Columbia traveled to Gary Kehler Stadium in hopes of taking down the team that ended its season last year in the North, Group 4 sectional quarterfinals. However, Westfield came out on top again with a 10–2 win over the Cougars on Saturday.
The Blue Devils fell short to Summit in their first game of the season on Thursday in a close 7–6 loss. “It’s good to come back,” head coach William Wertheimer said. “Yesterday we worked on some of the things that we didn’t do well and then executed them today.”
Westfield gained possession from the initial faceoff and maintained it for the majority of the game. The Blue Devils broke down the Cougar defense early, finding the back of the net numerous times. “They were in a zone early, and we were able to break it,” Wertheimer said. “We had long possessions and took advantage of open situations.”
Within the first minute of the game, sophomore Colin Coyle scored, putting Westfield up 1–0. Then, less than a minute after his first goal, Coyle scored again, and Westfield went up 2–0. Senior co-captain Ryan Waldman scored Westfield’s final goal of the first quarter with just over eight minutes on the clock, and Columbia still had not found a way to put itself on the board. The Cougars had chances, but would not get their first goal of the game until just under 10 minutes remained in the fourth quarter.
After the first quarter, Westfield continued to dominate the game offensively and defensively, causing turnovers and firing shots, forcing the Columbia goalie to have to make multiple saves. The defensive efforts allowed Westfield to keep Columbia scoreless throughout the first three quarters. Sam Busch, the Columbia goalie, had big moments for the Cougars, saving 19 shots on the day.
Despite these big saves, Westfield came out on top with a dominant performance. Waldman said, “A win like that definitely gives us some confidence, and hopefully we can keep it going throughout the season.”
Waldman recorded four goals, Coyle had three, senior Dylan Wragg had two and junior Cody Lam scored one. This game showcased the Blue Devils’ depth through the talent across all players, ages and positions.
“We shared the ball well. Our defense played great and we got everybody involved,” said Waldman.
By the end of the third quarter, Westfield had scored 10 goals and Columbia was still not on the board. The Cougars found the back of the net once during the third quarter, but the refs declared it was no good. Columbia did not score until the fourth quarter, with about 10 minutes remaining, making the score 10–1. The Cougars did not lose hope before the final buzzer sounded, putting the ball in the back of the net two minutes after their first goal. This would be the final goal of the game, making the score 10–2. Mason Wolpov and Gabe O’Brien scored Columbia’s two goals.
As soon as the final whistle blew, the Westfield players ran onto the field to celebrate the win. The season looks to go up from here. Changes are still coming, and players are still getting used to playing together as the season progresses.
