Sports Highlights 10/13/2014

The Martlets’ First Boys’ Soccer team outlasted a very talented Deerfield squad for a 2-0 victory on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. The boys started the first half with great energy, attacking the ball and keeping pace with a quick opponent. Great possession and patient play in the final third of the field led to a well-placed goal by Declan Horrigan ’16 in the 17th minute. Westminster continued to press Deerfield in their half of the field and force turnovers. Later in the half a 25-yard free kick taken by Stephen Tortora ‘15 was curled around the Deerfield wall and rolled past the keeper’s fingertips into the goal, putting the Black and Gold up 2-0 by the half. Westminster was able to dig deep in the second half and defend its lead despite increased urgency by the Big Green. The boys displayed a tremendous amount of grit to finish out the game with a big victory.

 

Westminster’s First Girls’ Soccer team had a stellar week, besting Hotchkiss and Williston Northampton and improving their record to 5-3-1. The girls traveled to Hotchkiss School on Wednesday afternoon and came away with a gritty 3-0 win by playing strong defense and executing some nice combinations between the midfield and strikers. The Martlets took an early lead after Sally Sandoval ‘15 hooked up with Meg Richard ’15, who skipped the ball into the net. Later in the half, Sandoval provided another crucial assist to Mary French ’15 for another Martlet goal and a 2-0 lead by halftime. Midway through the second, Katie Simeon ’16 iced the game with the team’s third goal of the day, and the girls closed out a 3-0 win. 

 

The squad had another solid outing on Saturday afternoon, this time winning 3-0 on the road against a typically tough Williston Northampton team. It was a fast-paced, back and forth affair, with plenty of shots by both teams, but the Black and Gold were able to finish their chances while Cynnie White ‘17 was a brick wall in the Martlets’ net. Jacqui Richard ’16 struck first with a well-placed shot midway through the first half. In the second, Katie Savage ‘15 found the back of the net to put the girls up by two, and Katherine Eckerson ‘17 secured the victory with a goal with just minutes left before the final whistle. The team played very well as a unit all week -- backs, midfield and strikers, with Cynnie White having excellent games in goal.

 

The Martlets’ First Football team earned their third win in a row on Saturday afternoon with a 20-7 victory over Wilbraham & Monson Academy. The game was a dogfight from the start, with both teams playing excellent defense throughout the first quarter. Halfway through the second quarter the game was still knotted at 0-0, until QB David Ryan ’15 hooked up with Greg Livingston ‘17 on a long 60-yard TD pass for the first score of the game. After a great goal line stand to end the second, the Black and Gold went into halftime with a narrow 6-0 lead. Wilbraham answered right back in the following quarter, capitalizing on a fumble recovery and marching down the field for a touchdown and PAT, taking a 7-6 lead. The fourth quarter belonged to the Martlets, though, as the boys dug deep and scored two more times to finish the game with a 20-7 win. Ryan rushed for a short 1-yard touchdown, and David Carter ’15 recorded another rushing touchdown with an 18-yard run into the end zone. 

 

On a cool, picturesque autumn day in Salisbury, Westminster’s Boys’ Cross Country team took on the Salisbury Scarlet Knights and the Kent Lions. This field had a number of talented runners, and the course was hilly and challenging, but the Martlets stepped up to the competition. Aaron Rubin’ 15 again dueled with the top two runners from Kent; the Kent #2 dropped by the second mile, leaving Aaron alone with their #1. In the final long uphill, the Kent #1 pulled away to win the race by 8 seconds. Aaron's time was one second off the course record while his opponent broke it by 7 seconds; it was a tremendous race.

 

Fresh off of a training week that tested their fitness on hills, the Westminster Lady Martlets showed their mental and physical preparedness racing against the Kent Lions. Three Martlets, Oumou Kanoute ’17, Abigayle Hovey ’18, and tri-captain Lauren Boures ’15, placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th overall, respectively. These three girls had established Westminster’s dominance in the top 5 places by the end of the first mile and continued to battle amongst themselves for their final positions over the next two miles. Tri-captain Katie O’Connor ’15 and Sarah Minella ’17 rounded out the scoring runners, with Nicole Fox ’16 and Gabby Brown serving as displacers. 

