“Attack! Dominate! Attack! Dominate!” These were the two phrases constantly repeated by Westfield head coach Abby Cohen throughout Saturday’s game. With a chilly breeze that swept through the Ridge High School stadium, the Blue Devils wiped out the Red Devils, 17-9.
It all started with the Blue Devils’ relentless offense. Like hungry sharks, Westfield attacked the goal, moving the ball swiftly before making sharp cuts to the goal.
This offensive strategy proved to be successful as freshman Gillian Cohen weaved through the Ridge defense before sticking in a low goal. Blue Devil cheers followed. Not even two minutes later, freshman Alice Manzo scooped up a rebound and ripped it past the goalie’s head. No hope for a clutch Ridge save.
This was a unique situation since the Ridge defense appeared sluggish. With a boastful coaching history, Cohen knew this was Westfield’s chance to put a dagger in only a few minutes into the game. After shouting a few plays and organizing the players, junior Sofia Della Rocco and senior Ella McLane both forced in their own respective goals. 4-0.
“We were constantly there for each other if someone made a mistake,” said McLane. “We got up 4-0 pretty quickly because we worked so well together.”
Momentum seemed completely in Westfield’s possession. Ridge fans were growing restless and some were even spotted leaving the stadium, losing hope within the first 11 minutes.
A Ridge spark was needed. Finally, this spark was ignited after a Blue Devil foul led to a foul shot on which the Red Devils were able to capitalize. 4-1.
Feeling disrespected that the Red Devils managed to scrape out a goal, Westfield started firing. Before long, the Blue Devils took an 8-1 lead on goals from junior Julianna Molinelli, Della Rocco, and two from junior Kate Watson.
Game over. Even though there was still four minutes to go in the first half, Ridge had totally clocked out. The once ecstatic Red Devils, excited for good competition, were replaced with a slacking Ridge squad. Their coach was even filled with silence as nothing could be done to stop the fierce Blue Devils.
“After a huge win against Kent Place, our energy was super high,” McLane said. “We went into yesterday’s game with that same energy we had.”
With the Blue Devils up 8-2 at halftime, Ridge was finally able to talk things over and possibly turn its poor performance around in the second half.
Nothing changed. In fact, new heroes arose from Westfield. Sophomore Abi Mokrzycki, characterized by her ability to be a force by taking draws and playing attack, scored 3 goals while Della Rocco, a University of Florida commit, had two more of her own.
The Blue Devils kept beating down the Red Devils, taking out their starters so they were rested and giving Ridge no chance at a comeback. After the smoke had cleared, Westfield was victorious. 17-9.
While the win seemed easy for Westfield, an unsung Blue Devil hero, sophomore Lauren Furey, was part of the cause. Furey was given the starting goalie position as a replacement for junior Kaitlynn Czarnecki, who is recovering from a concussion. Determined to show her potential, Furey made 4 saves to give the Blue Devils a defensive stronghold.
For now, Westfield needs to dig in deep as it faces Chatham on Monday. Easily one of Westfield’s most difficult games of the season, Chatham has aggressiveness on both offense and defense. Chatham is also ranked No. 6 in the state, with its only loss to No. 5 Morristown.
“Chatham is a very skilled and talented team and we have watched film and prepared ourselves with different defenses and offensive movements in preparation to play them,” said senior Lily Dickerson, a Quinnipiac University commit. “Additionally our schedule is one of the most difficult in the league, so all of the good teams we play early in the season help us learn from our mistakes so we can move forward.”
No matter how intense a game is, you can never extinguish a Blue Devil flame.
