As the second half dwindled down, a frustrated Westfield team was looking for a spark. With the season on the line, sophomore Emilie Cadigan was able to connect with junior Mary Lane off a corner kick, putting the Blue Devils back in the game. Despite a scrappy first half, the Blue Devils made a comeback to beat Elizabeth 4-1 sending them to the sectional finals.
In the team’s pre-game talk, Westfield discussed one player specifically on Elizabeth, number eight. They knew from past experience that if she could get free, she could shoot from almost anywhere; and this is just what she did. Only 12 minutes into the matchup number 8 took a lefty-shot that soared from 30 yards out and landed perfectly in the back of the next. Senior Erin Hazard said, “After their goal came from us not stepping up soon enough, we adjusted and were able to be there and close the gaps so they didn’t have time or space to shoot and get any other chances on goal.”
Westfield’s momentum rapidly picked up just before the first half closed. With 30 seconds left in the half Cadigan struck yet again. Mary Lane beat a defender and cut it back to Cadigan at the top of the 18, Cadigan beat her defenders and rifled it crossbar down over the goalie’s head. Cadigan said, “I think we were being more patient and definitely moving the ball more at the top instead of impulsively taking shots out from far away.”
Going into the second half the Blue Devils defense had the weight of the game on their shoulders. They were looking to defend a scrappy Elizabeth team and pull out a win. “We’ve been working all season to make sure that we’re able to stay composed when games get scrappy so we communicate a lot with each other to make sure we’re delaying and staying calm,” Hazard said.
Coming out of halftime the Westfields offense ignited. The Blue Devils were able to maintain possession for the majority of the half allowing for several scoring opportunities. The ball stayed on Westfield’s offensive half allowing for the Blue Devils to finish on two more shots. One came from senior Audra Toth and the other from sophomore Catherine Oliveira.
The Blue Devils will now head to their fourth consecutive state-sectional finals this Thursday at home vs Bridgewater-Raritan at 2:00pm. Westfield, as the number one seed in the tournament, is looking to secure the win to advance into the state semi-finals. Head coach Alex Schmidt is hopeful and said, “There is just great character on this team. The drive and mental strength is so crucial, so we are happy.”
