When the Blue Devils stepped out onto the field, the energy and momentum were high. It was clear that no matter what, the Blue Devils were going to give it their all.
Throughout the first quarter, Westfield and Hillsborough players fought viciously for the ball, but neither could score for their team. Both teams had a number of opportunities, but fell short in capitalizing on them.
Senior captain Kayla Reyes said scoring is one of the challenges the Blue Devils often face in their games. “We just need to get a scoring opportunity and to continue to take shots when we have them,” said Reyes. The Blue Devils had a number of offensive plays throughout the game, but only a few resulted in shots on net.
In the second quarter, Hillsborough upped the pressure on Westfield’s defense. Despite this pressure, defenders remained strong and thwarted a number of Hillsborough counterattacks. However, Hillsborough was ultimately able to take advantage of two corners, leaving Hillsborough ahead 2-0 when the half was reached.
At the start of the second half, the Blue Devils returned to the field, echoing the same first-half energy. They were aggressive both on offense and defense and they were rewarded when senior Maren Restivo scored a tap-in with an assist from senior Riley Carr.
Despite momentum from Restivo’s goal driving the Blue Devils, Hillsborough was able to score two more goals off corners and hand Westfield a 4-1 loss.
Head Coach Corrine Varhley expressed how, despite the loss, she was very proud of the effort the team put into the game. “Hillsborough didn’t score any goals from the field; they scored only on their offensive corners, where we only had four back, so it shows that our defense was really strong today,” Varhley said.
The Blue Devils are already getting ready for the next game, showing their resilient and determined attitude that they display both on and off the field.
Junior defender Caroline Loggie said, “Next game, I think we just need to keep working on getting more shots off on goal because once we do that, we’re going to get more opportunities and it’ll result in the scoreboard.”
“They are so hungry and they want this so bad. The potential of this team, I mean, it’s probably one of the better senior classes that I’ve seen in a long time and they want it, so they’re not giving up and they’re going to be relentless,” Varhley said.
The Blue Devils look to bounce back on Monday as they play Summit at 3:45 pm at Kehler.
