic ripped a goal on a breakaway to open up the scoring on an assist from Emily Fernandes in the first half, but Livingston couldn’t get any offense going in the second half.

“We had a game plan from the very beginning and it was important for us to stick to it,” Livingston head coach Brian Carr said. “The girls came out flying in the first half, but credit to them [Mount St. Dominic] they are a very good team, I think one of the best in the state.”

Mount St. Dominic proved its not just here for the moment, but is ready to take its consequential momentum further into the latter part of the season, and it picked up a little bit of history along the way.

Ryan Watt grew up watching his two older brothers, Eric and Patrick play in big games for Scotch Plains-Fanwood, and while sitting on the bleachers as a spectator he often wondered what he would do if the big moment came his way.

At the 16 minute mark of the first half, Watt knocked in a goal off a free kick from Darren Edelman, and quickly ran to the opposing sideline while shushing the crowd, cupping his ears as if to say, “I can’t hear you.”

“It culminated from all of those moments watching, wishing I was out there, Watt said. ”I remember telling myself I’d do something crazy, my emotions just took over and looking back at my childhood it’s a dream come true.”

That goal gave top-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood (15-2-2), No. 11 in the NJ.com Top 20, a 1-0 lead over second-seeded Westfield, as well as the confidence to repeat as Union County Tournament champions in an eventual 2-0 win.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood has faced Westfield (8-9-2) in the final round of the Union County Tournament 14 times, as each team has now won seven games, with the Cougars having won 20 county titles in program history.

With 13 seconds left in the half, Jayvon Young crossed up the Westfield goaltender with a hesitation move, and shot into the left corner of the net to give Scotch Plains-Fanwood a 2-0 victory at halftime.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood built its momentum with steady offense, but its defense did most of the talking with its sixth shutout of the season.

“One of the goals today was to have a clean sheet,” Scotch Plains-Fanwood head coach Alex Passucci said. “Defensively we were very solid. There were moments in the game where we were very patient and I felt like overall, the guys came out and played hard, but it started with the defense.”

Scotch Plains-Fanwood has won on the margins all season long, another example presented itself in the second half when Westfield struck a ball off the post and bounced into the hands of goalie, Shawn Guzman.

Westfield had its eyes on potentially winning its 16th county title in program history, with its last one coming in 2022 when it beat Elizabeth, 1-0.

“In the end all we could do was continue to fight,” Westfield head coach Eric Shaw said. “It’s tough to go down early, but I felt like we created some chances. The competition part is something we’ve had all year.”

Scotch Plains-Fanwood has now won five games in a row and has its focus set on keeping the momentum going in the state playoffs, where it will face Union in the first round of the N2G4 tournament on Tuesday.

Sharing is usually a word with a positive connotation, but sharing a county title last season is not something that sat well with the Ramsey girls soccer team.

After being forced to split the Bergen County title with Ramapo after a 1-1 tie in the final round, the Rams were highly motivated to have a year listed on the trophy that only said “Ramsey” on the line.

The mission was clear from summer workouts, and it was known very early on that this Ramsey team certainly possessed the talent to leave no doubt this time around.

A team with that kind of talent that still felt it had something to prove is not a runaway train you want to step in front of. There is not much that you can do to stop it.

Ramsey, No. 3 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated No. 7 Immaculate Heart, 3-1, at River Dell High School to capture its first outright county title in program history and keep its undefeated season alive.

“They wanted it outright,” Ramsey head coach Drew Strohmeyer said. “That was one of the things that they circled on the calendar. We wanted it for ourselves.”

When senior Grace Tateossian was handed the trophy, she made sure her teammates knew this one was only for them.

“For us, we knew coming into this game that we wanted it because last year being co-champs was unfinished business for us,” Tateossian said. “We were not OK with that. This is just a portrayal of how hard we worked the entire summer. I’m really proud of the girls.”

