Sports Highlights 10.27.2014

 

First Field Hockey won both of their games this week with a margin of 10 goals to none, putting them at 12-2 for the season.

 

The girls, coming off of a big win the week before, continued to roll at Suffield Academy on Wednesday with a 7-0 victory. Despite the cold, wet weather, the Martlets took control of the game from the start, putting away four first half goals to take a commanding lead by the half. Suffield refused to give up though and had some great breakaway opportunities that left them just shy of getting on the board, but they were clearly outmatched by the Black and Gold, who kept the offensive pressure ramped up. Jade Marlowe ‘15 played well for Westminster, scoring her first goal of the season, and Stina Ladd ‘15 continued her exceptional play on the forward line by using some tricky stick skills to cut through the Suffield defense. Margaret Forelli ’15 came up with some big saves in the second half to preserve another Martlet shutout.

 

Next, the team traveled to Canterbury on Saturday afternoon to take on the Saints, winning 3-0 in a fast-paced match. Although the Martlets dominated the first half with great passing and numerous penalty corner opportunities, Canterbury’s defense was strong and shut down the Black and Gold offense for the opening 25 minutes. Sarah Migliori ’16 finally put the girls on the board with 5:15 to go in the half to put the Martlets up 1-0. The start of the second half saw a much more aggressive Westminster team, as Susanna Baker ’15 was able to score an insurance goal at 18:38. Canterbury didn’t let up, putting pressure on with some threatening breakaways and a penalty stroke in the waning minutes of the game. However, Klassen made a critical save on the penalty stroke to secure the shutout. Marlowe and Catherine Crawley ‘16 paced the midfield for Westminster, while Sarah Melanson ‘15, Ladd, Migliori and Baker led a strong effort on the forward line. Overall, it was a strong week for First Field Hockey, who played tight, disciplined matches and exhibited great teamwork.

 

 

The Martlets’ First Football team earned its fifth win in a row on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, defeating Canterbury 35-18 on the road. Tri-Captain David Carter ’15 had another stellar game, recording a touchdown reception in the first quarter and a rushing touchdown in the second. Carter’s efforts were complimented by a great performance from Isaiah Green ’16; the two combined for 231 rushing yards on the day. QB David Ryan ’15 also continued to play exceptionally well, passing for 151 yards, including two touchdowns in the first half to Carter and Ben Feola ’15, and a long 48-yard play to James Cathcart ’15 in the fourth quarter – his first touchdown as a Martlet. The boys went into halftime with a 28-0 lead but refused to let up in the second half of the game. The team’s defense had another strong outing, stopping Canterbury twice on the goal line. Corey Jean-Jacques ’15 lead the effort, with two sacks and a deflected pass, while Chaz Ruffin ‘16 recorded two tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery, and Tim Callahan ’17 had six tackles, a knocked-down pass and an interception. It was a complete win for the Black and Gold, who are having a breakout season and look to make it six in a row next week.

 

 

 

 

 

Westminster’s First Boys’ Soccer team trekked to Canterbury on Saturday afternoon for a showdown with the Saints on their Parents Weekend. The boys were able to pull a 2-0 victory despite some bumpy moments and a 0-0 tie heading into the second half. The Martlets maintained control of the ball throughout the majority of the game with precision passing and tight footwork. With over 14 shots on goal it was only a matter of time before they found the back of the net. Stephen Tortora ’15 scored the first goal after turning on his defender and shooting side netting in the second half. Ten minutes later Jordan Barnes ‘16 took down a cross from JP Schuhlen ‘16, which he blasted by the keeper. The Martlets maintained their composure for the remainder of the game, playing aggressive defense and disrupting Canterbury’s late-game push to hold on for the win.

 

 

First Girls’ Soccer made it five in a row with their 5-0 victory over Canterbury on Saturday afternoon. The girls controlled the game from the start, executing nice passing combinations that maintained ball control on offense, and forcing turnovers with aggressive defense. They’ll look to win their 6th in a row on Wednesday afternoon when they take on a talented Taft team at home.

