The whistle blew to mark the beginning of the first half, and just like that, Westfield had complete and utter dominance over the entire game. The Blue Devils managed to get seven points up on the scoreboard, barely letting Perth Amboy into their defensive zone.
Right off the bat, senior captain Ella Cadigan maneuvered up the field, dancing around her defenders with quick ball movement and footwork. She made a split pass to junior Brooke Morrison who was able to make contact with the ball, sending it into the back of the net. 1-0 Westfield with 35 minutes left in the first half.
The domination did not stop there. Five minutes later, off of a corner kick from junior Erin Hazard, senior Kate Giglio got the rebound and headed the ball into the net, the scoreboard gleaming 2-0. Before the crowd even had time to process the goal that just occurred, Cadigan received a pass in the middle a few yards outside the 18-yard box. She sent the ball high into the air, placing it directly under the crossbar and over the goalkeeper’s reach. 3-0, Westfield.
Not long after, at the kick-off, Westfield took control of the ball. They made their way back to their attacking end almost as if it was routine. Another cross from Westfield to an easy tap in by Cadigan made the score, 4-0, Westfield. This would be Cadigan’s second goal of the game, but her continuous efforts to make plays would help advance her team even further.
“We got a lot of crosses out. We’re shooting from different angles. Finished when we needed to,” said Cadigan.
Up 4-0, Westfield made nearly an entire sub rotation. All new players, a whole new ballgame.
Except, nothing really changed.
Westfield maintained their upper hand. Not before long, a cross from sophomore Andie Janota was rebounded off the goalie. Sophomore Mary Lane was able to put pressure on the keeper, knocking her down and kicking the ball, marking another goal for Westfield, 5-0.
Westfield took control of the kick-off yet again. Senior Marisa O’Connell took a shot that deflected off the goalie. However, freshman Emilie Cadigan was there at the net to back her up, putting another goal on the board, 6-0.
Not to mention, all of these goals were before the clock could even reach 25 minutes left in the first half.
What were the Blue Devils to do with so much time to waste?
The team took a few shots here and there. They crossed a few of their corners to the middle, they shot from far out, they hit the post. But mainly, they were waiting for the perfect opportunity. The perfect chance to make the score shine, 7-0, before the end of the first half. A final chance to assert complete and utter dominance.
With time ticking down, Westfield passes the ball high to O’Connell who gets under it, heading it precisely in the top right corner of the goal. 7-0, with three seconds left of play in the first half.
7-0 before halftime.
“We tried to keep possession of the ball and just do things that we’ve been trying to practice, like one-two’s and playing throughout the back, not trying to rush it,” said senior captain Kate Giglio.
Because of the score, the second half only lasted 15 minutes. Westfield maintained possession, not allowing Perth Amboy to come close enough for a shot on goal. Not before long, the buzzer sounded, marking the end to a domination of a first game of the North 2, Group 4 Sectional Tournament.
“The hard thing is not to get lazy, not to get you know, bad habits, bad techniques, but it’s a good win for them. First win of the [sectional] tournament” said head coach Alex Schmidt. “You win, you’re ending other people’s seasons and we’ve been on the opposite side of it. You just never know, And the big thing for us is not to get too relaxed for the next round, even though it’s a second round game. I think the team is going to be pretty tough.”
The Blue Devils will face Franklin on Monday at Kehler at 2 p.m., hoping to secure a win and advance in the sectional tournament.
