With just over 20 minutes remaining in the second half, junior Emilie Cadigan found the back of the net for Westfield’s sixth goal of the game. As 20 more seconds ticked down, the match ended due to the Blue Devil’s second straight mercy rule victory.
Coming off of an impressive seven goal win, Westfield continued to push their way through the sectional bracket. “Winning any state game is an achievement, it’s hard…next week is a big week,” said head coach Alex Schmidt. The girls have their eyes set on what’s ahead, hoping to capitalize on what has been an already successful season.
Westfield opened the scoring with 33 minutes left in the first half, as a shot was tipped in right in front of the net by senior Mary Lane. Just two minutes later, Lane fired in her second goal of the game, making it 2-0 Blue Devils early.
Following up Lane’s two goals, sophomore Mia Zbranek netted the third goal of the match. “I think we were really quick on offense, we picked up on how the defense was playing which made it easier for us,” Zbranek said.
As the first half was winding down, with inside 10 minutes remaining, junior Desra Sonnek-Schmelz notched Westfield’s fourth goal of the game.
At the opening of the second half, the Blue Devils picked up right where they left off. An intense and determined second half propelled them to keeping their lead until the end.
Sophomore Victoria Corcoran lined up for a penalty, and knocked it through, extending Westfield’s lead to 5-0.
“I think the offense did a really good job of connecting…especially in the second half, in the second half we really started to connect faster and break their lines pretty quickly,” said senior captain Ashley Yenawine.
Westfield had to battle through adversity all game, missing some key contributors on the field gave the Blue Devils a challenge they were easily able to overcome. “A couple of players were sick, not feeling well so didn’t play today, so other players stepped up in their spots,” said Schmidt.
As their undefeated season rolls on, Westfield has their sight set on another sectional title. “The next couple weeks of practice are going to be big for us, we need to rest our bodies and work on our combinations up top,” said Yenawine.
Westfield will face the winner of Bayonne and Elizabeth in the NJSIAA sectional semi-final on Wednesday.