 

 

The Harriers of Westminster had a strong showing at Canterbury on Wednesday afternoon. Coming back from a long weekend immediately into a race was not ideal, and the threatening weather did not help the mood, but the Martlets rallied after an abbreviated warm-up to beat a small but spirited Canterbury squad 15-45. Aaron Rubin 15' ran by himself - literally - as the next closest runner, the top female from Canterbury, was over two minutes behind. Jordan Gabbidon '17 again took the second place spot, with surging Ben Shaver '16 right behind him. Kevin O'Leary '16 continued to make a come back, and Andrew Lee '17 battled to run into fifth place. With a couple runners missing, the Martlets had some new blood in the top seven, including Alex Gadowski '18 and Matt Cosentino '18, who both broke the seven-minute pace to earn First Team places. The Harriers next run at home on November 1st in the Founders League championship race.

 

 

The Martlets’ Second Field Hockey squad had a dominant week, winning on Wednesday 8-0 against Suffield and on Saturday 6-0 against Canterbury. The team returned from a long Parents Weekend on Wednesday re-energized and played an outstanding game at Suffield Academy. Just 30 seconds into the first half, Nina Wilmerding ’15 found the back of the Suffield goal to make the score 1-0. Over the course of the first half, there was some great ball movement coming from the whole forward line, especially Fraser Allen '17, who tipped a ball in before the half was up. Georgia Morley ’15 was another force to be reckoned with on attack, with her first hat-trick of the season coming as a result of great work up the right wing and keeping her stick down in the circle. Westminster kept up the intensity heading into the second half with a 4-0 lead, and had to make a few adjustments in blocking up the very strong free hits coming from the Tigers. Morgan Peirce '17 had her best game of the season so far; she was running to every ball and had impressive control throughout the contest. Autumn Prete '15 also had a fantastic game, staying strong on defense and making sure to communicate with all of her teammates, while Alaina Bisson ’15 notched two more goals on the season, and Abby Newman ’16 scored with only a few minutes left in the game.

 

The girls continued their strong play in their next game, a Saturday-afternoon road-match at Canterbury School on a perfect autumn afternoon. Starting right where they left off, The Martlets played shut-down defense, knocking the Saints onto their heels early and pushing the ball forward every chance they got. While Canterbury gave a valiant effort on their Parents Weekend, they couldn’t hold back the tenacious Black and Gold offense, which pushed the girls to a 6-0 victory and improved their record to a solid 8-3-0 on the season.

 

 

The Martlets’ Second Boys’ Soccer team traveled to Canterbury for the Saints’ Parents Weekend and was able to come away with a 3-0 victory. Tommy Babington ‘16 got Westminster on the board first on a great 40-yard pass from Artur Szopa ’17 that sent him on a breakaway ending in a one-on-one with the Canterbury goalie. Jeff Guliano ‘17 scored a nice goal from a tight angle to help the visitors have some breathing room from the pressing Canterbury team. Jack Bitterli ’16 headed home a late goal off a corner kick from Preston Eppler ’16 to secure the 3-0 win.

 

 

Like the First and Second teams, Third Boys’ Soccer also traveled to Canterbury and returned home with a victory. The boys got off to a quick start in the contest when Jack Flanagan '17 collected a Canterbury goal kick and made a great individual effort to free himself for a long range shot. His shot from just outside the penalty box was driven low and hard, finding the back of the net. The Martlet boys controlled the majority of the possession throughout the contest and they continued to put pressure on the Canterbury goalkeeper. Unfortunately the boys were unable to put home another goal in the first half and the score remained 1-0 going into halftime. In the second half, Flanagan found the back of the net twice more - Once after a scramble in front of the net and the last goal came off a penalty kick - to record his third hat-trick of the season. Canterbury finished off the scoring when a Westminster defender took down one of their players in the penalty box, resulting in a penalty kick. A Canterbury forward took advantage of the opportunity to put the score at 3-1, but the Black and Gold was able to shut the Saints out for the remainder of the game and come away with a nice road win.

 

 

The Martlets’ Third Girls’ Soccer squad played their best game of the season in an 8-on-8 matchup on Saturday afternoon at Canterbury School. Every player contributed in some way to the win, and the girls played respectfully and with grace in the 2nd half after scoring 6 goals in the first half. Ally Lynch ‘17 played goal in the Second and did a great job, while Hannah Stone ‘18 played held the net admirably in the first, saving the few shots that got through the defense. Maddie Dwyer ’18 had some breakout opportunities to score in front of the net, thanks to strong ball control by her teammates. Sophie Tawney ’17 scored a goal even though she had never played forward position before with a nice shot on the ground across the net. It was a very impressive outing for this young Martlet team.