Spring Sports Highlights for 4.9.18

On a brisk afternoon, the Lady Martlets began their 2018 campaign at Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, where they faced off against both Ethel Walkers and Hotchkiss. On the day, the line-up of Susie Mahoney '20, Becca Gavel '18, Elisabeth Morin '18, Elaina Comia '19 and Katie Kosior '18 would prevail over Walkers 4.5-.5 and lose to Hotchkiss 0-5. Hotchkiss' No. 1 and No. 2 players tied with low medal scores of 38. Battling a cold wind, the Westminster squad executed some solid shots across all matches and demonstrated its collective experience as a veteran group. The group will remain focused on all facets of the game, especially in the area of putting where there is room for improvement and growth. Both captains, Gavel and Morin, are working hard to build upon team history and chemistry. Next up, a trip to Southern Connecticut for a match with Greenwich Academy and Loomis.

  

Under very challenging weather conditions (low 40s with high winds), the 1st Boys' Golf team opened its season with a match against Suffield Academy, Williston-Northampton, and Salisbury at Suffield Country Club. The final team results were WNS (204), Westminster (206), Suffield (214), and Salisbury (222). Peyton Knauf '19 led the way for Westminster with a very impressive score of 36 (even par) to earn the match medalist honors. Other Westminster scores included Justin Flaks '20 (41), Alex Biedron '18 (42), Peter Sanger '21 (43), Ned Blanchard '20 (44), and Grant Noble '18 (46).

 

The Martlets showed grit and grace on a cool and rainy afternoon for their second home contest of the season, hosting a solid NMH squad. Westminster got on the board first, just one minute into the game and never looked back. Blake Cote '19 dominated on the circle, controlling a team high of nine draws, and the Black & Gold came up with 50/50 ground balls, composed possession, and strong defense in the defensive end and in the midfield on the NMH goalie clear. The teams broke for half with the score of 9-2 favoring Westminster. NMH was strong in the second half and their goalie came up with key saves between the pipes to lessen the deficit. The Martlets did not let up, however, and withstood the away team's comeback attempt. Goals from Ridgely Green '20, Jill Parsons '19, captain Emma Lange '18, Cote, captain Emma Alpaugh '18 and Casey Winslow '21, paired with defensive strength anchored by goalie Gaby Salgar '18 brought Westminster its first win.

 

First Girls’ Lacrosse took on a strong Greenwich Academy team on a sunny afternoon on Hovey Field. The Gators of GA got on the board in 58 seconds with a quick transition from the first draw, but the Martlets kept it close for the first half of the first half. The Gators began to pull away despite numerous saves by goalie Gaby Salgar '18. Westminster struggled to maintain possession in the midfield and settle the ball long enough on attack to convert its caused turnovers to goals and the Gators capitalized on these shortcomings. The second half brought more GA goals, extending its lead and coming out on top with the final score 5-16 favoring the visiting team.

 

Westminster Goalie(s) / Saves Totals

Malcolm Kleban, 5 - Liam Tucker, 3

 

Westminster Goal Scorers (by period)

Ian Dardani, 1g/1a; Jordie McKenna 1g/1a; Sal Iaria 1g; Brett Daubert 1a; Chris Robinson 1g

 

Records for Each Team

Westminster 1-2 / Deerfield 2-1

 

It was an exciting start for Second Boys’ Lacrosse as it took on Deerfield on its home turf. Within the first quarter, the boys commanded the momentum of the game; Willie Noble ’20 had dished up a hat trick by the end of the first, and the attack continued to impress as the first half came to a close. Halftime came and went, and Deerfield picked up the pace and for a moment, it seemed as though the Martlet defense was unable to compete as the third quarter dragged on and the score was tied 5-5. A quick, calculated goal by Spencer Epps ’18 turned the tide, and a series of man down situations allowed the Martlets to regain some of their speed. In the end, Deerfield took the day 7-8.

First Girls’ Tennis got off to a fantastic start with an exciting and hard-fought win over GA. The Martlets traveled south and had to play the GA format of four singles matches and three doubles matches with no repeats, not the standard format. Regardless, it was a tight match up and down the ladder with five of the seven matches being decided with a tiebreaker for the third set. The Black and Gold earned its first win of the day at No. 2 doubles where Lauren Way '20 and Alex Wolf '19 dominated their opponents from start to finish, 6-1, 6-0. The next couple of victories came in close singles matches. Mary Kille '18 found herself down 3-0 to start the first set but fought back to win it 6-4. Her opponent was hard-hitting and impressive but Kille chipped away and hung onto every point. She literally covered the entire court and ran herself ragged. While she dropped the second set, she came out strong for the tiebreaker, going up 9-2 and ultimately winning 9-5. This was an opponent who had beaten her handily last year. Laura Mittelman '20 at No. 4 singles was next to finish. She lost her first set 4-6, but won the second 6-3. In the tiebreaker, the girls went point for point but Mittelman played consistent tennis, and much like Kille wore her opponent down. She won the tiebreaker 10-8. Ellie Suit '20 clinched the victory at No. 3 singles. Suit won a close first set 7-5 against a hard-hitting gator with a tough serve. She dropped the second 4-6 and found herself down 1-8 in the tiebreaker. Determined to win, however, Suit fought back and ultimately won the tiebreaker 11-9 and clinched the victory for the Martlets. She is playing great tennis this spring. Liz Casey '18 and Maggie Chaves '19 had the last match of the day at No. 3 doubles and won the first set but dropped the second. They pulled it together to win the tiebreaker 12-10. This was a great team win that showed grit and determination. It was a display of skill, fortitude, endurance and hustle. This match definitely bodes well for an exciting season ahead for the team.

