Midway through the first half, Westfield meticulously passed the ball all the way up and into the offensive zone where freshman Andie Janota crossed it in from the corner to senior Sofia Gesser. Poised and ready to make a play, Gesser tapped it into the side of the net, just outside of the goalkeeper’s reach, making the score 1-0.
This would be the first of Gesser’s two goals in the match, forming the score margin by which the Blue Devils were able to win.
Only five minutes into the game, Westfield had a great opportunity to take the lead as freshman Emilie Cadigan broke down the defense, shooting it from just outside the box. The ball bounded off the goalkeeper’s gloves wide of the goal. Despite not scoring, Westfield looked to create more opportunities.
Almost immediately after, Summit obtained possession, hurtling down the field against Westfield defender Lauren Furey. Sophomore goalkeeper Sofia Buoscio made the stop, grabbing the ball at the top of the 18-yard box.
Retaliating, sophomore Ashley Yenawine dribbled the ball up the field, breaking the Summit defense and getting the ball to senior co-captain Ella Cadigan who crossed it into Emilie Cadigan. She shot high but did not connect. Regardless, it kept the Hilltoppers on their toes.
As the first half continued, Westfield kept up a strong defensive stance, not letting Summit get through them. With multiple blocks from junior Audra Toth, the Hilltoppers struggled to create scoring opportunities.
“Our defense was definitely crucial to keeping this game tight,” said Toth.
Five minutes into the start of the second half, the Summit goalkeeper blocked a shot, tipping the ball into the air and allowing Gesser to tap it in as it came back down for her second score of the game, making it 2-0.
For the next 20 minutes, the play continued to be very back and forth between the Blue Devils and Hilltoppers, neither able to make a dent in the score.
Following this stalemate, the final 10 minutes of the game were action packed with goals from both teams.
A handball was called right outside the 18-yard box on Westfield. The Blue Devils rallied together to create a wall in front of Summit. Despite efforts to prevent the ball from going in, it was struck into the top left corner, making the score 2-1.
Two minutes later, another handball was called inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick for Westfield. Ella Cadigan came up to take the shot and booted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, ending the game with a score of 3-1 Westfield.
“I am very happy with the team’s performance. I thought we picked it up, especially in the second half. We looked good today,” said Gesser.
