The soccer Union County Tournament championship games are set to be contested this week.
The boys’ final is Thursday night, Oct. 24 at 7:30 at Kean University’s Alumni Stadium in Union. It will be second-seeded Summit vs. top-seeded Elizabeth.
This is the fifth time Summit is in the championship game. The last time was in 2008 and was also against Elizabeth, a 1-0 loss.
Summit shared the county crown with Pingry in 1976 and Westfield in 1980 and also lost the 1981 final to Westfield. The Hilltoppers have never won the championship outright.
Elizabeth has appeared in the UCT final 11 times, including three times as Edison Tech, and has won the crown five times, including twice as Edison Tech. The one time Elizabeth shared the crown was with Westfield in 2017.
UCT BOYS’ SOCCER
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES
1966-2018:
1966: Edison Tech 2, Westfield 1t
1967: Union 2, Westfield 1
1968: Edison Tech 1, Pingry 0
1969: Scotch Plains 2, Johnson 1
1970: Pingry 0, Scotch Plains 0 – co-champs
1971: Gov. Livingston 1, Pingry 0
1972: Gov. Livingston 1, Johnson 0
1973: Gov. Livingston 1, Edison Tech 0
1974: Pingry 1, Westfield 0
1975: Pingry 1, Johnson 0
1976: Summit 1, Pingry 1 – co-champs
1977: Pingry 2, Scotch Plains 0
1978: Union 2, Linden 0
1979: Gov. Livingston 3, Westfield 2
1980: Summit 2, Westfield 2 – co-champs
1981: Westfield 3, Summit 1
1982: Westfield 8, Scotch Plains 0
1983: Pingry 2, Westfield 1
1984: Westfield 4, New Providence 1
1985: Westfield 3, Scotch Plains 2
1986: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 0
1987: Scotch Plains 2, Westfield 1
1988: Westfield 2, Scotch Plains 1
1989: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 0 (shootout)
1990: Union 3, Elizabeth 0
1991: Westfield 1, Cranford 0
1992: Scotch Plains 2, Westfield 1
1993: Westfield 2, Scotch Plains 1
1994: Gov. Livingston 2, Westfield 1
1995: Johnson 2, Union 1
1996: Westfield 1, Rahway 0
1997: Scotch Plains 3, Elizabeth 0
1998: Scotch Plains 2, Cranford 0
1999: Union 2, Scotch Plains 0
2000: Scotch Plains 2, Johnson 0
2001: Scotch Plains 1, Johnson 0
2002: Scotch Plains 1, Cranford 0
2003: Linden 1, Scotch Plains 0
2004: Scotch Plains 1, Union 0
2005: Elizabeth 4, Scotch Plains 3
2006: Scotch Plains 4, Union 2
2007: Scotch Plains 4, Elizabeth 0
2008: Elizabeth 1, Summit 0
2009: Cranford 1, Westfield 0
2010: Westfield 2, Scotch Plains 1 (OT)
2011: Scotch Plains 1, Union 0
2012: Scotch Plains 5, Gov. Livingston 2
2013: Scotch Plains 4, Elizabeth 2
2014: Scotch Plains 2, Westfield 1
2015: Scotch Plains 1, Elizabeth 0 (OT)
2016: Westfield 2 Scotch Plains 1
2017: Westfield 1, Elizabeth 1 – co-champs
2018: Westfield 1, Union 1 – co-champs
CHAMPIONSHIPS
1966-2018:
Scotch Plains 19 (1 shared)
Westfield 13 (3 shared)
Pingry 6 (2 shared)
Gov. Livingston 5
Union 5 (1 shared)
Elizabeth 5 (includes Edison Tech 2)
(1 shared)
Summit 2 (both shared)
Johnson 1
Linden 1
Cranford 1
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
APPEARANCES
1966-2017:
Scotch Plains 29
Westfield 25
Elizabeth 11 (includes Edison Tech 3)
Union 9
Pingry 8
Gov. Livingston 6
Johnson 6
Summit 4
Cranford 4
Linden 2
The girls’ final is Friday night, Oct. 25 at 7:30 at Johnson High School’s Nolan Field in Clark. It pits third-seeded Westfield vs. top-seeded Cranford.
This is the first time since 2004 – when Gov. Livingston beat Cranford 1-0 – that Scotch Plains is not in the final.
The Raiders reached their first UCT championship game in 2005 and proceeded to make it to the title contest 14 years in a row.
From 2005 to 2018 Scotch Plains won the UCT 13 times, 10 outright and three shared in 2006, 2012 and 2017. The Raider record in the UCT final from 2005 to 2008 was 10-3-1.
Scotch Plains won the UCT four times in a row from 2005 to 2008, one of them shared, and nine times in a row from 2010 to 2018, two of them shared.
The only time Scotch Plains did not win the UCT crown outright or shared since 2005 was in 2009 when Cranford defeated the Raiders 1-0 on a penalty kick in that year’s final played at Johnson.
That was Cranford’s second UCT title. The first came in 2000.
Cranford lost to Scotch Plains 2-0 in last year’s championship game.
Westfield is in the final for the first time since 2017 when the Blue Devils tied Scotch Plains 1-1 to share the crown.
Westfield last won the championship outright in 2001 when it blanked New Providence 2-0 in the final.
Westfield has won the most championships with 20 titles, four of them shared. The Blue Devils won the first 12 UCTs and 15 of the first 16, all of them outright.
UCT GIRLS’ SOCCER CHAMPIONS
1981-2018:
2018: Scotch Plains 2, Cranford 0
2017: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 1 – co-champs
2016: Scotch Plains 1, Oak Knoll 0 (OT)
2015: Scotch Plains 2, Westfield 1
2014: Scotch Plains 1, Union 0 (2OT)
2013: Scotch Plains 1, Cranford 0
2012: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 1 – co-champs
2011: Scotch Plains 1, Westfield 0
2010: Scotch Plains 2, Westfield 0
2009: Cranford 1, Scotch Plains 0
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: Gov. Livingston 1, Cranford 0
2003: Oak Knoll 5, Gov. 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
1996: Westfield
1995: Westfield
1994: Westfield 2, Johnson 1
1993: Union Catholic
1992: Westfield
1991: Westfield
1990: Westfield
1989: Westfield
1988: Westfield
1987: Westfield
1986: Westfield
1985: Westfield
1984: Westfield
1983: Westfield
1982: Westfield
1981: Westfield
CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Westfield 20 (4 shared)
Scotch Plains 13 (3 shared)
Union Catholic 4
Cranford 2
Oak Knoll 2 (1 shared)
Gov. Livingston 1