Senior Day is a celebration of seniors and their accomplishments. This one, however, was especially meaningful. Senior tri-captain Alice Manzo, who had been sidelined all year, was able to make an appearance for the first time all season. She said, “It was amazing being on the field. I honestly couldn’t believe it. It felt really weird to be back, but I couldn’t be more grateful, and everyone was so supportive of me being back.”
Manzo wasted no time getting back to what she’s done best for four seasons, immediately finding the back of the net in the game of highs for Westfield. Manzo was just one of many players who appeared on the stat sheet for the Blue Devils. Notably, players usually seen on the defensive side of the ball were getting theirs on offense, including seniors Emily Kennedy and Maeve Wojcik, who each scored a pair of goals on the day.
“It was so much fun. I actually really enjoyed it because I feel it’s fun to be able to play on the other side of the field and be able to see those people, but also getting all my other teammates who score are worth all also really cool,” Kennedy commented.
Westfield grabbed an early lead against SPF. Within the first five minutes, the Blue Devils established a commanding 5-0 advantage, as a result of the multiple goal scorers. Head coach Katie DaSilva shared her thoughts on the diverse scoring, stating, “It just shows that we have multiple people contributing. Many utility players weren’t stuck in one position, and I couldn’t even tell you how many people scored today, so it was really nice.”
Scotch Plains got back into the game and made it close before half, but the Blue Devils continued to pounce in the second half, outscoring SPF 10-2.
Senior tri-captain Gilli Cohen scored to help secure a strong third quarter, and the Blue Devils maintained their dominance in the fourth, rotating in new players. The game concluded with the Blue Devils winning 19-9.
With the team preparing to head into the postseason, the commanding win, with contributions from the bottom up, surely spells hope for the aspiring repeat Group 4 champions.
The Blue Devils have three regular season games left, including a heavyweight matchup against currently ranked No. 1 Moorestown. In the meantime, Westfield looks to add another win under its belt with Princeton on Thursday.
