Sports Highlights 10.22.2014

Westminster’s First Field Hockey squad won both of their games this week in dramatic fashion, edging out Deerfield in an overtime thriller and then pouncing on Kingswood Oxford on Parents Weekend in a 7-0 shut out.
 

On Wednesday, the girls were pushed to their second OT in a row, taking the game 2-1 against Deerfield. The team struggled to find their rhythm early on, as an energetic Deerfield team dominated the opening half with strong play and excellent defense to stifle any offensive opportunities. It wasn't until the final stretch of the second half that the squad demonstrated their best play. By overtime, the Martlets were ready to play their game and took control from the opening whistle, earning critical penalty corner opportunities with strong sticks and relentless pressure. Leah Klassen ‘17 made some unbelievable saves to keep the Martlets in the game, while Ashley Carbone ’16 played a solid second half on defense. Susanna Baker ‘15 and Stina Ladd ’15 led several fast break opportunities, with strong support from Sarah Migliori ’16, to put the winning goals in the net and earn the last-minute victory.

The Martlets had another impressive outing on Saturday afternoon during Westminster’s Parents Weekend “Game Day on the Hill,” playing spectacular on both sides of the field and earning a big 7-0 victory over Kingswood Oxford. The Black and Gold owned the game from the start, controlling the ball with precision passing and disciplined stick handling. They were able to get on the board early with a goal from Ladd in the 27th minute. Migliori put another goal in net midway through the first half, and the score remained 2-0 through halftime. The second half saw an explosion of offense from Westminster, as Susanna Baker ’15, Migliori, Ladd, Eliza Mell ’16 and Kendall Brown ’17 all scored to put their team up big. The Martlet defense was just as dominating, clinching yet another shut out on the season with relentless pressure on the ball that kept K.O. on their heels.
 

On a cool Parents Weekend Saturday, the Martlets’ Boys’ Cross-Country team took on their neighbors, the Winged Beavers from Avon, in what always proves to be a competitive contest. Winning the race by over a minute was co-captain Aaron Rubin ‘15; considering that he was nursing a hamstring all week, his dominance was particularly impressive. Jordan Gabbidon '17 ran an excellent race and joined the top 20% of Westminster cross country runners who have broken 20 minutes on a challenging home course.
 

The Girls’ team raced well against a perennially strong Miss Porter’s group. Oumou Kanoute '17 did her part, winning the race and becoming the 11th fastest Martlet to run the home course with her first run under 23 minutes. Abigayle Hovey '18 was second for Westminster and fourth overall, improving her time by 50 seconds and cracking the top 20 Martlet times on the home course, while co-captain Lauren Boures '15 finished sixth.
 

The Martlets’ First Boys’ Soccer team brought their record to 7-3-1 for the season with two exciting wins this week. The boys traveled to New York to take on Trinity-Pawling on Wednesday afternoon, coming away with a big 2-1 road win. The Martlets went down early after a quick goal from TP, but they battled throughout the entire game, keeping their composure and maintaining possession of the ball. As the second half got underway, Declan Horrigan ‘16 stole the ball from a defender, dribbled down the line and served the ball to Ben Sudduth ‘16, who was making a near post run and was able to finish the play with a header to the far post. Westminster was relentless for the remainder of the game, and it paid off in the 80th minute when Captain Jackson Price ‘15 took down a ball in TP's box and calmly slotted the ball by the keeper. The Martlets were able to defend well for the last ten minutes of the game and hold their lead until the final whistle.
 

In another gritty performance, the Black and Gold defeated Avon Old Farms 2-0 in front of a roaring “Game Day on the Hill” home crowd on Saturday afternoon. By the end of the first half, the game was at a 0-0 standstill, with both teams having opportunities on goal but neither able to capitalize. Goalie Griffin Price ’16 made a spectacular save with a few minutes left in the half, and on the other side of the field Horrigan sailed a ball just inches over the post as the halftime whistle blew. The second half saw Price beat his man down the line and serve the ball across the box to JP Schuhlen ’16, who was making a streaking run to the near post. In one touch, Schuhlen was able to shoot to the far post and skip the ball into the net. The second and final goal was a free kick from about 30 yards out by Steve Tortora ’15, who is making a habit out of bending in goals from the set. The boys finished the week with grit and determination, playing tough opponents through often tougher weather for two big wins.
 

