The Blue Devils celebrated Senior Day in a dominant fashion, earning a win 13-4 over Caldwell in front of their home crowd, and giving every senior a chance to make a difference in the field.
In the first quarter, the Caldwell Chiefs struck early, scoring the first goal of the game, but they failed to keep their momentum. Behind two goals from junior tri-captain Koby Waldman, Westfield quickly connected on offense and didn’t hesitate to extend their lead. Behind three more goals from junior Harrison Rekemeier, senior Cooper Chororos and senior tri-captain Ben Seward, Westfield took control of the game, ending the first quarter with a 5-2 lead.
In honor of Senior Day, the game allowed for playing time for all graduating players. Chororos, who had two goals of his own, said, “It was great to have all of us out there together as seniors. We’ve been playing together for a while now, so there’s that chemistry that helped us click.” Senior Trevor Bridge, who also contributed a goal, added, “The energy was super high all day. We were all out there just having fun.”
Head coach Boomer Wertheimer agreed, “Guys who normally might get a little more playing time helped other guys with certain things on and off the field.”
The heat seemed to be no problem for Westfield, as the second quarter saw the same momentum as the first, with the Blue Devils capitalizing on multiple dominant offensive possessions. Waldman earned a hat-trick as he opened the quarter with the first goal for both teams, quickly followed by another from sophomore Brody Ferguson. In response to a Caldwell goal, Ferguson and senior tri-captain Luke Spaide each tacked on another goal, giving Westfield a 9-3 halftime advantage.
The second half saw more transition game-play, with a series of scoreless back-and-forth possessions for both teams. After little offensive activity, Rekemeier scored his second of the game, netting the first goal of the second half with just one minute left in the third quarter. Westfield capitalized yet again to close out the third quarter 11-3 with junior Kieran Gerne scoring quickly after Rekemeier.
The final quarter at Kehler ended with just three goals, two for Westfield, scored by Bridge and Chororos. Bridge said, “Today’s game proved that our team has a lot of depth and potential heading into states, even when playing conditions are tough.”
The Blue Devils will play again on May 28 for the NJSIAA Sectional First Round, where they aim to keep their season alive and advance with a strong performance. Wertheimer said, “We just have to see who we get first and prepare from there.”
