A misplay in the middle third of the field by the Blue Devils allowed Ridgewood to gain possession of the ball 20 minutes into the match. They dribbled down the right sideline, cut to the middle and slid the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Sofia Buoscio, giving Ridgewood the lead, which they would hold for the rest of the match.
Prior to the game, both teams had allowed zero goals in their sectional tournament runs. Throughout the match, Ridgewood’s defense shined and their offense capitalized on their multiple great opportunities where the Blue Devils fell short.
Right from the opening kickoff, the Ridgewood offense was dominant. They held control nearly the entire first half, notching multiple shots on goal and with the goal that they scored, the Westfield crowd was silenced.
Close to the end of the half however, Westfield started to pick up momentum but, they could not put anything into the back of the goal. “It was a pretty even first half, and I thought it was a pretty even second half,” said head coach Alex Schmidt.
Kicking off the second half, Westfield controlled possession. A corner kick five minutes into the half nearly curved into the goal but it hit off the crossbar and went out of play for a goalie kick. Even with Westfield’s control, it did not stop Ridgewood from gaining an opportunity on the attack. From the outside of the box, a forward shot the ball on the ground past Buoscio into the left corner of the goal to boost Ridgewood’s lead to 2-0.
Multiple shots by Westfield were denied and each opportunity that was granted was met with relentless opposition. Even when a great through-ball provided an open opportunity for Westfield, the shot was fired over the goal, continuing the Blue Devils’ woes.
With 23 minutes to play, Westfield was in desperate need of a goal. Unfortunately it was Ridgewood who found the net yet again, as a cross was received in the box and flipped over Buoscio’s head for the goal. “It didn’t feel like a 3-0 game,” said Schmidt. “I think they can be proud. They’re going to look back and be really proud of the season that they were able to get better each day.”
Even with Westfield’s control in the second half, nothing could mount a comeback. Set piece after set piece, shot after shot, header after header, nothing was going to beat the dominance of the Ridgewood defense.
A last minute shot by the Blue Devils sailed wide and the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of another season. A great year had come to a close for coach Schmidt’s squad, finishing with an impressive record of 16 wins, and only two losses. Senior captain Kate Giglio commented on the team’s season, saying, “I couldn’t have asked for a better season. Everyone always gave 100 percent through everything.”
