As of Oct. 15, after the official review of the match between SPF and Westfield, it was found that, according to NJSIAA rules, the contest should never have gone to double overtime. Since the game-winning goal was scored in the second overtime, it’s deemed ineligible. Therefore, the final score verdict is 0-0.
As the clock ticked towards the middle of the second overtime, the scoreboard read all zeroes. With under six minutes left, Westfield’s attack, led by seniors Riley Carr and Maren Restivo, pushed the ball towards Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s goal. Restivo had a shot at the goal, but chose the selfless option and passed it to Carr, who capitalized on the opportunity, giving the Blue Devils the first and final goal in a 1-0 win over rival SPF.
This goal gave Westfield a vengeful victory over the Raiders, who had handed them an overtime loss last season. Carr said, “Losing to Scotch Plains last year definitely gave us a bitter motivation leading up to this game.” Given the long, defensive game, this motivation clearly helped Westfield push through the fatigue to keep battling and ultimately win the contest.
Restivo said, “That last goal was a great relief. We are a very senior-heavy team and we have lost to SPF the past two years, so beating them in our senior season is a great feeling.”
Despite Westfield’s many offensive opportunities, the game remained scoreless through regulation due to excellent goalie play on both sides. SPF’s goalie tallied 11 saves in the game. “We had a lot of opportunities we could not capitalize on because we were not getting the ball off the ground enough on our shots,” said Restivo. “SPF definitely had an excellent goalie, but we were making her look like a professional.”
While possession was dominated by Westfield, the game remained close due to some sloppy offensive play in the shooting circle. Head coach Corinne Varhley said, “We were our own worst enemy on the offensive end. We were not facing the right way often, so we could not get that first touch advantage to set ourselves up for success.”
Fortunately, the Westfield defensive end stayed together to shut down SPF’s offensive attacks. Varhley said, “The defense was very calm and collected, so every time the ball ended up on our end, we were able to swiftly dish it back to our offense to keep on the attack.”
This historic rivalry undoubtedly produced a top-notch competition, but the match also represented the two teams coming together for a good cause. Varhley said, “This is the third year of us doing a dedication game, so while we are rivals, we play for Kylie’s Crew today, which spreads awareness against impaired driving.”
With yesterday’s win, Westfield improved to 6-7-1 on the year. The Blue Devils will be back in action on Oct. 9, as they travel to Millburn at 4 p.m.
