Sports Highlights 10.06.2014

First Field Hockey gave a gritty performance on Wednesday afternoon as they overcame a strong Miss Porter’s squad, not to mention some dreary weather, for a 5-0 victory. Miss Porter’s pushed the Martlets to work hard, and a tough performance by the opposing goalie left the Black and Gold struggling to get on the board early. Despite having 13 corners in the opening half, the Martlets had a difficult time finishing. Eliza Mell ’15 and Suzanna Baker ’16 were persistent and aggressive, and finally forced two balls into the goal to put the girls up 2-0 at the half. Strong work by Catherine Crawley ‘16 and Sarah Migliori ’16 on the forward line produced some great opportunities in the second. The two were able to convert within two minutes of each other to secure a comfortable 4-0 lead for Westminster. From then, it was up to the team’s stingy defense to hold on for the win. Jade Marlowe ’15 and Kendall Brown ‘17 played well for the Martlets in the midfield, disrupting Miss Porter’s offensive sets and pushing the ball forward. With less than a minute left, and with the win securely in hand, Stina Ladd ’15 got on the board and the Martlets finished with a 5-0 victory. The team now boasts a 7-1 record with an impressive 31-6 goal differential.

 

The Martlets’ First Football team won its second game in a row on Saturday afternoon with solid defense and another fine showing from quarterback David Ryan ’15. The boys took an early lead on a 45-yard run by David Carter ‘15, followed by a 28-yard TD reception by Carter again. Though they failed to convert both PATs, the team quickly jumped ahead 12-0 in the first quarter. In the second, Ryan hooked up with Ben Feola ’15 for an impressive 84-yard TD reception, putting the black and gold up 18-0 at the half. Tabor Academy came out into the third quarter with more aggression, reaching the end zone for their first touchdown of the game and biting into the lead to make the score 18-6. The Martlets’ buckled down and weathered a late push by Tabor Academy in the fourth. Though Tabor would score once more, Westminster extended their lead on another long TD reception by Feola, this one 51-yards, and the boys held onto a 24-14 lead to end the game. It was an impressive, hard-nosed victory for the Martlets, with standout performances by Ryan, Carter and Feola, and an overall great performance by the defense, which had two goal line stands for the second week in a row.  

 

First Boys’ Soccer rebounded after a tough week for a hard-fought 2-1 win over Williston Northampton on a wet Wednesday afternoon. The Martlets controlled the ball from the start, dictating the tempo of the game with a significant amount of possession. While the first half ended 0-0, the boys were gaining momentum and confidence. The second half saw Williston score first on a quick counterattack, but the Martlets were relentless and did not lose focus. The team continued to control the pace of the game, and Ben Sudduth ’16 finally equalized in the 68th minute. With only four minutes left the boys scored the deciding goal off a set piece from J.P. Schuhlen ’16 which bounced around the box until fell to the feet of Drew Simeon ’15. He was able to bury the shot into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead. Westminster showed a tremendous amount of composure throughout the game, but the grit they displayed to climb back into the game in the second half was truly impressive.

 

On a cold and rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Martlets’ First Girls’ Soccer took down Miss Porter’s 2-0. The game was close from the opening whistle to the final seconds, with tough performances by both teams. Westminster got on the board early with a goal from Mary French ‘15 off of a nice pass by Katherine Eckerson ‘17. With less than two minutes left in the first half, Katie Deveaux ’16 put one in the net, giving the black and gold a 2-0 lead. The pace and pressure of the game continued mount in the second, and Westminster had to keep on their toes as Miss Porter’s pressed forward in a late game push. The girls were able to stamp out the offensive pressure to secure a victory.

 

Despite a persistent mist and soggy running shoes, the Westminster Lady Martlets took on the Kingswood-Oxford Wyverns and Williston Northampton Wildcats in a thrilling, fast-paced footrace in Northampton, MA. Nine runners ran lifetime bests today and demonstrated how truly competitive they can be as a team. Separating herself from the main pack of runners within the first mile, tri-captain Lauren Boures ’15 owned second place overall in the race by mile two and ran a lifetime best of 21:25.  Boures’ time moved her from 27th to 12th fastest Lady Martlet in recorded history. Oumou Kanoute ’17 maintained a solid, strong pace throughout the race coming in to the finish just 9 seconds behind Lauren.  Kanoute broke the 7:00 minute mile mark for the first time averaging 6:57 per mile.  Abigayle Hovey ’18 also had a strong performance, following close behind Kanoute and placing 11th overall – just 5 seconds off of breaking the 22-minute mark. Tri-captain Katie O’Connor ’15 (23:27, 13th place) and Grace Brentano ’16 (24:23, 21st place) rounded out the scoring runners, with Nicole Fox ’16 (24:41, 24th place) and Sarah Minella ’16 (24:50, 27th) serving as displacers. Although Williston Northampton beat the Martlets 22 to 39, Westminster soundly defeated the Wyverns 20 to 41.

 

The Martlets’ Second Girls’ Soccer faced the Loomis Chaffee Pelicans on Saturday afternoon, winning 3-0 in the pouring rain. Kaitlyn McCausland '16 and Annie Mayer '16 played great defense in positions that were new to them, and Gaby Salgar '18 made some great saves in goal, especially on 2 very dangerous shots. The defensive pressure got to Loomis early in the game, and the Pelicans let up an own goal in the 18th minute. Natalie Wilson '18 continued to dominate at forward; notably her two goals today came from being in the right place at the right time and aggressively pursuing the goal. Sarah Poling '16, Maeve DeFronzo '16, and Katie Nielson '18 also did a stellar job of playing defense, despite very unpredictable conditions. Emily Samar '18 and Claire Hotaling '16 played hard, aggressive soccer as well, and the girls persevered on a very rainy afternoon.

 

In a very rainy contest, the Second Field Hockey team had a strong showing against their league rivals, Loomis Chaffee. Alaina Bisson '15 and Aubrey Moulton '15 played especially well on the left side of the field, both scoring goals, while Maddy Stowell '17 had a solid game alternating between center back and center mid. Nina Wilmerding '15 had yet another impressive game with another hat trick, and Georgia Morley '15 did a stellar job of distributing the ball to her teammates.