With just over 21 minutes remaining in the second half, freshman Carolina Corcoran stepped up to the ball and sent the ball roaring to the back of the net from outside of the box. Corcoran not only contributed to the Blue Devils’ strong gameplay, but she also struck her first varsity point. Just a couple of minutes later, that goal would secure Westfield’s 6-0 victory in a mercy over Montgomery.
Westfield’s strong offensive unit played a major role in the outcome. Corcoran said, “I think we did a really good job of passing through the lines, finding people’s feet, playing quickly and getting it forward.”
As well as Corcoran, junior Nina Rodrigues also tallied her first varsity point. Head coach Alex Schmidt expressed how proud he was of Rodrigues and Corcoran: “We never have two firsts, and I love to see that there’s a lot of different ways that we scored, which makes it hard for any team to stop us.”
The backline assisted in the Blue Devils’ dominance, leading to a shutout by both senior goalie Sofia Buoscio and sophomore goalie Phoebe Klag. Leading the defensive unit, senior Olivia DiGregorio said, “We worked on these simple passing patterns in practice, and we made sure we incorporated that in the game.” DiGregorio emphasized the importance of communication on the field, especially through her role as a captain and center back.
Montgomery walked onto the field with their heads held high, not knowing what Westfield was capable of. This matchup against the Cougars was the first ever, so the Blue Devils did not have much to turn to. Regardless, their confidence and mindset were no different from any other game.
DiGregorio highlighted the importance of Westfield’s mindset going into any game. She said, “We go into every game thinking that the team is really good, to have high expectations.” In preparation, Schmidt explained how the team watched film on the previous game and only worried about what they could improve on in this game.
DiGregorio said, “Our goal was to focus on touch and pass, keep the ball moving, make it quick, be aggressive, and always win 50/50 balls.” This tactic only paid off as Montgomery struggled to keep their eyes on the fast-paced Blue Devils.
Westfield is now undefeated at 8-0 and they look to continue to put on the pressure as they travel to Princeton at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Schmidt said, “Princeton has only one loss on the season, so that’s going to be a really big conference game as well.” The atmosphere will be different from home, but the Blue Devils are focused and ready for what the Tigers have to offer.
