Sports Highlights 11.08.15

JP Schuhlen ’16, First Boys’ Soccer – WNEPSSA All-Star game, 11/15 at Loomis Chaffee

Jacqui Richard ’16 and Katie Simeon ’16, First Girls’ Soccer – WWNEPSSA All-Star game, 11/15 at Loomis Chaffee

Sarah Migliori ’16 and Catherine Crawley ’16, First Field Hockey – WNEPSFHA All-Star game, 11/15 at Suffield

 

First Field hockey is now riding a seven-game winning streak, pushing its record to 14-1-1 after beating Taft and Berkshire last week in two close, hard-fought games.

 

The Martlets had to dig in for a full 60 minutes on Wednesday afternoon against a Taft team that boasts a strong defense and a terrific goalie. After a few small changes with just under 10 minutes left in a scoreless first half, Westminster went out with renewed focus and quickly popped in the first goal. Maddy Paro '17 took a pass from Catherine Crawley '16 and slotted it into the cage with conviction to give Westminster a 1-0 lead. The second half was much better for the Martlets, as the team exhibited good ball control and smooth transitions, but while the girls had plenty of scoring chances (17 shots total!), it wasn't until late in the game that they would finally score again to extend the lead. Maggie Kelly '18 and Sarah Melanson '16 went two-against-one, and Melanson scored a beauty of a goal on a fast move to the net.

 

In a Saturday night game under the lights of Hovey Field, The Martlets took on the Bears from Berkshire and gave the home crowd a game to remember. Westminster dominated throughout the game, but couldn't keep the ball in the circle long enough to convert possessions into goals. The girls had a couple of nice chances on corners, but went into the second half tied at 0-0. The Black and Gold dug in and worked even harder in the second half, eking out more corners, but it took until time expired on the last corner, and final play of the game, to put it away. Once again, Melanson came up big, scoring the crucial goal at the 00:00 mark! The team saw strong efforts across the field - special kudos are in order for the Seniors, who went out with an exciting win for their last home game of the regular season!

 

 

The Martlets traveled to Loomis Chaffee on Saturday afternoon to race in the Founders’ League Tournament and had some impressive individual and team efforts. The necessary ingredients for fast running were all there: a flat course, cool weather, a lot of deep Founders’ League teams, and months of training for a strong final stretch.

 

The First Boys’ squad did not disappoint. Emmett de Kanter ’19 again led the Martlets, becoming just the fourth Westminster harrier to break the 17-minute mark in the past 20 years and earning All-Founders League honors with his eighth place finish. Jordan Gabbidon ’17 broke 18 minutes for the first time and Ben Shaver ’16 led again by example in his penultimate Westminster race. Matt Cosentino ’18 looked strong and Daniel Chey ’18 broke 19 minutes for the first time to claim the final scoring spot. Simon Aber ’18 and Peter Horsfall ’17 were the displacers. All of the First team runners hit personal bests, as Westminster fell one point shy of Kingswood Oxford and within just a few points of Avon Old Farms, a team that had beaten the Martlets soundly just two weeks earlier.

 

For the Girls’ team, Oumou Kanoute '17 secured top honors for the Martlets, finishing in ninth place overall and earning All-Founders honors. Kanoute has gotten stronger with every race this season and was in prime form in this race to finish in her fastest time ever as a Martlet (20:29). Abigayle Hovey '18 followed a little over a minute later, and Sarah Minella '17 once again topped her best time, finishing in an impressive 22:21. Having recovered from a nasty blister and sporting new shows, Katherine Ogden '16 had a solid race at 23:04. Growing stronger and more confident, Maggie Chaves '19 finished fifth for the Martlets with her best time (24:24). Nicole Fox '16 and Grace Brentano '16 rounded out the varsity runners. In the JV race, Ashlyn Chin '16 achieved another personal best for her at 26:01. Despite not being able to dip under the 26:00 mark, Chin should be proud of the tremendous progress she has made this season.

 

The improvements that the runners have made, individually and collectively, reflect their months of hard work, and the team's youth makes the future very bright. The Martlets look forward to hosting the New England Division II Championships next weekend.

 

 

Westminster won both of its games this week against stiff competition to put its record above .500 for the season. On Wednesday, the Marlets came out on fire to take control of their game against Taft from the start. Katie Simeon '16 fired a shot over the goalie's head just over 11 minutes into the game, and then Katherine Eckerson '17 finished a breakaway goal less then a minute later to put the team up 2-0. Taft applied a lot of pressure towards the end of first half but could not find a way to cut into the lead. In the second half, Westminster regrouped and scored another two goals within the first ten minutes - one on a beautiful set-piece shot by Katie Deveaux '16 that floated just over the keeper's fingertips, and another from Eckerson, who juked her way past a defender and shot a rocket into the bottom right corner. Still, Taft was not willing to go down without a fight, as the Rhinos played high intensity soccer and were able to score twice in the closing minutes to make the score 4-2 at the final whistle.

