As the final seconds ticked away, undefeated Westfield girls soccer knew they had done it. After scoring two strong goals in the first half, their focus remained constant. When the final buzzer sounded and echoed across the field, the team sprinted toward each other, jumping and hugging in celebration as they claimed their second straight Union County Tournament title, beating Cranford 2-0.
Despite being an outside back defender, senior Andie Janota was able to capitalize on two scoring opportunities. “I’ve adapted to knowing when I have to get up the field and knowing when I should stay back and make sure our defense is covered,” said Janota. “When taking those chances, I really like to take a more offensive approach to defense.”
Janota’s first goal was assisted by senior Mary Lane and her second goal by senior Maya Nair. For the Blue Devils, teamwork had always been at the heart of their success. Soccer is not a one-person job; everyone on and off the field has an impact. “I feel like, especially this year, our motto is play for more, doing it for anybody we can. We have a lot of injured girls on our team this year who can’t step on the field, so we’re doing it for them,” said Janota.
Beyond Westfield’s aggressive offense, their defense is not a factor to look past. Senior tri-captain Olivia DiGregorio was always ready to push the ball back to Westfield’s offense and Janota constantly made sure to lock down on the Cougars’ players, giving them a very limited amount of chances to try and score. Other standout performances on defense included juniors Nina Rodrigues, Catherine Oliveira and Mairin Fowler. Although senior tri-captain Ashley Yenawine is on offense, she came back to help defense on multiple occasions, yelling plays and giving advice to her fellow teammates on the field.
Senior goalie Sofia Buoscio approached the championship the same way she approaches every game. Her mindset remains unchanged: stay calm, stay focused, protect the net. “In a game like this, I think most about my teammates. Every time I get tested, I think about all of them and how much work we all put in as a team,” said Buoscio.
The Blue Devils have won the Union County Tournament four out of the last five years. Head coach Alex Schmidt has attested to how difficult it is to win a championship, no matter the team you are facing. Schmidt said, “We don’t talk about winning championships a lot; we talk a lot about being prepared. We made sure to watch Cranford last week. Our game plan worked, so we were happy with it.”
As the state tournament approaches, girls soccer is ready for the games to come. They plan to stay focused during practices, play their own game and grow their team camaraderie more and more. With the season coming closer to its end, Westfield is looking to keep their momentum from winning counties and put that energy into upcoming games. Schmidt said, “Usually, the first round or two are not as competitive, so we make sure we continue to play our brand of soccer.”
Westfield will look to continue their undefeated season, facing Plainfield at home at 2:00 p.m. on Nov 5 for the first round of the NJSIAA State Tournament.