The First Girls’ Soccer team was on fire this week, getting an impressive 9-1 win at Suffield Academy on Wednesday afternoon, and then outlasting Kingswood Oxford 2-1 in a tough home match on Saturday.
 

At Suffield, the girls were determined and disciplined, shutting down any offensive momentum for the Tigers and moving the ball up the field with pace and on-point passing. By the end of the first half they were in control of the game by a margin of 4-1. The second was more of the same, as the Martlets outscored their opponent 5-0, including the first goal of the season for Micaela Quinn ‘17.
 

The team played a much closer match in their “Game Day on the Hill” home game against Kingswood Oxford. With a large home-crowd behind them, they were able to play a physical game on defense and capitalize on a few offensive opportunities for the 2-1 win. Once again, Sally Sandoval ’15 proved to be a vital factor, providing two assists to Jacqui Richard ’16, who scored the deciding goals – once in the first and again in the second. Goalie Cynnie White ’17 had another standout game, making 7 crucial saves and being a vocal team leader from in front of the net.
 

The Martlets’ First Football team earned their fourth win in a row on Saturday’s “Game Day on the Hill” in front of a large and energetic crowd. The boys defeated a strong squad from the Gunnery School 34-20 by playing physical, fearless football and keeping pressure on their opponent even after giving up points. The Gunnery drew first blood, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a short TD run, but in the second quarter the Black and Gold answered twice – once on a 14-yard TD pass from David Ryan ’15 to Tyler Buckley ’15 and again on a 6-yard rushing touchdown from David Carter ’15 – to take a 16-7 lead by halftime. Carter recorded two more touchdowns in the third quarter, and the boys went into the final quarter up 28-13. A 12-yard TD pass to Tim Sanford ’16 put the Martlets up by 21, and though the Gunnery would score once more, the boys were able to hold on for the win.
 

Westminster’s Second Boys’ Soccer earned two victories this week with airtight defense and solid goalkeeping that kept both score sheets clean.
 

After a long ride to Pawling, NY to face Trinity-Pawling on Wednesday afternoon, the squad got went right to work, putting pressure on TP early with a goal from Jeff Guiliano ‘17 in the 6th minute and another from Alex Son ’15 in the 11th, but they didn’t let up. After a goal from Mike Heagerty ‘15, the boys went into halftime with a 3-0 lead. The second half saw goals from Max Grout ‘17 and Ken Barnes ‘16, completing a score line that included five different players, exhibiting the a great focus on teamwork over individual play.
 

This focus extended into Saturday afternoon, as the boys took their cross-town rivals Avon Old Farms at home. They got off to another hot start, as Heagerty opened the game with a goal just 38 secs in, but played most of the first half on their heels. The defense, led by Jack Horrigan ‘16, Zach Orzech ‘16, Hartwell Green ‘16, and Dylan Moser ’15, was able to hold off the offensive push and keep AOF out of the net. The Martlets got on the board halfway through the second half off a great corner kick by Niles Nicholas ’17, which was headed down by Barnes and then put home by Paul McNamara ‘18. Once the second goal went in both teams opened up and played rough, physical soccer. Artur Szopa ’17 hammered home a bouncing shot from 20 yards out from a pass by Dave Gollenberg ’16 to put the boys up 3-0. Patrick Dawson ‘18 played another stellar game in net, making 5 saves, including one for the highlight reels, to hold on for a second shut-out in a row.
 

Don’t look now, but the Second Girls’ Soccer team pushed their record to an amazing 10-0 for the season with two more wins this week!
 

