When the ball hit the bottom right corner of the Summit net halfway through the second half, a sigh of relief echoed through the Westfield bench and stands. With ease, freshman Gabriella Hollins took the shot that would seal the 1-0 victory over the Hilltoppers.
Hollins said, “I saw the right side of the goal open, and I know we talked about it in warm-ups, placement over power, because the goalkeeper was really tall. So I just wanted to place it in the bottom right corner.”
From the start of the game, the Blue Devils created numerous chances; however, they struggled to convert them. The Hilltoppers came out strong, pressuring the Blue Devils defensively with every possession they got. Senior Andie Janota said, “Summit had a really high press this game, so we really had to move the ball quickly from the back. Any mistake we made, they would capitalize on it.”
What was expected to be an easier game for the Blue Devils turned out to be more challenging, especially with the absence of junior Emilie Cadigan due to a foot injury, a key player for the Blue Devils’ offense. Head coach Alex Schmidt explained that the decision to keep her out was a game-time call. “She has been a consistent starter the last three years in the midfield for us. That’s a big hole to fill,” Schmidt said. The Blue Devils currently have five other players who are injured, but they remain unaffected as the team has been able to adapt regardless.
Westfield maintained the majority of the possession throughout the game. While the buildup from the defensive line was strong, once the ball reached the box, it couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. The team remained composed and stayed patient because they knew the ball would eventually go in. Janota emphasized the importance of the Westfield sideline, “I feel like our bench is a really big part of keeping us motivated. They are always cheering us on.”
After the first half, the team recognized that they needed to make some adjustments. Hollins said, “We were already playing well and nothing was fundamentally wrong. We just needed to tweak a couple of things in the final third of play.”
Westfield came back stronger in the second half. A number of individual players switched up positions as the team was trying to fill the gap left by the injury of Cadigan. Schmidt said, “Andie is usually at the back, we put her up top just for some senior voice up there. We started with one attacking, then we went to two attacking.” These changes paid off, as the Blue Devils had a number of early shots on goal and were ultimately rewarded for their consistent pressure.
While the Blue Devils managed to pull off a win, Schmidt expressed that it was “a step back from Princeton,” where Westfield won 4-0. “Soccer is a weird game, the [Summit] goalie did really well,” he said. “It’s tough to win all the time, so I give the girls credit; they found a way.”
The Blue Devils look to improve their 10-0 record as they play Oak Knoll on Friday at Kehler at 4 p.m.
