With nine minutes left in the second half and the game tied, 0-0, Westfield felt the tension as both teams needed a goal. Senior Manny Gayanilo saw the opening and called for the ball. Off of a throw-in and a misdirected shot from junior Ethan Wade, Gayanilo saw his chance to head the ball into the back of the net. Timing his jump perfectly, he skimmed the ball, pushing it past the Kingsway goalie into the net.
Westfield players erupted with cheers chasing down Gayanilo in celebration. Despite having the upper hand, Westfield knew they had to stay on their toes. After contributing with an assist, Wade said, “I think it was just belief. I think we all thought that we could. Eventually, as time went on, we started making more and more chances. And eventually, one was destined to go in, and [Gayanilo] got the first one. Then from [there], it was an open game.”
Less than five minutes after this goal, the Blue Devils used their momentum to send the ball into the back of the net again. As junior Niko Pierce lined the ball up at the corner, all the players rushed into the box, trying to give Pierce the opening he was looking for. Wade broke away from his defender, and Pierce sent the ball high, hoping Wade could control it. With one clean touch, Wade pushed the ball right past the goalie, putting Westfield up, 2-0, and out of reach of Kingsway.
Right from the start, it was clear this would be a demanding yet necessary win to motivate the Blue Devils who have the North 2, Group 4 sectional tournament around the corner. Head coach Eric Shaw said, “Winning before states is always helpful mentally. It helps to have good results going in, and so, we are excited about that opportunity.”
Early in the game, Kingsway established they were here for a physical matchup. With elbows thrown and multiple yellow cards given, both teams made it clear they were not going to back down.
By the second half, Westfield knew how to break through Kingsway’s defenders and spent most of the half on their side of the pitch. With multiple shots on goal, Westfield made it clear they wanted the win. Even though Westfield was dominating the game, they struggled to get the ball in the net until the last nine minutes. Senior captain David Savransky said, “We need to work on scoring more goals. We need to create more chances, but we need to actually create scoring opportunities because goals win games, and we can’t expect the defense to be perfect for the entire tournament because we will play some good teams.”
On Wednesday, the Blue Devils will play in their first round of the sectional tournament at Kehler at 2 p.m., looking to make a run for the sectional title.
