It took Westfield just seven minutes and seven seconds to find the back of the net. It started from the midfield with crisp passing and then a shifty move to find junior Emilie Cadigan open in the box for a sweet finish, winning the game 1-0. Coming off a dominant win in their prior game vs David Brearly, the girls were ready for battle, facing the team they played in the State Semi-final last year, Montclair.
The Blue Devils jumped out to an early start and were able to control the tempo of the game from the opening whistle. After a nice bit of play from Westfield, the Blue Devils scored their only goal of the day in neat fashion. Head coach Alex Schmidt said, “Our goal was a phenomenal, good combination play through the middle.”
Although the scoreboard indicates a 1-0 win, it was still a very commanding performance from the Blue Devils, with a strong shutout by the defense protecting the one-goal lead. Schmidt had very high praise for his backline, stating, “ [Our] Defense was phenomenal today, maybe they had one corner, so I think it was the best game for our defense.”
While the defense never really had any worries and was in control for most of the game, Schmidt acknowledged that he would have liked his team to do a little better up front. “I think a lot of times we were dribbling and giving away passes. We have to be aware that every pass we give away is now a counterattack. Just a little more intention with our passes up top.”
Westfield is now 7-0 on the season, and they are building momentum as the postseason is on the horizon for the Blue Devils. Cadigan is in her third season as a Blue Devil, and she leads the team with eight goals for the season. She is a consistent midfielder who has a huge impact on the team.
Senior tri-captain Olivia DiGregorio is the anchor in the Blue Devils’ defense. The Scranton commit is coming off one of her best games of the season and played a huge role in the Blue Devils’ win. DiGrigorio said, “We really work on playing out of the back, and that’s important in how we possess the ball and make sure we get that clean shutout.”
After a 2-0 week for the Blue Devils, they look to recover for their matchup this Tuesday versus Montgomery at 4 p.m. at Kehler to keep the hot streak going.
