Westfield Secures Semifinal Victory in Sunday Tussle With Summit

The goal, when it came, seemed almost nonchalant. More than 45 minutes had passed and neither team could dent the scoreboard, but here came senior Chiara Cosenza to dispel the crowd’s whispered anxiety. 

Cosenza received a pass from senior Catherine Angel, turned, and struck a looping shot that twisted over the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms and into the side netting. A wave of cheers erupted, and the Westfield sideline expelled a sigh of relief as the Blue Devils scored their first and only goal in a 1-0 victory over Summit that sent them to their second consecutive Union County Tournament final.

There was a zip to the game, a sharpness to it, an edge that contradicted the lazy Sunday afternoon ambience. Sunlight glinted off the empty metal stands on the Summit side—as well as the center referee’s great bald head. The two teams remained locked in physical combat for the duration of the afternoon.

“Counties are more challenging than the regular season,” said head coach Alex Schmidt. Westfield entered Sunday’s matchup having already dispatched Summit twice, shutting out the Hilltoppers in both contests and winning by a combined 5 goals. “They had a little bit more chances [this game] than they had in the past,” Schmidt added.

But Summit failed to convert its opportunities. Goalkeeper Sutton Factor channeled a brick wall mentality for her 10th clean sheet of the season. Westfield also endured a scary moment in the first half when a scrum in the Westfield penalty area ended with the ball bouncing off the crossbar. 

“My girl Sutton really came through,” said senior defender Emily Weinstein.

Perhaps Factor’s biggest contribution came moments before the final buzzer. Summit won a free kick just inside midfield with three seconds remaining, and Factor came off her line to hold the ball and secure the victory.

“I knew we had it covered,” Factor said. “I was thinking, ‘just catch it, just hold it.’”

That she did, stretching Westfield’s unbeaten run to 37 games. The Blue Devils have 13 wins and one draw this season; their last loss came on Oct. 15, 2020. 

At times, Westfield seems inevitable, a juggernaut poised to obliterate everything in its path. Summit, which entered holding a 4-9-1 record, was the clear underdog. Still, the game was tense and often reminiscent of Westfield’s quarterfinal game, in which the Blue Devils failed to assert their superiority over a lesser opponent. Composure was key to Sunday’s victory.

“We just talked about, at halftime, staying composed around the box,” Schmidt said.

The first half proved difficult for both teams. Westfield held possession for the majority of the first 40 minutes but could not breach the Summit defense. The Blue Devils earned opportunities through hard shots by Angel and senior Bridgett Morrison, but neither player could convert. Various corner and penalty kicks came inches from success but were too askew to change the scoreboard. 

Summit retaliated, pressuring Factor to no avail. Though they were quick and unrelenting, the Hilltoppers could not score on their few first half opportunities. 

The second half was similar, but intensified. Urgency increased on both sides. All Westfield needed was one opportunity, and it came early in the second half with Cosenza’s goal. It was Cosenza’s second game-winning goal in this year’s county tournament, after a goal in Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Kent Place.

“I’m really happy with, overall, the lead up of that moment and just went in thinking, ‘I practiced this, I’m going to execute it now,’ and I was happy I was able to,” Cosenza said.

It was all Westfield from then on. The Blue Devils dominated both sides of the ball until time expired. Summit grew desperate but could not penetrate Westfield’s defense and goalkeeper. 

At the final whistle, the Westfield players surged onto the field, victorious and elated. Parents clapped; students whistled. The only thing left was to determine who the Blue Devils would face in the county final.

“I really want to see Scotch Plains,” Factor said.

She got her wish. The Raiders defeated Cranford on penalty kicks, setting the stage for what promises to be another charged, frenetic, rowdy, thrilling, physical, antagonistic championship match between two perennial rivals.

Schmidt didn’t hedge when asked about the possibility of a Westfield-SPF final. He simply smiled and said, “Scotch Plains is Scotch Plains.”