Entering the matchup at Red Bull Arena against rivals Scotch Plains-Fanwood, the energy among the Blue Devils and the crowd was exceeding expectations as the boys team finished their game minutes before. With the boys tying 0-0, stakes were high as the girls looked for a more fortunate outcome.
With both teams lined up at the center of the field, confidence was radiating into the air while their names and numbers glimmered on the back of their kits. Coming into the game undefeated, the Blue Devils had high hopes to advance their record and come out with a win.
Although the game started off slow, both teams hesitant on their feet, Westfield started to gain momentum 20 minutes into the first half as senior Marisa O’Connell found senior captain Ella Cadigan through an open slot, who rifled it from the just outside the semicircle of SPF’s 18-yard box, just getting the ball over the keeper’s head and allowing it to drop into the back of the goal for Westfield to take the 1-0 advantage.
The rest of the half remained stuck between the midfield and defense. Despite a few saves from Westfield’s goalie Sofia Buoscio, a close free hit kick from senior captain Kate Giglio and an aggressive offense trying to push the ball forward, both teams had their agendas on their mind. SPF: keep the game close. Westfield: maintain the lead.
The second half began with minimal opportunities for the Blue Devils and Raiders as both teams started to play scrappy. With SPF advancing up into their offensive zone, they started to get an uncomfortable distance closer to Westfield’s box. In an event to try and defend their half, Giglio pushd through an SPF attacker, resulting in a penalty against Westfield. As the Raiders maintained their first real opportunity of the game, the Blue Devils gathered laterally into a wall, not letting the ball get into the back of the net, but allowing it to go over instead.
As the game remained at a stalemate with both teams itching to score, Westfield gained a close opportunity shooting the ball and missing just far left of the bottom right corner. Retaliating, the Blue Devils had a close call as the Raiders broke their defense, almost ending up in a goal which ended up being saved by Buoscio. “On a big field like this… for the defense to get composed in the second half, and really limit [SPF’s] shots, I’m really proud of them,” said head coach Alex Schmidt.
After an intense 30 minutes in the second half, senior Sofia Gesser found space between SPF defenders, sending the ball through the gap to junior Brooke Morrison who launched the ball to the top left corner of the net, unfortunately being called offsides by the ref. “We did really well in the second half, we tried to work on moving up the sides, which we did, and getting into the corners,” said Cadigan.
Although the sideline official waved their checkered flag, it did not hinder the Blue Devils’ drive to walk off the field with a victory in hand. The final whistle blew 15 minutes later, and Westfield continued their unbeaten season under the lights.
The Blue Devils look to continue their hot start to their campaign against Randolph on Oct. 6 at 4:15 p.m. at Kehler.
