With just one shot on goal by Westfield the entire game, Arthur L. Johnson was able to defeat the Blue Devils in the quarterfinals of the Union County Tournament.
The Blue Devils held possession throughout the matchup but ultimately were unable to find the back of the cage to get them on the scoreboard. ALJ secured their spot in the Semifinal round with this 0-2 win.
After halftime, the Blue Devils defense had a fire lit under them, standing strong and stopping any incoming shots by the Crusaders. Junior defenseman Chloe Martin said the team worked on “settling in [and] playing [their] game and not letting anything get to [their] heads” in preparing for this matchup. Martin was a crucial part of Westfield’s defense, stopping powerful ALJ shots while simultaneously leading the back line. Head coach, Corinne Varhley praised the defense on their “great double teams.”
On the offensive end, the Blue Devils “did very well maintaining possession,” according to senior co-captain Becca Silverman. Varhley echoed this and said, “Our passing was excellent today.”
Evidently, Westfield had difficulty capitalizing on scoring opportunities despite their strong ball movement. Silverman looks to “find different outlets on offense” to hopefully get some points on the scoreboard in future games and the state tournament. Varhley said, “We did not capitalize on our opportunities as far as offensive shots and goals.”
Coming into this game Silverman said, “We needed to keep our composure…we wanted to make sure we went out with the same confidence we always do.”
On the coaching side, the staff did a lot of research coming into this game, especially regarding switching up the teams corner opportunities. Westfield had chances off of thrilling corners and successful ball movement, but the ALJ defense seemed to be a magnet to the ball. Varhley said, “We knew that this game was going to be relentless.”
Despite the tough matchup, and undeniable rivalry, Varhley was “confident in the team that showed up today.” Although the score did not go in favor of the Blue Devils, Silverman believes “the score does not reflect how hard we played.” The duel between Westfield and ALJ lived up to the expectations and was evenly matched.
Looking ahead, the Blue Devils have one final divisional game against Columbia on Oct. 29 at Gary Kehler Stadium. Varhley said, “We are focusing on our final divisional game and then we will see what seed we get for the state tournament.”
