Coming into this rivalry match, Westfield was confident that it would be a back-and-forth competitive game. Last season the Blue Devils played Summit three different times. Beating them in the regular season, and losing twice in both the Union County Final and the Kirst Cup. These two teams have always been a powerful matchup, creating a thrilling and entertaining environment.
This rivalry game between the Blue Devils and Hilltoppers stood out compared to most, due to Summit’s domination. With Westfield’s young and slightly inexperienced defense, they could not keep up with Summit’s quick and explosive attackmen for the majority of the game.
Senior quad-captain Drew Pravlik, who has been a key defender for Westfield for multiple seasons, did his best to lead using his knowledge and experience from past years in high-stakes games. Pravlik explained, “They were picking on our short-sticks and didn’t let the long poles do much defending. Our midfielders did well considering they were being attacked the whole game, we just have to do a better job supporting them.”
The game began with a rifled shot from senior Garrett Ferguson. After Westfield’s 1-0 lead, the Hilltoppers came back and crushed Westfield’s early momentum, putting away two goals in one minute. The Hilltoppers followed with another pair of goals, ending the first quarter with a 4-1 lead.
In the second quarter, Summit continued their aggressive momentum, putting away three unanswered goals. Finally, sophomore Koby Waldman responded with a powerful shot and goal for a halftime score of 7-2. Head coach William Wertheimer said, “Corey’s a great goalie, but they were just able to put it in the spots that he wasn’t, and they took opportunities where we didn’t.”
Not only was the defense struggling, but the offense was having trouble connecting as well. Summit’s defensive strategy kept Westfield in a rut, not allowing many quality shots on goal. Pravlik said, “In the first half we kept shooting into the goalie’s stick which was hard on the defense because they kept transitioning and had more offense, but in the second half we turned around and showed some hope.”
In the third quarter, Summit scored another three goals, yet Westfield began turning back the tide of the game. Senior quad-captain Colin Coyle found some confidence, throwing two back-to-back rifles past Summit’s goalie at the end of the third, ending 11-4 Summit. Looking into the second half, Coyle said, “We adjusted to having to dodge on their zone more and we shot better, that was the difference maker to us finishing.”
Westfield was able to put away two more goals in the fourth quarter with a final score of 11-6. Coyle said, “We have to play a full four quarters. The first half was ugly but we came out in the second half flying around and ready to go. I think we have to play all four quarters like that.”
Looking forward, Pravlik said, “We’re gonna see them again, so we know what they’re gonna do and we will come out stronger.” This game was useful in giving two new crucial defensemen on Westfield, sophomore Jack Schwarzenbek and junior Ben Seward, experience against some of the highest level players in the state. They will be ready moving forward against more tough competition.
The Blue Devils will be back in action on April 8, at Rutgers University against Montclair. Moving forward, Wertheimer said, “I’m hoping this game fuels the fire and gives them a little hunger in their bellies.”