 

First and Second Field Hockey squads both bounced back from tough losses earlier in the week to win their games on Saturday against Williston Northampton. The First Girls’ squad won their eighth game of the season 3-0 in a foggy Saturday night game on Hovey field. The girls continued to play dominant defense, recording yet another shut out – their sixth this fall – while the Second team showed some defensive muscle of their own, beating Williston 6-1. Earlier in the week, the Third team took down Deerfield 5-0 in a Wednesday afternoon road game.

 

The Martlets' Second Boys' Soccer squad won two of their three games this week with up-tempo offense and solid defense. The boys were in top form from the opening whistle on Monday afternoon, handily defeating Kingswood-Oxford School 4-0. Dylan Moser ‘15 put his team up early with a goal in the 16th minute. Later in the first half, Tommy Babington ‘16 took advantage of a scoring opportunity, followed just minutes later by a goal from Sam Worcester ‘16, giving the Black and Gold a 3-0 lead by halftime. In the 60th minute, Cal LeClair ’17 secured the victory with the team's fourth and final goal of the day. While the squad's offense capitalized on scoring chances, Westminster's defense pressured the visitors all over the field, preventing a shot on net for 80 mins.

 

The team played fast and physical soccer on Saturday afternoon, which lead to a very exciting game and a 4-1 victory over Salisbury. The defense played great again, lead by Moser, LeClair, Jack Horrigan ‘16 and Zach Orzech ‘16. The boys got on the board early again, taking a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute with a hot shot from Mac McCormick ‘16. Mike Heagerty ‘15 scored later in the half and the squad went into halftime with a 2-1 lead. The second half was all Black and Gold, as the Martlet defense stifled offensive pressure from the Scarlet Knights, while Jeff Guiliano ‘17 and Heagerty each scored goals to give the team a comfortable 4-1 lead.  For the third game in a row, Artur Szopa ‘17 and Alex Son ‘17 dominated the center of the field, helping turn good defense into offense. 

 

Not to be outdone by the First team, Second Girls’ Soccer won both of their games this week, defeating Hotchkiss 5-0 and Williston Northampton 4-1. The girls were aggressive and energetic at practice and on the pitch. Though Hotchkiss put together some nice give-and-go’s on Wednesday afternoon, Westminster's solid defensive line prevented them from earning any shots on goal. Meanwhile, Natalie Wilson '18 scored her 13th and 14th goals of the season for the Martlets, while Kiley Loureiro '15 scored her 3rd and 4th goals of the season and Alyssa DiMaria rounded out the scoring line. Despite being sidelined for the previous game with an injury, Hallie Feibel '16 rebounded to play aggressively and to have some near-misses on net.

 

Next, the squad played a tough, scrappy game against Williston Northampton on a cold and wet Saturday – with plenty of fouls called on both squads – but the girls were able to gut out a 4-1 victory for an impressive win on the road. The Martlets maintained strong offensive pressure throughout the game, but struggled to execute crisp, purposeful passes. Still, they were able to take an early lead with a goal in the 3rd minute from Loureiro. Mia Poling '18 scored her first goal of the season near the end of the first half, and the girls went into halftime with a 2-0 lead. Just 50 seconds into the second, the Martlets jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a goal from Wilson, who would score again later in the game to secure a 4-1 victory for the Black and Gold.

 

Westminster's Third Boys' soccer team played host to Avon Old Farms on Wednesday afternoon and came away with a big 6-0 victory. The boys struck early when Aaron Poston '15 sent a through ball to Jack Flanagan '17, who broke through the defense and slotted a shot past the Avon goaltender in the 15th minute. Flanagan made it 2-0 midway through the first half with a similar break away opportunity. He would record his second hat trick of the year at the end of the first half. Poston increased the lead to 4-0 in the second half when he made a beautiful cross that the goalie was unable to handle and went over his outstretched hand. Brendan Jacobs '17 and Owen Johnson '17 closed out the scoring in the second half to put the Martlets up by 6.