FINAL: Ramsey 3, IHA 1. Ramsey claims its first outright Bergen County title in program history #njsoccer pic.twitter.com/KGqLhYEVA5 — Matt Bove (@MBoveHS) November 1, 2025

Sophomore Hope Ernst showed proof of just how much Ramsey wanted this game with an amazing hustle play early on.

On a throw-in by the opposing team that many players would take for granted thinking that nothing would come out of it going the other way, Ernst was not of that mindset.

After the Rams deflected the Immaculate Heart throw-in, the ball came in the middle of a few Immaculate Heart players. It was just sitting there waiting for somebody to get to it.

Ernst never gave up on that play, and the amount of amazing speed she’s blessed with turned her hustle into an early lead.

Ernst split in between the Immaculate Heart defenders, got control of the ball and blew past them before putting the ball inside the near post on the ground for a 1-0 Ramsey lead just six minutes into the game.

“I always play with a lot of intensity and energy,” Ernst said. “You can only control one thing, and that’s your effort. You can’t just underestimate anything. Even if it’s just a throw-in, if you press and work hard it all ends up working out.”

The score stayed that way into halftime, but the Blue Eagles started to find their footing and put a lot more pressure on Ramsey at the end of the first half.

With the momentum starting to turn somewhat, Ramsey put an end to that with another quick goal out of a half. Tateossian made a nice cross to Lizzie Rubin near the top of the box, and Rubin was able to finish to give the Rams a 2-0 lead just about two minutes into the second half.

“My thought process is always, Lizzie, Hope or Kendall,” Tateossian said. “One of them is always going to be in the middle and I have to try to get the ball to them. Lizzie had the perfect amount of space. I just had to put it in between two defenders. Lizzie made the most beautiful turn with two defenders on her back that I’ve seen in my entire life. It was electric. It’s something we’ve been practicing a lot.”

However, the pressure that Immaculate Heart started to mount finally paid off when just a little over three minutes later Sophia Bertino answered right back with a long-distance strike from about 25 yards out to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Ramsey loves to play out on the wings, and that strategy paid off with a goal that was as aesthetically pleasing as you will find. More importantly, it helped put the game away.

Cynthia Chetaitis played a ball into the box from out on the right wing that could not have been placed any better. Emma Cengarle barely had to move her head as her header deflected perfectly inside the near post to give the Rams a 3-1 lead with under 20 minutes to play.

With all the talent Ramsey has, this is a team that comes in waves in many different ways. The Rams cycle in many different players to help keep everybody fresh. When they get out on counter attacks, it is a sight to behold to see their speed and athleticism in the open field.

“They had a really high line and our defense worked really hard getting it up,” Ernst said. “We worked on just getting the ball up to our forwards and attacking with pace and speed.”

For all the attention Ramsey gets for its offense, its technically sound defense has also been huge all season and was no different with the county title on the line.

“A big thing for us is communication.” senior Emmy Bender said. “A big thing for our team overall is composure and patience. That’s a big thing in the back, especially. Our back three and our mids all trust each other. I’m never worried back there. I always feel safe no matter what happens.”

Ramsey will now turn its attention to the North 1, Group 2 tournament where the Rams are the top seed. Meanwhile, Immaculate Heart is the top seed in the North, Non-Public A bracket.

Trinity vs Lancaster Catholic in the District 3 Class 2A girls soccer championship at Landis Field on Nov. 1, 2025. EVAN WHEATON | PENNLIVE

Coming into Saturday’s district title game, Trinity’s Kendall Ferraro had been an impact player throughout her freshman campaign.

However, there was one thing missing from her first foray into high school soccer: a goal.

Uncertain future for Prince Andrew. (archive picture) Bild: Aaron Chown/PA Wire/dpa

The member of the royal family is without a title, without his feudal estate and without a good reputation. His life is likely to change fundamentally.

DPA dpa

No time? blue News summarizes for you Prince Andrew’s life is about to change fundamentally.

King Charles has stripped his brother of his title and forced him to move out of his estate.

