On Nov. 23, with a chill in the air, Westfield girls soccer took the field against Eastern, seeing their second State Championship title in four years. With just under three minutes left of the game, Westfield gained possession and found sophomore Emilie Cadigan who located the back of the net, securing Westfields spot as Group 4 State Champions. Westfield and Eastern’s consistent back-and-forth possession and strong defense failed to put points on the board for either team until Cadigan striked the net.
On the offensive front, the Blue Devils maintained control. There were many chances for Westfield to put it away, but Eastern’s goalie stood her ground. “It was all about patience,” said head coach Alex Schmidt. “We’ve been in games where we’re tied at the half, and that was expected for states.” Junior forward Mary Lane had a dominant performance, constantly showing force against the Eastern defense.
The second half continued similarly to the first. Westfield dominated offensively but could not get it past the goalie. Time was running out and the tensions were rising. There was an overwhelming support from fans in the crowd, giving the Blue Devils some much needed energy. “It was really exciting,” said Cadigan. “I love when people come to the games, it adds so much fun to it.” Despite Westfield being 14 miles away from Franklin High School, the Blue Devils were practically playing at Gary Kehler Stadium with the amount of support and fans there for them.
“Going up for the shot I knew to hit it low,” said Cadigan, reflecting on her game winning goal. “The goalie made some great high saves so I knew to put it in one of the corners.” The moment the ball hit the net, the stadium erupted. All the tension from the first 78 minutes seemed to disappear, and reality set in.
After the goal from Cadigan, Westfield fought to keep their composure for the remaining two minutes. “We had to focus, but it was really hard,” said senior captain Audra Toth. “We were fighting for the ball, sliding on the ground, just putting our bodies on the line.” As time ran out, you could hear the crowd counting down, anticipating the reclaiming of the state championship.
After two years of coming up short in the playoffs, Westfield was finally able to hoist the state trophy once more, finishing out an incredible 18-1 season. “I can’t even put it into words,” said Toth. “We won my freshman year, and winning in our senior year is such a full circle moment.”