 

Saturday afternoon's senior game brought heightened emotions to the pitch at Westminster. After a relatively sloppy first half that saw the teams enter the break tied at 0-0, the girls turned it around at the start of the second and began to play much more controlled, disciplined soccer. Eckerson scored a beautiful goal just minutes after returning to the field to give the Martlets a 1-0 lead. Just as Westminster seemed primed to run away with it, Simeon took a ball to the face and went down hard. Unfortunately, she was unable to return into the game, and Berkshire was able to regain some momentum. The Martlets held on to the narrow lead with some solid defense on the other side of the field, and the girls closed out the 1-0 victory.

 

 

Westminster kept it close against the #2 team in New England on Saturday, losing to Berkshire 3-1 but playing one of its best games of the season. The visiting team jumped out to a 1-0 lead under two minutes into the game, and though the Martlets sat back and tried to really buckle down on defense, the Bears notched another goal on a nice cross to head into the break with a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Westminster was able to apply some pressure on the visitors with some nice ball control, but while pressing, Berkshire countered and scored on an odd man rush to go up 3-0. The Martlets' late push up field finally paid off when Rylan Williams '16 knocked in a highlight-reel goal on a volley 25 yards out. Griffin Price '16 was outstanding again in net with many spectacular saves, including one in which he dove backwards to snag a ball before it rolled into the corner of the net. Declan Horrigan '16, Jordan Barnes '16 and Jack Griffith '16 all had great games in the midfield to help Westminster have some nice chances in the second half. Horrigan was chosen as man-of-the-match for his outstanding play. Jayme Stepto '16 helped give the home team a much-needed spark throughout the day.

 

 

Westminster’s Second Field Hockey team took down Taft and Berkshire this week to set its record to an impressive 9-3.

 

The Martlets took an early lead on Wednesday afternoon against a talented Taft squad and were able to close out a tight 3-2 victory over the Rhinos. Sydney Autorino '17 scored twice in the opening half to put the birds up 2-0 by the break. The first goal came off of a nice feed from Morgan Peirce '17, and the second was a tip-in off of a rebound after a hard shot from Fraser Allen '17. Taft grabbed a goal back early in the second half, but Erin Gorham '16 drove home a stinger off another rebounding ball to put Westminster up 3-1. Taft scored another goal off of a corner, and it looked like the Rhinos were gearing up for a late comeback, but the Martlets were able to close out the narrow victory. Overall, Westminster had more scoring opportunities than their opponents, but the Taft goalie was very good and kept the game close. 

 

The girls played another tough game against the Bears from Berkshire in a cool and cloudy Saturday afternoon home contest. Both teams gave great efforts and provided a fast-paced, entertaining game in which the ball was pushed up and down the field. Westminster took an early lead when Abby Newman '16 slotted one past the Bears' keeper at the 19-minute mark. The Martlets had some other scoring opportunities that barely missed, keeping Berkshire within striking distance. Luckily, Westminster had Ally Marenco '18 in goal, who locked down the cage to hold onto the narrow lead. In addition, Katie Kosior '18 had a phenomenal save in the second half when Berkshire, working a corner opportunity, passed the ball quickly around Marenco and for what looked like a clear shot at goal. Kosier made a quick move and was there to slap the ball away. The girls head into the final stretch of the 2015 season playing great team field hockey against strong league competition.

 

Second Girls’ Soccer now boasts a 9-2 record for the season after two wins last week. The team defeated Taft 3-1 on Wednesday, as Devin Selvala '16 continued her high-level of play with an early goal, and Emily Burstein '17 put one in before the end of the half to give the Martlets a 2-0 lead at the break. Taft got one back in the second half, but Ally Lynch '17 put it away for Westminster. The girls' defense played strong to keep the Rhino attack at bay and secure the victory. On Saturday, the team played one of its best games of the season to defeat Berkshire 5-0 on the strength of smart passing, confident ball-control and solid play on the back line.

 

 

The boys tied a very good Berkshire team 2-2 on Saturday, coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits. Berkshire came to Westminster with a skilled, athletic and physical team, and they played a fast-paced game that caught the Martlets off guard early on. Alex Gadowski '18 made several great saves in the opening minutes as he handled a fairly steady onslaught, but the visitors struck first with goal in the eighth minute. Westminster regained its composure and began penetrating the attacking third. Fleet-footed defender Myles Hamm '17 got the start in the second half in the striker position, where he was a high target for the counterattack. When he was hauled down inside the box at the 45-minute mark, Riley Wood '19 responded with a perfectly placed penalty kick to put the Martlets on the board. Berkshire continued its pressure in the second half and had many chances, but Gadowski stood firm on the shots on target. Berkshire went up 2-1 in the 58th minute with a goal scored off a cross from the right side. After several fast breakaways that ended in shots that went wide, Hamm won another foot race in the attacking third in the 75th minute, this time striking it home from the right side to score the equalizer. The game was intense in the closing minutes, with both teams threatening to score the winner, including a shot off the crossbar by Paul McNamara '18 with ten seconds left to play. In the end, it was a good tie for the Martlets, who raised their game to meet the challenge from a very good Berkshire team.