No. 2 West Essex secures its sixth consecutive Group 2 championship

The run continues for West Essex.
The Knights, No. 2 in the NJ.com Top 20, faced an uphill climb at the start of the 2024 season when they had to replace a handful of stellar seniors.
Fortunately for West Essex, there’s always another star in the making ready to take over.
Delaney Farrell was one of them. The freshman slid into a prominent role on one of the best teams in the country and thrived.
“I honestly was really scared when I first came on the team,” Farrell said. “I was worried I wasn’t going to have the confidence, but everyone was actually so welcoming. I felt like I fit right in, and I could do all my stick work. Everyone is so encouraging.”
She scored nine goals through the end of October and saved her biggest one for the final game of the season.
Farrell broke a scoreless tie with 8:54 to go in the third quarter and that was enough for West Essex to earn an eventual 2-0 win over No. 16 Point Pleasant Boro to win the NJSIAA Group 2 title in Bordentown.
“When the season started and we got going, it just started taking a life of its own,” said West Essex head coach Jill Cosse. “The passion that came out of the kids, the young kids, what now you see is equal contribution. There’s 11 strong players on the field.”
It’s the third consecutive state title victory over Point Pleasant Boro and sixth state title in a row. The Knights’ 22nd state championship moves them two behind Eastern for the most in New Jersey history.
Farrell’s goal is a result of numerous practices trying to get the freshman comfortable with post balls.
“We told her she had to make her own luck,” said Cosse. “We’ve been riding her hard for this state run.”
Just over three minutes after Farrell struck to give her team the lead, Ava Russo tapped in a ball at the post to double the lead.
The senior anchors a defense that posted five straight shutouts to end the season and had 15 clean sheets overall in 25 games. That was her third goal of the season.
The run in the the state tournament was also in part a result of a style change. They played a 2-3-2-3 system until suffering a loss against Camden Catholic just before the state tournament began.
Cosse made the switch to a 3-4-3, a higher-IQ system and the team excelled, outscoring opponents 24-0 in its final five games.
Though the team will say goodbye to some key pieces like Sophia Sisco and Ava Russo, there is still a bright future. When the quest begins for a seventh consecutive title next fall, the team will rely on its countless sophomores and freshmen to keep the tradition going. One of those freshmen is Tessa Delvescovo, who enjoyed a 14-goal season of her own.
“It honestly is amazing,” Farrell said. “Because I love playing with all my friends, and playing with Tessa makes me play so much more comfortably.”
Brian Bobal may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @BrianBobal.
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