With only five minutes left in the first half, senior Mary Lane crossed to sophomore Mia Zbranak to bring the Blue Devils to a tie with Oak Knoll, a major turning point in the game. This goal would not only lift spirits for the Blue Devils, but help bring them to their fifth straight Union County Conference Championship.
Oak Knoll secured a lead against Westfield early on. Senior Andie Janota said, “I feel like we knew we had to stay positive the whole time and had to keep our head up. We needed to continue to play our best and come back for the win.”
The Blue Devils worked hard all game, ensuring that they connected their passes and took the chances they were given to score. Head coach Alex Schmidt said, “I am really proud of them. We went down, which is always a good test for us to see how we respond. The girls responded beautifully.”
After going into halftime tied, the Blue Devils came back even stronger. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, freshman Gabriella Hollins was fouled inside the box which led to a penalty. Senior tri-captain Ashley Yenawine was able to convert with this being the last goal of the game and put Westfield in a 2-1 lead.
“Knowing that both teams were playing strong defensively, I knew that this would be one of our crucial offensive moments of the game, so I went in with confidence and put the ball where I planned it,” said Yenawine.
The game continued with both teams playing with fierce energy. Oak Knoll was awarded a free kick at the 18-yard-line that was quickly and efficiently denied by senior goalkeeper Sofia Buoscio. Buoscio said, “I knew that we needed this win as it would be our fifth conference championship win, so I focused as much as I could and kept up the defensive side of the field.”
The team stayed strong and confident through the end of the game. They held possession of the ball the majority of the second half and defense came out strong in blocking every potential moment to score.
Going into future games and the county tournament, Schmidt said, “I think changing some things up and finding some more subs from our sideline is something we are hoping to do in our future games. A lot of girls played a lot of minutes tonight and we want to ensure others can improve and get their time on the field.”
The undefeated Blue Devils are back in action on Monday against Monroe at 4:30 p.m.
