Tensions heightened as the game stretched near its 100th minute mark in the second overtime period. Nerves of the crowd built as both the Hilltoppers and Blue Devils eagerly waited for who would finally end the competition. Westfield hearts and hopes would drop as the referee allotted a Summit direct kick just outside the penalty box. Summit contained the final chance to place a good ball directly into the net as time dwindled. To the relief of Westfield players and fans alike, the shot sailed just over the net to seal a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
This isn’t the first time the Blue Devils have tied in their season, just over a week ago the New Providence Pioneers unexpectedly held the Blue Devils to a 1-1 draw. It certainly hasn’t been the first time this season a foul in the waning moments of a gridlocked game threatened the Blue Devils. The team was coming fresh off a 2-1 heartbreaking loss this past weekend to Seton Hall Prep, in which the Pirates won off a penalty kick awarded with just 12 seconds left in regulation.
Although the Blue Devils had a few promising opportunities to score, it was apparent that the team struggled offensively against the Hilltoppers. Summit had numerous chances on net throughout the game, many of which were deterred by the Westfield keeper, Simon Gunzberg, who had a brilliant game in net. This performance in between the pipes though would not entirely halt an opportunistic Summit offense, who would score their first and only goal of the game in the first half.
Gunzberg emphasized the importance of transitioning the defensive momentum to the offensive zone: “Quick playing out of the back on top of engaging long balls earlier in combination with our defense and midfield pushing up faster,” he said.
A big piece of that offense went missing in the second half as senior midfielder and captain Alex Rokhsar sustained an injury which became a visible problem. The Blue Devils struggled to find a consistent rhythm for the rest of regulation and overtime. Head coach Eric Shaw recognized Rokhsar’s condition: “Obviously Alex on the field is a big piece of us and what we do, so we’ll see where he’s at. One good thing is it’s still September so the most important matches will still come up and hopefully he will recover and be ready to go.”
While the offense had problems, they were able to find a tiny spark as senior Damien Caponigro found his first goal of the season in the latter part of the first half. The Blue Devils have been struggling to find their momentum and that was the goal coming into this game. Caponigro commented, “We haven’t won since Union, so we’re just trying to get it back and we needed this win.”
The Blue Devils will play at home against Elizabeth on Friday at 4 p.m, as they strive to improve their 4-3-2 record.
