Westfield field hockey improved to 8-5 in dominating fashion with a 6-0 win over South Plainfield Saturday afternoon.
Westfield controlled the game’s narrative, winning the possession battle by a substantial margin. South Plainfield’s few offensive pushes towards the Westfield half proved futile against a suffocating Blue Devil defense.
Westfield was led to victory by senior co-captains Ella McLane and Julia Schneider. “We knew that as long as we kept it down here [the offensive side of the field] we would score,” said Schneider.
Schneider ignited the team’s offense with the first goal of the game 43 seconds into the first quarter. “We knew we had to get the offense going early. It gave us a lot of confidence and momentum that we could beat them and continue to score,” said Schneider.
The first goal was quickly followed by a second, scored by sophomore Becca Silverman. McLane, who has a team-leading 18 goals this season, had three goals in Saturday’s contest, two of which came in the third quarter and the last coming in the fourth. It marked another great game in McLane’s dominant senior year campaign. “Our teamwork and communication was definitely on today, especially in the second half,” said McLane.
Westfield converted 7-21 shots on goal, along with 11 corner attempts against the Tigers.
On the other side of the field, the Blue Devil defense was overwhelming, allowing few shot attempts on goal. Senior goalie Lauren Mcdonough produced her sixth shutout of the year. South Plainfield had minimal scoring opportunities via corners, but failed to convert or produce significant pressure on the Westfield defense.
“Our defense did a really good job of keeping them out and our goalies shutting down any chances they had,” said McLane.
Westfield was scoreless in its previous two games against Johnson and West Essex, both resulting in shutouts. Westfield hopes its Saturday victory could be the must-needed offensive spark for a difficult upcoming schedule.
“Today’s game was to have the momentum [and] finishing on high momentum and on a high note going into next week,” said coach Corinne Varhley. “We try to celebrate the little things and the seniors and the captains are really good about pumping up the [team].”
As for the rest of the season, the team has its sights set on a sectional championship. “We’ve got that potential, “said McLane. “Especially with our team getting progressively better.”
Westfield will meet Kent Place for the first time this season on Monday. Westfield is 2-3 in its last five meetings against Kent Place as they look to carry Saturday’s win with them into the upcoming contest.