A British parliamentary committee is currently investigating how Andrew was able to afford the upkeep of Royal Lodge and a lavish lifestyle. Show more

Andrew is no longer called Prince and his estate, where he lived virtually rent-free next to Windsor Castle, is also gone. What was left of his public reputation has also disappeared. The commoner, once known as Prince Andrew, is likely to face a new chapter that will involve numerous removal vans – he will have to move to a remote private home owned by his brother, King Charles III.

The King’s decision to strip his younger brother of his title to protect the British monarchy and force him to move out of the estate to punish him for his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unprecedented. For Andrew, life is likely to change fundamentally.

“On a personal level, it must be pretty devastating and the ultimate humiliation for him,” said an editor at Majesty Magazine, Joe Little. “We know him to be quite an arrogant personality, but this must be mentally draining on him. It would be very strange if it didn’t.”

Less living space in future

It is unclear which house the member of the British royal family now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will live in on the Sandringham estate, 160 kilometers north of London. However, it is likely to be smaller than Royal Lodge, the luxury 30-bedroom estate where Andrew has lived until now.

Andrew had to pay just one peppercorn a year in rent for the Royal Lodge, if he was asked to do so. This is a symbolic sum in real estate transactions. The property is 50 acres in size and includes a pool, several cottages and a bird sanctuary. When he was ordered to give up the lease, 65-year-old Andrew offered no resistance.

The grounds of Sandringham, where he will be staying in future, cover an area of 8,000 hectares on the North Sea coast in the east of England. The date of the move has not been publicly announced. However, the move is not expected to take place before Christmas.

Impact on Andrew’s family

The ex-prince is not the only one affected by the King’s attempts to distance the monarchy from the scandal surrounding Andrew. Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also has to relocate. She had lived with Andrew in the Royal Lodge.

The ex-couple’s two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their titles and the honorary title “Her Royal Highness” because they are granddaughters of the former Queen Elizabeth II.

King helps brother with private finances

Charles uses his private wealth to support Andrew financially. Andrew has not been a working member of the royal family since a disastrous BBC interview in 2019. In the interview, he tried to defend his relationship with Epstein. He was subsequently stripped of his royal duties. Andrew has no known source of income other than a small pension from his previous service in the Royal Navy.

The financial arrangement makes sense, said royal expert George Gross from King’s College London. It protects the King from criticism that Andrew is being supported with state funds and at the same time shows that Charles is not abandoning his brother. “It’s clearly important that he (Andrew) is looked after in some respects because otherwise he becomes a potential pawn for anyone with negative or bad intentions.”

Andrew faces further consequences

Until now, Andrew has been protected by his position as a member of the royal family. But his reduced status and calls for him to be held to account could now have consequences beyond the control of the royal family.

A British parliamentary committee is currently investigating how Andrew was able to afford the upkeep of Royal Lodge and a lavish lifestyle despite having no significant source of income in recent years.

In 2022, Andrew settled a lawsuit by Virginia Roberts Giuffre out of court, which is said to have been worth several million dollars. According to Giuffre, she was forced by Epstein to have sex with Andrew in London at the age of 17. Andrew has repeatedly denied having sexual intercourse with Giuffre or committing a crime.

The family of Giuffre, who has since died, has called for further legal action against Andrew. The police are investigating an allegation that he asked one of his bodyguards to find incriminating material against Giuffre.

Historian Andrew Lownie, author of a biography of Andrew and Ferguson, believes it is possible that the ex-prince is being investigated for allegations such as sex trafficking and misconduct in public office. “I don’t think that’s it, I think there are many more revelations to come,” Lownie told the BBC.

Still part of the British line of succession

Even though Andrew is no longer a prince, he is still number eight in the line of succession to the British throne. In order to exclude him from the line of succession, the British Parliament would have to take action, which is currently unlikely.

Although Andrew could theoretically become king at some point, this is of course “absolutely unrealistic”, said Gross.