SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ – Midfielder Dennis Kachintsev scored for fourth-seeded Millburn with about 45 seconds left in the first half to defeat second-seeded Scotch Plain-Fanwood in the state finals 1-0 on a windy, rainy Friday afternoon at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

After a shot from Millburn forward James Raystin was saved by Scotch Plains-Fanwood goaltender Anthony Zukofsky, Kachintsev was in the right place at the right time to pick up the rebound. He got a good foot on the ball from about 20 yards out and put it in the back of the net. "That was a great play and a great shot from James (Raystin). I was just able to follow that ball and I put it in," Kachintsev said.

With the win Millburn advances into the Group 3 State Championship Tournament,  which starts on Tuesday.  "We knew it would be hard to repeat what we did last year when we won the states, but now here we are," Kachintsev said. "It feels great." "This was the goal from the beginning of the season. Our approach was different based on the players we have this year, but we got it done," Millburn head coach Rob Grosso added.

Arguably the best story of the state tournament for Millburn was the play of their defense. Led by senior captain Chris Benedict, they did not give up any goals in four games of state play. "We have three great defenders that, combined together, help us win games," goaltender Corbin Stevens said. "They’ve done that pretty much all season and in most games I’m just there to scoop the ball up". "It makes it a lot easier because we know if we could just get one (goal) then we have a great chance of winning," Kachintsev agreed.

Millburn controlled possession for most of the first half as they fired seven shots on goal compared to Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s two. "The wind was definitely a big factor today," Grosso said. "We expected a lot of long balls from them and overall we did a good job of clearing them out of our zone."

However, momentum shifted in the second half as Millburn’s opponents got their offense going and had six shots on goal. Brendan McEvoy and Blake DeJohn both had quality scoring chances for Scotch Plains-Fanwood midway through the second half; however Stevens came up big, saving both shots.

"In the first half we definitely were not hustling enough. I told them at half time to start playing soccer," Scotch Plains-Fanwood head coach Tom Breznitsky said. He also mentioned that his team had one miscue in allowing Millburn to score and that is what cost them the game.

A controversial play came at the end of the game when McEvoy was given a yellow card for elbowing Millburn’s David Westlake in the head as the two were going for a loose ball in the air. This caused a stir, especially from Coach Grosso who was yelling at the referees and Coach Breznitsky who was screaming, "learn how to play soccer!"

Millburn had twenty one fouls on Friday afternoon, including three yellow cards. They were awarded five corner kicks. Scotch Plains-Fanwood had sixteen fouls, three yellow cards and no corner kicks.