In a double-overtime thriller, No. 1 seed Westfield defeated No. 6 seed Hunterdon Central to become the North 2, Group 4 sectional champion for the first time in 21 years.
Saturday’s contest was a hard-fought physical battle between the Blue Devils and the Red Devils. Westfield started off flat-footed against an explosive Hunterdon offense. Hunterdon’s controlled passing and well-executed play allowed it to hold possession in the Blue Devil half early in the game. Westfield, though, quickly adjusted and found a rhythm it carried for the rest of the game.
The first half was a defensive back and forth. Both teams entered the other’s half but failed to convert. Twenty-four minutes passed and the game remained scoreless. It wasn’t until a questionable yellow card on senior Brendan Percival, the first of seven total yellows for the game, that someone finally dented the scoreboard. The foul set up a free kick, and Hunterdon Central junior Zach Perron scored first.
“It was a very frantic first twenty minutes, we were just trying to get a feel of ourselves, compose ourselves, and I was just trying to keep my head,” said senior goalkeeper Michael Liebermann. “The goal went in and I was just trying to calm myself down. It is what it is, just try to move on and, to quote someone I know, ‘have the memory of a goldfish.’”
It was a familiar situation for Westfield, having started three of its four sectional tournament games down a goal. Knowing what had to be done, Westfield did its best to take control of the game. This resulted in various offensive pushes towards Hunterdon’s half and ultimately the game-tying goal from junior Ben Nematadzira, his third of the sectional tournament. The game then remained even until halftime.
“We were a little bit on the back foot, they came out really strong and getting that goal back was the most important thing I could’ve done before the half ended, it just feels amazing,” said Nematadzira.
Westfield dominated the second half. Winning the physical game as well as the mental one, the Blue Devils came close to taking the lead on various opportunities. This included a Nematadzira shot that missed left and a goal that was called back because of a handball. Except for three more yellow cards called on Westfield by an unpopular center referee, the game remained a stalemate and went to overtime.
The first overtime was more of the same for Westfield: The Blue Devils constantly knocked on the door but came just short of the result they wanted. Time continued to tick down, and Hunterdon Central’s few opportunities came up short against Liebermann and an experienced Westfield defense, which have allowed only 7 goals over the course of the season. The first overtime ended, and the second quickly began.
Westfield, now having played for over 90 minutes, carried on. Tired and anxious, the team wanted to finish the game. With less than five minutes left in the second overtime, Westfield earned a corner kick. Senior Ian Schultz crossed the ball into the box, and the game-winning goal was scored by senior captain and Hobart commit Noah Fischer.
“It’s just crazy, it’s absolutely absurd. We’re so in-tune every single play, I’m speechless, you dream of this stuff, it’s crazy,” said Fischer.
After a historic season so far, Westfield, for the first time in 21 years, is a sectional champion. The season is not yet over. Now the Blue Devils have their sights set on a state championship as they host West Orange on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Group 4 semifinals.
