It is no question that the Blue Devils have one of the toughest schedules in the state, playing different nationally and state-ranked teams every week. The fact that the team is continuously able to hang with the best is a testament to their strength, even when they come up short.
On Tuesday, Westfield lost 7-6 in overtime to a talented Morristown side. Down 3-0 in the second quarter, the Blue Devils managed to catch up, but in the end, a series of miscommunications, passing mistakes and a lack of offensive playmaking cost them the victory.
The Colonials came out strong from the start, but goals from sophomore Lorelei McGorty, sophomore Kate Cymbor and senior tri-captain Gilli Cohen managed to give the Blue Devils the lead 5-3 before halftime.
However, this lead couldn’t propel them to the win, as Morristown scored two more goals and held Westfield to one.
The Blue Devils battled throughout regulation to keep the score close and held a strong defensive line, but they couldn’t execute offensively. Cohen added, “We knew that faking before shooting and just placing the ball was going to be really important. I don’t think that’s something we capitalized on.”
The main defensive line, including senior tri-captain Maeve Wojcik, senior Emily Kennedy, junior Logan Patridge and freshman Molly Wojcik put up a strong and united front. Head coach Katie DaSilva said the defense “carried the game.” Junior Payton Monusky also had a great game in goal, tallying six saves.
The Blue Devils continue to fall in the same frustrating pattern, where they struggle to close out and let one simple mistake cost them the game.
“We keep losing the exact same way. So, if they want it, they have to figure it out,” said DaSilva. “We have all the tools to do it, but sticking to the game plan is a good start.”
Even with the offensive struggles continuing, the team still found positives throughout the matchup. Cymbor said, “We were really good at redefending and getting the ball back, close to the end, I feel like there was a couple shots that we took that we were able to get the ball back into redefend, which is really important, but we just didn’t end up capitalizing on our shots after that.”
The Blue Devils will play Morris Knolls on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. away, looking to bounce back and reignite their winning streak.
