Knotted at 0-0 after a full 100 minutes of play, including two 10-minute golden-goal periods, the girls Union County Tournament championship matchup headed to penalty kicks. Three Westfield goals and two Sutton Factor saves were all it took. With the powerful right foot of Emma Kelesoglu, the girls were crowned county champions for the third straight time.
The intensity and the fans slowly crept into Arthur L. Johnson Stadium in Clark. Each student section donned black, preparing for the other team’s funeral. Both squads were more than accustomed to one another. This was the third meeting between the teams, and Westfield had Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s number, leading the season series with one win and one tie.
The Blue Devils came out firing on all cylinders as senior Bridgett Morrison found her sister, sophomore Brooke Morrison, deep into Raider territory only two minutes into the game. Morrison sent a strike just wide left of the goal, and SPF escaped the early attack.
Midway through the half, senior defender Emily Weinstein collided with a Raiders midfielder and the two went down, stopping play briefly. The blood dripping from Weinstein’s forehead did not stop her. In the hands of the best athletic trainers in the game, Weinstein was bandaged up, swapped her bloody jersey for a clean one, and was able to play the rest of the game.
On what motivated Weinstein to get back into the game, she said, “With all my teammates, they were all supporting me and made me want to go back in so I could help the team.”
Throughout the first half, each squad tried to develop an offensive rhythm, yet both the Blue Devil and Raider defenses were too stout to permit any serious scoring opportunities. The game was tied up 0-0 going into the break.
The second half was a copy and paste of the first half. Both teams were highly energized but unable to capitalize on any legitimate offensive opportunities. The defense was nothing short of incredible from both sides in a usual Blue Devil and Raider clash.
The Blue Devils had minimal scoring opportunities in the second half. There was a corner kick that was called offsides and a free kick taken by sophomore Audra Toth deep in Raider territory but hauled in by Scotch Plains goalkeeper Rebecca Kessler. That was it.
Speaking on the lack of offense on the Westfield side, senior Cat Angel said, “I think that we could probably [have slowed] it down sometimes to just wait for everybody to get on the same page. Other than that, we definitely had a lot of energy.”
Both teams were unable to find the back of the net through the first 80 minutes of play which led to free soccer in Clark. With two 10-minute golden-goal periods, a winner-take-all format, this was as real as it gets. Despite exhaustion from players on both sides, this came down to who had the fight in them to prevail as county champs.
In the first golden-goal period, SPF strung together a quality fast-break possession in hopes of scoring and upsetting the Blue Devils; however, the Blue Devil defense held its ground and forced a Raider mishap leading to a Westfield goal kick. Again, both teams were held scoreless going into the quick intermission.
With six minutes to go in sudden death, the Blue Devils connected on multiple solid passes that led to a Westfield corner kick, but the relentless SPF defense made another huge stop and cleared the ball. Moments later, SPF answered with a shot on goal, but Factor hauled in the ball with both hands to prevent one of the few Raider opportunities. Once again, each team was unable to notch a goal. It all came down to penalty kicks.
Freshman Ashley Yenawine stepped up first for Westfield and sent a strike toward the right side of the net, but Kessler’s outstretched arms denied the ball from reaching the back of the net. On the Raiders’ first attempt, Factor made a huge save.
On the next series of kicks, the SPF goalkeeper made yet another save, and the Raiders were inches away from taking the lead as their shot hit the crossbar. On to the third set.
Chiara Cosenza has had numerous go-ahead goals for the Blue Devils all season long. The story remained the same as she sunk in the first goal to gain a 1-0 lead. However, SPF answered back when Juliana Doran scored with the third kick.
Next up for Westfield was Rebecca Xiong, and she was also able to find the back of the net. Factor, yet again, held her ground and came up with a save. It all came down to senior co-captain Emma Kelesoglu. If Kelesoglu sunk this shot, Westfield would take home its third-straight county title.
Westfield players linked arms with one another, praying for the ball to get past the keeper. And that is what exactly happened. Kelesoglu, the offensive hero of the game, pushed the Blue Devils to victory. Winning 3-1 in PKs, the girls completed the three-peat.
Kelesoglu, unfazed by the pressure, said, “I knew I had prepared in every way possible; we went to ALJ in the morning to practice PKs. I was super confident and ready for it. I just took deep breaths and stayed calm.”
The unbeaten streak continued, and the Blue Devils are looking to win back-to-back state championships.
