Ben Nematadzira shook off one defender, pushing the ball to the corner, setting up for a promising cross. Nervous energy from the fans turned into cheers as Nematadzira spotted Manuel Gayanilo, open and ready for a shot. The senior forward reared back and delivered his cross.
Gayanilo met the ball in the air, booting it to the right side of the goal, hoping to tie the match and begin his celebration. It would never come. The Union goalkeeper leaped into the air, making an acrobatic save, extinguishing the fans’ hope.
This was just one of the Blue Devils’ many missed opportunities throughout their 1-0 loss to Union.
“We kept trying and trying to respond and we had some good solutions, but the final solution was scoring a goal, which we never got to,” said head coach Eric Shaw.
Despite the defeat, Westfield’s defense looked dominant through most of the match, giving the Farmers very few chances at the net. However, in one of their rare opportunities, Union was able to capitalize.
After stealing a clearance from Westfield’s defense midway through the first half, Union quickly pushed the ball up the sideline, leaving Blue Devil defenders in the dust. The speedy Union forward met Westfield senior keeper Luke Tennant outside the box, tapping the ball just out of his grasp and into the net.
“I think we only gave up one chance, which happened to be the goal,” said Shaw.
Westfield maintained possession for the majority of the match, putting constant pressure on Union’s defense and goalkeeping. With over 10 shots on net, Westfield had plenty of chances to equalize, but Union managed to accumulate just as many saves, preserving the shutout.
Union had an inspiring stop at the end of the first half when defender and co-captain David Savransky delivered a solid corner kick, curving into the scrum of Union and Westfield players. After a few headers from Union, senior co-captain Zach Preucil recovered the ball and was able to deliver a strong shot, but the Farmers’ goalkeeper made another acrobatic save.
However, the ball continued to pop out, giving Westfield more opportunities to bury the ball in the back of the net. While the goalkeeper was down, a Union defender managed to block a Westfield shot, making a crucial save. The ball then ricocheted off the mob of players and into the keeper’s arms, allowing him to neutralize Westfield’s scoring threat.
The eleventh-ranked Blue Devils were visibly irritated throughout the game, as they were losing to a Union team that they were projected to beat. Coming off of two victories to Cranford and Long Branch, Westfield did not expect to be defeated.
“This was not a team we should be losing to,” said Tennant. His frustration was common among some of his fellow teammates.
Preucil said, “I think the quality, technically and mentally, was really poor… There were too many small mistakes, just completing passes, the simple stuff.”
Although the Blue Devils could not make it out with a victory, they will be looking to eliminate their sloppy play and get back in the win column against Don Bosco Prep away at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
