High hopes hung in the air as No. 9 seed Westfield was coming off of a huge upset against No. 1 Montclair. Westfield faced No. 5 Phillipsburg in the North Jersey, Group 4 sectional semifinals on Tuesday. Although Phillipsburg fans occupied most of the stands, Westfield was determined to silence the crowd and bring intense energy.
Despite this important Blue Devil mentality, it was clear that the Stateliners were prepared to match what Westfield had to offer. Immediately, Phillipsburg came out firing as they were quick to set up various offensive opportunities.
The Blue Devil defense seemed to cave in as the Stateliners scored two goals off of corners in the first five minutes. Defined by great defense and impressive skills, Phillipsburg was clearly the dominant team.
Throughout the remainder of the first half, Phillipsburg maintained offensive possession and was relentless against the Blue Devils’ worn-down defense. Westfield attempted to light a spark as senior goalie Lauren McDonough made huge saves to keep the defense alive.
Junior Lucy Mineo and senior co-captain Ella McLane made various attempts to move the ball up the field in hopes of giving the Blue Devils a chance at a goal. However, they were quickly forced back by the Stateliners’ brick-wall defense.
Despite Westfield’s struggling defensive effort and total lack of offense, the Blue Devils still managed to keep the game close at halftime, trailing 2-0.
It was evident something had to change on offense as Westfield could not get much going in the first half. On top of that, the Blue Devils needed to establish a stronger defensive strategy as the Stateliners were finding holes everywhere.
Unfortunately, this was not the case as Phillipsburg scored shortly into the second half off of a cross opportunity. Shortly after, Phillisburg tagged on another goal, improving its lead to 4-0. Despite this, Westfield was without an answer on the defensive side and spent most of the half trying to get the ball to the other side of the field for a scoring chance.
As the game progressed, Phillipsburg performed just as well in the fourth quarter as it did in the third, scoring two goals. One of these goals was a 15-foot snipe, and the other was a tip-in goal later in the quarter. The Stateliner offense was relentless, and it antagonized Mcdonough throughout the second half, resulting in a 6-0 Phillipsburg victory.
Westfield was unable to score, an unusual outcome because the Blue Devils average 2.6 goals per game on the season. This can be attributed to Westfield’s lack of offensive possession and opportunities.
As the loss marked the end of the season, the defeated Blue Devils cried tears of sadness. However, the girls were extremely happy to have been a part of a team this special, and they loved every minute of the season.
When asked to reflect upon the season and the team as a whole, McLane was deeply saddened, but thankful for her experience with this outstanding team.
“This year, we had a lot of ups and downs as a team but when it was time to compete we were ready,” she said. “This season was not only outstanding because of the history our team has collectively made, but the players on our team made it so special. The relationships we built with one another this season made it so enjoyable and memorable. Out of all my four years playing field hockey at Westfield, this was a team with greater chemistry. I have made friendships with people I never even imagined. Being a senior, this was definitely the team I wanted to lead my senior year. We were such an amazing group of girls.”
While the season didn’t end the way the team wanted, the Blue Devils achieved much and set an example as a role model for Westfield field hockey for generations to come.
