County semifinals. A historically nail-biting matchup. Heart and hustle defined the game, both teams fighting to have a chance in the final battle. Sweat trickled down the players’ faces. Every ground ball, every faceoff, every shot must be theirs. Execute the game plan, win the game. Who wants it more is a back-and-forth debate. Who is willing to leave it all on the field?
Scotch Plains-Fanwood clearly wasn’t up for the challenge.
This Union County Tournament semifinal should have been one for the books, but Westfield’s Thursday night matchup against SPF was a quick blowout. In any other sport the tension between Westfield and Scotch Plains-Fanwood is high, but on Thursday, Westfield continued its 17-game win streak against the Raiders, dominating, 13-5.
The Blue Devils arrived hungry. They were ready to meet the expectations of the county semifinals. They were ready to prove themselves. Cody Lam and Ryan Waldman scored two quick goals to put them in the lead. The Raiders returned with a goal, attempting to match Westfield’s high energy. But the Lam-Waldman connection on offense was nearly impossible to defeat, each contributing to each other’s success with perfect feeds into bullet-like shots. The scoreboard reading 5-1 was enough for many of the fans to take off, knowing that getting a nail-biting game was just a pipe dream.
During the second quarter, the Blue Devils kept SPF from gaining momentum, shutting out the Raiders from scoring another goal. Goalie Quinn Wojcik and his defensive unit thrived with seniors Jack O’Connor and Trey Brown causing turnovers left and right. “We were playing our style,” said senior midfielder Anthony Buoscio, a key player on Westfield’s clears.
Westfield capitalized on its many opportunities, scoring three more unreturned goals. SPF’s defense simply could not defend sophomore Colin Coyle who put an impressive hat trick in the back of the net.
The SPF coach must have reminded the Raiders to give Westfield a game. With newfound energy, the Raiders came out hot after half time, scoring three goals off the bat. Their sideline was revived. Their coach was stunned. They began to think that they had a shot.
“As we got a lead, our team got comfortable, and we as coaches had to remind them of the game plan,” said Westfield head coach William Wertheimer. After a timeout, the Blue Devils were able to take Wertheimer’s advice to get their heads back into the game. Westfield was able to match SPF’s three goals, eliminating hope for a closer game. The fourth quarter was no surprise. Westfield kept its lead while SPF trailed.
With a county championship now in their reach, the Blue Devils will accept nothing less than a trophy. “I feel like our performance shows the path we are on as a team, and it reflects how we are going to play in the final,” said Lam. While his double hat trick was a considerable part of this win for the Blue Devils, Wertheimer acknowledged that “they all did their jobs.”
Westfield, on a hot streak, will be back again on Saturday under the lights at ALJ, facing longtime rival Summit. Losing to the Hilltoppers at the beginning of the season, 7-6, was a tough pill to swallow. “We haven’t beaten Summit in a long time,” said senior John McDonald, “and we are coming for blood.”