The Martlets, finally playing at full strength after weeks of college visits, illnesses, injuries and events, won in convincing fashion on Wednesday afternoon, taking out Suffield Academy 7-0. The team got off to a fast start and didn’t look back, as Natalie Wilson '18 scored the game’s first goal with a great finish at the 14 minute mark. Three minutes later, Devin Selvala '16 scored on a breakaway, and Kiley Loureiro '15 followed up quickly after with a one-touch goal from a corner-kick. The girls were up 3-0 at the half, but refused to let up. In the second, Emma Alpaugh '18 earned her first goal as a Martlet, while Wilson and Selvala scored their second goals of the day on breakaways, and Claire Hotaling '16 got in on the action with a hard shot that rolled just past the goalie's fingers.
 

On Saturday, at Westminster’s “Game Day on the Hill,” the girls kept rolling, earning a hard-fought 3-0 win over an aggressive and quick Kingswood Oxford team. Midway through a fast-paced first half, Wilson cut through the K.O. defense for a hard shot past the goalie, followed shortly after by a one-touch goal from Alpaugh. Annie Mayer '15 also scored off of a one-touch from over 20 yards out early in the second half to put the girls up 3-0. Aliza White '15 played aggressively and made some nice offensive runs, including a shot on goal, while Hallie Feibel '16 made some smart plays at both forward and center midfield, a new position for her. The Martlet defense was excellent in both games, with great support from Isabel Tibbetts '15 and Katie Neilson '18 that helped keep both challengers out of the goal this week.
 

The Martlets’ Third Girls’ Soccer team won their first two games of the season this week, edging out 3-2 victories against Loomis Chaffee on the road and Avon Old Farms at home with solid team efforts.
 

Sam Monte ‘17 and Nikki Armour ‘17 were welcomed back on Wednesday afternoon after recovering from injury and made some outstanding plays, including a crucial goal saved by Monte. Hannah Stone ‘18 faced several breakaways and made several incredible saves, and Amanda Liu ‘18 played one of her best games of the season before leaving the field with an eye injury. In the end, the difference-maker was Maddie Dwyer ‘18, who earned a hat trick that put the Martlets on top of the Tigers.

The team played another great match at home on Saturday afternoon, taking a 3-2 win over Deerfield with a late goal. Kate Lovas ‘18 had an incredible game, controlling the ball on her side of the field, while Dallis Alvarez ‘17 monitored the center-mid position and played one of her best games as well, stepping into the spot after an injury to Juila McGarry ‘18 on Wednesday kept her out of the game. Dwyer continued her hot streak, scoring the Martlets’ first goal to tie the game 1-1. The squad was still tied in the second, when Lovas put one in the net to take the 2-1 lead. With just minutes left in the game Deerfield scored the equalizer and looked poised to walk away with the tie, but Brinley Cuddeback ‘17 answered right back with the game-winner. It was a gritty, determined win, as the girls could have let down after letting in the tying goal, but they persevered and held on for the win.
 

As Parents Weekend drew to a close, the Fourth Boys' Soccer team faced their nemesis from the swamps of Avon, the Winged Beavers, and came away with a 3-2 win. Tucker Weiber ’18 opened the game in goal for the Martlets. This was Weiber’s first action as a netminder, and he made a great show of it, making several spectacular saves before the Beavers snuck one in for a 1-0 lead. Spencer Organ ’18 quickly answered for Westminster as he took a beautiful pass from Jake Szykowny ’17 and kicked it sharply top shelf. Merlin Ennis ’17 was a defensive force in the first half and SK Lee ’18 had two open looks. Despite the strong play and multiple opportunities, the game remained tied 1-1 at the break. The Beavers began the second half by biting into the Martlet defense to take a 2-1 lead. Manny Meltzer ’17 then took a corner kick from Elton Paintsil ’18 and tied the game at 2-2. The score remained knotted until late in the game, when Simon Aber ’18 battled several aggressive Beavers and made a beautiful pass to Lee, who beat the defense to give Westminster the 3-2 victory.