There was no attacking breakthrough to settle the tie. Instead, both sides had to maintain concentration through a goalless match and then convert under mounting pressure from the penalty spot.
The report says fourth-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood entered with a 12-3-1 record, while fifth-seeded Westfield arrived at 7-8-2. That form gap produced no advantage on the field, with Westfield holding the higher-ranked opponent level across regulation and extra time.
A shootout lasting 21 attempts underlined how little separated the teams.
For Westfield, the reported defeat was as narrow as a knockout exit can be. They stayed unbeaten across the match itself but fell after the decisive penalty sequence, ending their county-tournament run without conceding during open play.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood, meanwhile, showed the resilience required in tournament football. Their route to the semi-finals has included a clean sheet over the full match and the composure to survive 11 rounds from the spot.
The report says Scotch Plains-Fanwood will face top-seeded Summit on Saturday. That semi-final carries an added storyline: Summit reportedly beat the Raiders 2-1 in their UCC Watchung Division meeting on 1 October.
Summit therefore arrive with evidence that they can trouble Scotch Plains-Fanwood, while the Raiders will carry the confidence of surviving a far longer test. The semi-final should be shaped by whether Scotch Plains-Fanwood can turn their defensive discipline into an attacking threat before another late-game lottery becomes possible.
The next chapter is immediate: a county semi-final against Summit, with a place in the final at stake and little margin for another stalemate.