It was not a game you would want to come late to. From the starting whistle, the Westfield crowd and sideline screamed in the anticipation of the Blue Devil offense executing a goal. Five minutes in, Ella Cadigan found her sister in action, Emilie Cadigan, who ensured her positioning through Hunterdon Central defenders and placed a touch in the bottom right corner. 1-0. Little did the Blue Devils know, this play was going to be the difference between a sectional title and second place.
This was not like Westfield’s other matchups, this was the North 2, Group 4 Sectional Tournament championship. A game that the Blue Devils lost last year in penalty kicks, a game that the 43-year-old program has only won 10 times previously. In the early rounds and semifinal matchup, there was some room for error. But in the finals, it was the best of the best, and Westfield proved they were #1.
This win means something to everyone on the team, from the seniors, to the goalkeeper, to the head coach.
Senior captain Kate Giglio has been on the team since her sophomore year of high school, experiencing both wins and losses in this same matchup. “This game means a lot, especially since last year we lost in the same position,” she said. “I think it was sort of getting back what we lost last year, and it shows us that we didn’t back down from losing one game in another tournament, and we can keep going and move forward.”
Sophomore Sofia Buoscio is new to the team this year, making a huge impact on the team dynamic as their starting goalkeeper. “We’ve been playing so many games, going far away, getting on buses, everything,” she said. “I think that getting to this moment, being able to run to each other after the buzzer, I mean, it was crazy. It was amazing”
Head coach Alex Schmidt has been coaching at Westfield for quite some time now, and experiencing another win like this one still makes his heart heavy. “It’s phenomenal. We told the girls that before the game and at halftime that they have a chance to make history. 43 years of girls soccer; there’s only 11 sectional titles. And to be here three years in a row. Not easy to do. So they won two years ago, lost in PKs last year, so I think it was a little extra something to win this one for the seniors.”
Not only did the team win this one for the seniors, but they made the Westfield soccer program 2-0 in sectional championships this week. With the boys soccer team’s win on Saturday in penalties to rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood, it served as great motivation for the girls coming into today’s matchup. Schmidt said, “Of course, you know, we can’t let the boys only win the sectional. We for sure have to win, so we needed to match that.” And they did. Buoscio also said, “We wanted to get the win in this game for Georgia. For Molly. And for Callie especially.”
Freshmen Georgia Morrelli and Molly McDermott have been injured for most of the season, unable to contribute their talents on the field. However, early in this game, starting sophomore center back Callie Schmidt, was on the ground, clutching her knee. The referee paused the game and the trainers made their way over. Carrying Callie Schmidt off the field, she would not return to the field for the rest of the game. Losing the starting center back, as Buoscio described it, was “nerve-racking.” Alex Schmidt, Callie’s father, said, “As a coach and as a dad, losing Callie’s tough, you know, she’s been a rocket at center back. But, for girls this is what team sports are about. If someone goes down, you need someone that can step up. And you know, Buoscio stepped up, Lauren Furey stepped up. Rebecca Xiong stepped up. At every single moment throughout the game, we had different people step up. And that’s what we expect at this point in the season. If your name is called and you need to get in there, then you know, then we expect you to kind of carry out your job.”
And that’s exactly what the Blue Devils did. They stepped it up. When Ella Cadigan was called for a hand ball inside of the 18-yard box, Hunterdon Central was awarded with a penalty shot towards the middle of the first half. “PKs are always a mistake,” said Buoscio. “I mean, there’s nothing that she could have done about that. It got hit up to her hand. And the most important thing was, I need to understand. I need to focus in. And I need to get in front of this shot.” As a familiar hush fell over Westfield’s crowd, Hunterdon Central kicked the ball and Buoscio dived for the right side kick, deflecting it away from the box. She stepped up for the Blue Devils, making a remarkable play that changed the outcome of the game.
The Blue Devil defense had a lot to do with today’s success. Hunterdon Central had a few close breakaways. But, with sophomore Olivia DiGregorio blocking shots and Giglio disrupting passes with fancy footwork, nothing was getting by without relentless effort by Westfield. The Blue Devils played physically, receiving an overwhelming number of yellow cards. But, they were able to keep the ball out of their defensive third for most of the game until the final minutes when Hunterdon Central came too close for comfort. “Honestly, I was very stressed. It was in our half of everything that I just kept on thinking, kick it out, kick it out, kick it out,” said Buoscio. After a few shot attempts from Hunterdon Central and unsuccessful clears from the Blue Devils, the fans were on edge. The clock managed to dwindle down to the final seconds. Buoscio said, “Getting to that final five seconds and hearing everybody cheer and hearing everybody countdown. It was amazing. Hearing that buzzer sound. It was just amazing.”
Westfield hopes to continue their winning streak in the Group 4 semifinal on Thursday at 1 p.m. at home against Ridgewood.