On a rainy afternoon the boys traveled south to Wallingford to meet the Wild Boars on their three indoor courts at the Worthington Johnson Athletic Center. Doubles went 2-1 to Choate with No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams of Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Carl Ekholm '19 and co-captain Connor Seeley '18 and Chris Whipple '18 losing 1-8 and 3-8 respectively. Seeley held his serve three times for the team. At  No. 2 doubles Ethan Na '19 and newcomer James Manderlink '21 notched a victory 7-5 with the only service break of the match coming in the final game. Since the doubles point was already in the Choate column, the match was shortened to one regular set instead of an eight-game pro set. After doubles, the boys talked about how fast the surface was and how hard it was to pick up the serve visually. For singles, Westminster started with the even numbers. Ekholm was up early at No. 6 but had some back spasms and lost in straight sets. Manderlink came alive in his second set at No. 4 but wasn't quite consistent enough to pull out that set. Na came close to winning his match. After rallying from 0-5 to 3-6 in set one, he came out and took set two with his typical tenacious style. In the super tiebreaker for the third set, Na fought back two match balls at 6-9 before coming up just short of earning a point for the team. Newcomer Grant McCargo '21 was the next closest to earning a point, falling in two very close sets. His backhand groundstroke down the line was zinging but he made too many unforced errors on his forehand to pull out the win.

 

Doubles team Ethan Na '19 and James Manderlink '21 won their match in straight sets to advance to the semifinals against Choate. Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Carl Ekholm '19 lost to the top seeded Groton team but showed great poise in the second set. All four singles players Mukhametkulov, Na, Nikola Kostic '18 and Manderlink went to the consolation round. Manderlink had three set balls against a Deerfield boy but wasn't able to convert the final point. In his afternoon match, Manderlink beat Westminster sibling Blake Cilmi 8-1 to advance to the fifth place playoff. Na won 8-4 against a Deerfield player in a mostly uneventful match that he controlled from start to finish. Mukhametkulov was up 6-5 against the K-O number one and looked to be making an upset. Mukhametkulov was being consistent and patiently waiting for his opportunities. The K-O player upped his game and took the final three games and the set 8-6. Kostic was up against a Hotchkiss player who played better and better as the match neared its end. Kostic was moving his opponent left and right, in and out but couldn't seem to unhinge him. The final result 7-9 was a testament to the grit and skill of the Hotchkiss player who made virtually no errors the final five games as he absorbed all of Kostic's pressure.

 

Day two started with Ethan Na '19 and James Manderlink '21 in a rematch against the top seeded Choate No. 2 doubles team. Na and Manderlink found themselves on the defensive against an aggressive team. They absorbed the pressure and fought but were unable to consistently find openings to exploit. In the consolation of the No. 1 doubles, Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Carl Ekholm '19 had to play a pro set outdoors in frigid temperatures against Hotchkiss. They never got too much going and the Hotchkiss boy played in his down parka for the whole match. Na and Manderlink both had to play their consolation finals matches outside but by the time they were on court, the sun had warmed things up a bit. Manderlink had many nice rallies and finished but couldn't break through against a consistent and talented boy from Lawrenceville. Na was down 7-2 vs Hotchkiss and came storming back to 6-7 before finally succumbing. Na always fights hard. Na and Manderlink had one more match to play in the 3/4 doubles playoff against Deerfield. The first few games went quickly to Deerfield and then Na and Manderlink started clicking and played some excellent tennis with strong serves, solid net and smart baseline play. Coming back 2-5, the boys tied the match at 7-7 when Deerfield went on a roll and closed out the set 9-7. Na and Manderlink ended up in fourth with some great match experience.

 

This was a close and hard-fought victory against the Greenwich Gators. Maggie Kelley '18 won her singles match while Isabelle Niles '18 and Annabel Bradley '19, and Rosy Sieglaff '18 and Jacq Autorino '20 won their doubles matches.

 

In the first match of the season, the Martlets headed to Choate to face a talented Thirds' tennis team. While the overall score for the contest appears lopsided, there was much to be excited about. Because of the weather, the Westminster girls did not have an opportunity to swing a racquet in over a week, so the many terrific rallies and points won were reason for celebration. The lone win (8-4) came for Jennifer Jerand '19 at No. 2 singles. Jerand played consistently and this game was a close contest. Playing at No. 1 singles, Eda Chen '20 played a terrific game against an opponent with a formidable serve. At No. 3 singles, Isabel von Bargen-Burke '19 demonstrated smooth forehands against a tough opponent. Lily Carrel '19, rounding out the singles play, only lost 5-8 and this match could have gone either way. On the doubles side, Izzy Bailey '21 and Siena Holowesko '21 had a terrific doubles game at No. 1, also keeping the score close but eventually falling to their Choate counterparts. At No. 2 doubles were Chloe Ferro '20 and Lizzy McCoy '20, whose on-court chemistry is unsurpassed. Annie Brewer '21 and Mairead DeFronzo '20 played at No. 3 doubles, and the team play was rounded out at No. 4 doubles with Elena McGuigan '21 and Tatum McBreen '21 in their first appearance for the Black and Gold.