Only three minutes into the first overtime, sophomore Ryan Gibbons splits two defenders and hits a shot across the goal into the top right corner. Game over. The golden goal gave Westfield a thrilling senior day, with a 1-0 victory over No. 15 Monroe.
With a packed crowd filled with friends and family, the underclassmen honored their nine seniors with a memorable victory. The Blue Devils fought from the opening whistle, creating countless scoring chances within the first five minutes and keeping Monroe on their heels throughout the game.
Going into the game, the Blue Devils knew this would be a hard matchup with Monroe being 10-2-1 this season. This didn’t stop the boys from staying consistent throughout the game being very prominent in the offensive half. Although the score stayed 0-0 throughout the whole 80 minutes the boys never seemed to stop fighting and finally were rewarded with a goal.
Head coach Eric Shaw said, “I think our momentum was great from the beginning. If you look at the first half, I think we deserved a goal or two. This is what we’ve been looking for in terms of our energy and enthusiasm throughout the year.”
The Blue Devils have made noticeable strides offensively in the past couple of games, and it was on full display against Monroe. Westfield’s consistent pressure frustrated the Monroe defense and forced countless defensive mistakes.
Midway through the second half, the Monroe goalkeeper went to pick up a loose ball and slid outside his box under pressure from the Westfield attack, which gave the Blue Devils a dangerous free kick right outside the box.
As the team approaches the Union County tournament, that relentless pressure and energy remain a key part of their game plan. Senior co-captain Cooper Janota said, “Keep doing that. Move the ball, work as a team, and just score. We have had a problem scoring all year. We just need to take chances like that, because you never know.”
Gibbons played a huge role in maintaining possession in the midfield and transferring to the attack. Shaw said, “Ryan had big moments throughout the whole match, but certainly in the finish, was world-class.”
This composure in tense moments stemmed from a focused mindset. Gibbons said, “[I was] trying to control my breathing, staying calm, relying on my teammates, and just playing off instinct. Like, don’t try to do too much. Just trust my moves.”
However, without the defense, Westfield wouldn’t have been able to secure the victory. Twenty minutes into the first half, senior Jacob Kotowicz had a goal-line header save, and junior goalkeeper Lucas Rosario tallied seven saves to keep the Falcons scoreless.
Coming off two back-to-back wins, the Blue Devils look to carry their momentum forward and improve their 6-6-2 record against Summit on Oct. 13 at Gary Kehler Stadium.
