On Thursday afternoon, the energy at Kehler was contagious from players to fans following the boys lacrosse overtime sudden-death victory versus Bridgewater-Raritan. The second half of the Westfield lacrosse double-header featured a highly anticipated matchup versus Ridgewood in the sectional semifinal. The defending state champions came into the day feeling confident and determined to defend their title, but were quickly faced with both offensive and defensive struggles, ultimately leading to a season-ending 7-9 loss.
Behind goals by senior tri-captain and Lehigh commit Gilli Cohen and sophomore standout Kate Cymbor, the Blue Devils found themselves up 2-1 late in the first quarter. Seconds before the break, Ridgewood tied the game at two and they never looked back.
After an even first quarter, Ridgewood tallied two goals in the second quarter, putting them up by two at the half. With a fire lit under them, fueled by revenge, they opened the third quarter hungry for victory. After two more quick goals, Westfield’s head coach Katie DaSilva was forced to call a timeout.
Going into the game, the team was aware of the competition their opponent would bring. “We have played Ridgewood three times in the past two seasons. They know our defense, they know our draw and they know who our threats are on offense,” said senior defender and Muhlenberg College commit Emily Kennedy. “I think that since their team didn’t change much from last year to this year, they came in with so much fire and revenge that it was hard to keep up with.”
By the end of the quarter, Cymbor was the only Blue Devil able to capitalize in the 12 minutes, and the team found themselves in a 3-8 deficit, with only one quarter of play to rally a comeback. Senior attacker and midfielder Maddy Smith added, “They came out so aggressively, and we weren’t ready. By the time we got ready, [the end of the third quarter], it was too late.”
In the fourth quarter, toward the end of the game, Westfield went on a run, coming short 7–9. “I think the biggest success yesterday was our perseverance during the fourth quarter. Even if we were down by five goals, we still wanted to give it our all,” Kennedy said. After the game, DaSilva reinforced the grit the Blue Devils put into their final minutes. “I just commended them on the fight, because we came back in the fourth quarter, but we ran out of time.
Despite the unfortunate result, Westfield still has a lot to be proud of. Kennedy said, “I am very proud of all the underclassmen for giving it all they had during the game despite it not being their last season, and it shows how much everyone wanted it.” The Blue Devils made so much history this season by beating Ridgewood for the first time in the regular season in many years, and beating great teams like Summit, Oak Knoll, Chatham and more for the first time in many seasons as well.
“Unfortunately, yesterday was not a lack of preparation; it was a lack of execution. We could not have been more prepared,” said DaSilva. Although the Blue Devils’ season was cut shorter than expected, the girls had a season full of milestones, with history made.
