Sports Highlights 11.10.2014

On a frigid Saturday night, the Black and Gold clipped the wings of their rivals, the Griffins of Pomfret, under the lights of Simsbury High School, and Tri-Captain David Carter '15 exploded in a record-setting performance. Carter had 25 rushes, scoring three touchdowns and running for over 260 yards to lead the Martlets to a 22-16 victory over a tough and relentless challenger in the 3rd annual "Mega-Bowl." The win gave the team a 6-2 record, their best in over 20 years! Carter, who had at least 100 yards rushing in each of his last seven games, set school records for rushing yards and touchdowns in a single season with 1,237 total yards and 17 touchdowns. Ben Feola '15 and Tyler Buckley '15 had several key drive-sustaining receptions, with Feola pulling the ball in four times for 81 yards, while Greg Livingston '17 and Tim Sanford '16 added crucial extra points.
 

On the defensive side of the ball, Livingston added his league-leading seventh interception and recovery of a fumble forced by Whit Ellingwood ’17. Isaiah Green '16 again led the team in tackles, combining with Ellingwood for 19 tackles, while Corey-Jean Jacques '15 and Chaz Ruffin ‘16 combined for 4 sacks and 5 tackles-for-losses. Feola and Carl Doucette '16 also had tackles-for-losses that helped to stifle Pomfret's offensive momentum.
 

It's been a thrilling and historical season for the Martlet team, both because of their success on the field and because of the character of the young men who comprise the squad. The boys were awarded their first Bowl Game appearance ever, being invited to play in the Sean Brennan Bowl Game next weekend at Brooks School in Andover, MA!
 

First Field Hockey won both of their games this week, riding a 9-game winning-streak to an incredible 16-2 record and earning a NEPSAC Class A Tournament birth!

The girls soared over the Pomfret Griffins with a 2-0 win on Wednesday afternoon, snatching two goals in the opening 9 minutes with scrappy stick play from Sarah Melanson ‘16 and Susanna Baker ’15 to take a quick and ultimately decisive lead. Though Pomfret kept the Martlets out of the cage for the remaining 50 minutes, the Martlet defense, anchored by Maddy Paro '17, Maddie Bologa '17 and Eliza Mell '16, stood strong to make sure the two-goal lead was enough for the win.
 

Next, the squad faced their rivals from Greenwich Academy on Saturday night under the lights of Hovey Field, earning the victory – and bragging rights – with a final score of 3-1. The Martlets struggled to find their rhythm in the opening minutes of play, which left Greenwich leading the charge with the home team on its heels. Once Westminster was able to work the ball out of their defensive end of the field, their momentum kicked in just in time for Stina Ladd '15 to rip a hard shot past the Gator Goalie. Westminster was awarded a penalty stroke on three different occasions during the second half, but was denied by the Greenwich goalkeeper. Melanson was finally able to put away the third stroke to secure a 2-0 lead midway through the second. With 10 minutes left in the game, Baker scored off of a penalty corner to make it 3-0, but the Gators would not submit. Greenwich put away a quick goal in the waning minutes of the game to cut the lead to 3-1. The defensive effort by Westminster was outstanding for the entire game, and the girls clamped down at crunch time to clinch the victory. Catherine Crawley '16 and Kendall Brown '17 played well in the midfield, while Sarah Migliori '16 and Emma Stevens '16 kept the pressure on the Gator defense to close out the win.
 

Seeded #3 in the NEPSAC Tournament, the girls will host Nobles & Greenough on Hovey Field at 2:15 on Wednesday afternoon.
 

In addition, Ladd and Baker were named WNEPSFHA All-Stars this week!
 

First Girls’ Soccer won out this week, finishing their season on a 9-game winning streak and earning their spot in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament with a 2-1 win over Pomfret and a 3-0 win over Greenwich Academy.
 

The girls were were put to the test on Wednesday afternoon, taking on a tough and energetic Pomfret team in front of a home crowd. They were able to scratch out a 2-1 win with some great ball handling and disciplined passing. A quarter of the way through the first half, Sally Sandoval '15 was awarded a penalty kick after Katherine Eckerson ‘17 was roughed up in the box. Sandoval struck a perfect ball that tore past Pomfret's keeper. In the second half, Westminster took a 2-0 lead on a one-touch from Meg Richard '15 off of an assist from Eckerson. Although Pomfret was able to score and cut the lead in half, The Martlets held on for the 2-1 win.
 

The squad finished their regular season with a 3-0 shutout win over Greenwich Academy on Saturday afternoon on Williams Hill, displaying both Grit and Grace with a strong effort from beginning to end. The Martlets took an early lead with goals from Sandoval and Emma Merlin '16 (assisted by Sandoval) and went into the half with a 2-0 lead. Despite the cushion, the girls came out into the second half hungry for more. Eckerson scored the game's final goal, assisted by Jacqui Richard '16 and Lexie Miller '15, capping off a match defined by great ball movement and tremendous team play.
 

The team will face Andover at home on Wednesday afternoon at 2pm in their opening game of the NEPSAC Class A Tournament.
 

In more big news from the week week, Sally Sandoval and Meg Richard were named to the WWNEPSSA All-star team and will represent Westminster at the All-Star game on November 16!
 

