After a strong start, the Blue Devils came out of the first quarter, dominating Red Bank Regional 9-1 with 2 goals each from juniors Harrison Rekemeier, Kieran Gerne and sophomore Brody Ferguson, ultimately leading Westfield to a 17-6 victory.
The Blue Devils initially had a slow start in the first quarter after the Bucs scored the opening goal of the game within the first two minutes. However, Westfield responded quickly with Ferguson scoring off of a crease roll, evening the score, and provoking momentum for the rest of the game.
Head coach William Wertheimer said “I know they scored the 1st goal, but after we went through a couple of offensive possessions, we were able to ping the ball around, a lot of guys got touches and ended the ball in the back of the net.”
Rekemeier said, “I think our offense looked good. We were swinging around the ball a lot and everything was falling.”
In agreement, senior tri-captain Ben Seward said, “We possessed the ball really well. We dominated the face off, and I think overall we just played better, especially in the first quarter.” Westfield still held dominance by the end of the half up 12-3.
Coming off of a groundbreaking win against No. 1 Seton Hall Prep, the Blue Devils stayed focused heading into the game. They were hoping to use the previous win as momentum to keep building.
“I think it was actually a little bit tougher as you come off of a big win. It’s a really big mental high, and you have to recover from it,” said Werthiemer. “So, to prepare for today was a little bit tougher than normal games.”
Despite junior Cornell commit Koby Waldman being out with an injury, the team was still able to work together and dominate against the Bucs. Additionally, Westfield was able to show some new faces on the field, as well as in the goal, with freshman Harry O’Connor having a strong performance in the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils will look to continue their winning streak on Tuesday against Delbarton at 4:30 p.m. at home. “Motivation is going to be watching film,” said Wertheimer. “Delbarton will be a tough team coming up, so we just have to prepare the best we can.”
