With a 2-1 win over the Elizabeth Minutemen on Saturday, Oct. 26, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood boys soccer team advanced to their second straight Union County tournament final where they will face off against rivals Westfield. The Raiders will look to bring home their second straight county title in a rematch of the game a year ago, under the lights at Arthur L. Johnson High School on Saturday, Nov. 1.
“It’s really exciting to play Westfield,” junior midfielder Braden Steer told The Fanscotian. “It should be a good rematch.”
Led by senior goalscorer Jayvon Young, who netted two goals in the county semifinals, SPF is set to meet the Blue Devils for the second time this season. The Raiders hold a record of 14-2-2 (4-1 UCC – Watchung), and have been dominant throughout their 2025 campaign while Westfield presents a record of 8-8-2 (3-1-1 UCC – Watchung), with one of those losses attributed to SPF in a 1-0 contest in early October.
The combination of a rivalry as old as time with the county finals will not just raise the intensity of the play on the pitch, but add extra meaning to the game at hand.
“When so many fans show up to watch us play and they’re cheering every single second of the game, it gives us so much more energy, and it really just makes the whole game a lot more fun,” Steer said.
In a matchup of two strong attacking teams, all signs point towards a defensive heavy matchup between the Raiders and Blue Devils. For senior defender Brandon DiNizo and SPF, staying focused will be key in order to take down Westfield.
“We have to play our game and just move the ball around well,” DiNizo said. “We have to go out there and get the job done.”
