As the clock wound down, fans and players began to anticipate overtime, but with twelve seconds left, an errant ball rifles off a Westfield player’s arm, and the whistle blows. The screech silenced the crowd. The referee delivers the call: a handball inside the box. Seton Hall Prep got a game-winning penalty shot and hammered it into the back of the net. After a dominant game from Westfield, a questionable yellow card seals the deal in the final seconds, giving Seton Hall Prep the 2-1 victory.
Coming off a surprising loss to Monroe last Saturday, Westfield came out with some fire. Senior goalie Simon Gunzberg had a lights-out performance in the first half, including one point-blank shot that he erased. On both sides of the ball, Westfield was flying around and firing on all cylinders.
The Blue Devils dominated the ball the entirety of the first half. Despite many close attempts, including a beautiful shot from senior Jake Russell that hit off the pipe, the game remained scoreless as halftime encroached.
With two minutes remaining in the first half, senior Alex Rokhsar fought through traffic and fired the ball into the back of the net, giving Westfield the 1-0 lead. Gaining the advantage against the Pirates, the No. 5 team in the state, gave Westfield the confidence that they could keep up with them.
Gunzberg said, “The biggest takeaway for us is that we can hang with anyone in the state. This is one of the best teams in the state, and some of the best competition we have seen all season, and we put up a great fight.”
Unfortunately, Westfield’s lead was not enough to withstand the second-half barrage from Seton Hall Prep. A goal with 12 minutes left knotted the score and the ultimate penalty shot sealed the game for the Pirates. Rokhsar said, “Moving forward, we gotta get that first goal, but continue to keep our foot on the gas because it is not enough to just be a first-half team.”
Even with the questionable penalty call at the end, Gunzberg recognized the team’s responsibility in keeping the game in their hands. He said, “I know all the parents are shouting at the refs for that call, but we can’t let the game be decided by one call; we have to secure the win for ourselves.”
Despite the unfortunate outcome, Westfield showed they could hang with New Jersey’s best and they plan to display that in the coming weeks with the Union County tournament on the horizon. Head coach Eric Shaw said, “That’s why we schedule these matches, we know these big Group 4 private schools are going to be competitive and in order for us to win the state title, that is the competition we have to beat.”
Moving forward, the Blue Devils face off against the Summit Hilltoppers on Tuesday at 4 p.m, hoping to bounce back with a rivalry win.