The Boys’ Cross-Country team took advantage of a beautiful fall day and a flat course to run some excellent times in the NEPSTA Division II championship meet. It was a fast field, with the returning 2013 champion from Roxbury Latin, the 2013 Founders champion from Kent, and Westminster’s own Aaron Rubin '15 lighting up the first mile with times of 4:50. Rubin ended up running a 16:10 (3rd overall; All-New England honors), with the fastest 5K time recorded by a Westminster runner in at least 20 years. Rubin, for all intents and purposes, now owns all the distance records at the school. Ben Shaver '16 and Jordan Gabbidon '17 also had excellent runs, with both of them dropping enough time from their PRs to run a sub-6 minute pace for the first time in their careers. John Hunt '17 went below 19 minutes for the first time and Andrew Lee '17 was just shy of his PR to round out the top 5. Kevin Choi '15 and George Knight '15, who have been stalwarts in this program for three years, were the displacers today; like Rubin, they leave behind big shoes for future Westminster runners to fill. The team finished 11th overall out of 16 teams, a solid effort given the depth of field.
 

The second race of the NEPSTA Division II Tournament was the top seven girls from each team, and the runners streaked out across the flat fields of Williston, looking for PRs amidst some fast competition. Five of seven Martlet runners realized that goal. Oumou Kanoute '17 led the Martlet pack, finishing just out of All-New England consideration with a 22nd place finish. However, she dropped her PR by an astounding 50 seconds, running a 20:44 and leapfrogging to become the seventh fastest female Martlet in the past 15 years. Lauren Boures '15 was second for the team, just a few seconds off the PR she ran on the same course a month ago. Abigayle Hovey '18, the newest freshman phenom, also dropped some serious time to go under a 7-minute pace for the first time in her career; not bad for a week in which she also did three Dramat productions! Grace Brentano '16 crushed her old PR, dropping below 24 minutes for the first time in her career, and Katie O'Connor '15, the inspirational leader, ran a solid fifth place. The team displacers, Nicole Fox '16 and Sarah Minella '17, both dropped time from their previous PRs. It was a great day for racing, and the Westminster team made the most of it. They will certainly miss their seniors, Lauren, Katie, Jolene, Madeleine, and Bo, but the group made sure the team had an excellent fall together.
 

Second Girls’ Soccer finished their season strong, winning 3-0 over Pomfret with two goals from Emily Burstein ‘17 and one from Kiley Loureiro ‘17, and then taking down Hopkins 5-0 with a torrent of goals; two from Devin Selvala ‘16, two from Natalie Wilson ‘18 and one from Mia Poling ‘18. With her final goals, Wilson finished the season with an amazing 24 total goals!
 

Saturday’s game marked the end of a remarkable season and, more importantly, the end of an era for the Second Girls’ Soccer team, as their six Sixth Formers played their last game on the pitch for the Black and Gold. Three of these players, Annie Mayer '15, Olivia Bey '15 and Alyssa DiMaria '15 played on the Second Team for all four of their years on the Hill. Isabel Tibbetts '15 and Loureiro were on the team for three years, and Aliza White '15 joined the team as a new Fifth Former. Mayer and Bey have been an indomitable pair on defense. Playing stopper and sweeper, respectively, they were a tremendous team that limited their opponents (with the help of other excellent defenders, Sarah Poling '16, Maeve DeFronzo '16, Katie Neilson '18 and ITibbetts) to only 4 goals this season! Loureiro was an aggressive and skilled forward, while Tibbets and White both made key plays and made big differences in both games and practices. These six Sixth Formers certainly are a huge reason for the team's success, and the remaining girls will certainly miss their humor, skills and dedication to the Seconds squad.
 

Second Boys’ Soccer ended their season on a high note, edging out Brunswick 1-0 thanks to a goal from Paul McNamara ‘18 and some solid defending. It was an interesting game for the Marlets, as they had to take a long ride to Brunswick for a night game that was played on turf. The turf wreaked havoc on both teams, making the ball bounce and run fast on many attacking plays. The weather was cold both teams struggled to muster any legitimate attacking combinations. Westminster had a few late chances to extend the lead but could not connect. Luckily, the one goal in the first half would be good enough for the win. The Martlets had a strong finish to the second half of the season, going 5-2-2 in their last 9 games.
 

Westminster’s Third Boys’ Soccer team closed out their season with a 2-0 victory over visiting Kent School. The Martlet boys controlled possession for most of the contest and were rewarded early when Arthur Renehan '17 scored in traffic midway through the first half. There was a scramble in front of the Kent net and eventually Renehan was able to gather the ball and find the lower corner of the goal. The score remained 1-0 into halftime, but the boys knew that the lead was tenuous, so they came out strong in the second half. Jack Flanagan '17 was able to give the Martlets a little cushion in the early portion of the second when he hit a low line drive into the bottom corner of the net. The goal was Flanagan's 13th of the season, including three hat tricks! The boys finished with a very respectable 5-3-4 record - a great season for a great group of guys!
 

The Third Girls’ Soccer team had a big 6-1 win this week over Hebrew High School of New England in one of their best games of the season. The team did well to control the ball and use open space to maintain possession. Sam Monte ‘17, Julia McGarry ‘17, Kate Lovas ‘18 and Maddie Dwyer ’18 all got on the board for the Martlets, while Ally Lynch ’17 scored twice.
 

Third Field Hockey ended their season with a great game against Taft. Dora Mitchel ’17 scored two goals, while Kristina Jezkova ‘16 and Morgan Pierce ‘17 each scored a goal in the 4-3 win.