Sports Highlights April 20, 2015

First Golf swept its first two matches of the season, winning over Loomis Chaffee, K.O. and Kent on Wednesday and then taking down Salisbury, Suffield and Wilbraham & Monson on Saturday.
 

On a gorgeous (but windy) day at Bull's Bridge Golf Club in Kent, CT, the Martlets began their season with solid victories over a trio of strong opponents. The final match results were Westminster (203), Loomis (206), Kingswood-Oxford (211), and Kent (226). The match medalists were Addison Cilmi (Westminster '16) and Jason Liu (Loomis '17) with scores of 37 (+1). Other Westminster scores included Taggart Corriveau '16 (39), Rylan Williams '16 (40), George Doolan '15 (43), Ted Sirbaugh '16 (44) and George Crawford '15 (47).
 

On Saturday, the team posted a respectable score of 200 to come away with victories over Wilbraham & Monson (217), Suffield (222), and Salisbury (234). Matt Naumec '15 from W&M was the match medalist with an even par score of 36. For Westminster, George Doolan led the way with a solid 37 (+1), followed by Addison Cilmi (39), Philippe Morin '15 (40), Taggart Corriveau (41), Rylan Williams (43) and Ted Sirbaugh (44).
 

The Martlets bounced back from a tough loss on Wednesday with an 8-5 win over Trinity-Pawling on Saturday. The boys held the sharp-shooting T-P Pride to just 5 goals behind the strong goalie play of Max Powers '17 and Dylan Moser '15, who combined for 12 saves, and the shut down defense of Bryan Connell '16, Tim Sanford '16 (game ball), Drew Simeon '15 and Kevin O'Leary '16. Sanford gobbled up 5 GBs and helped lead the Westminster clearing game. Brian Smyth '16 went 2 and 2 but, more importantly, owned the FO in the 3rd quarter in a game that was tied 3-3 at the half.
 
Ryan Seymour '15 was a warrior on some key possessions, and Steve Tortora '15 and Zack Orzech '16 played a great defensive game at the short stick spot, while Noah Fosse came back nicely from his injury to score 2 for the home team. LSM Adrian Enchill '17 also scored to give the Martlets a big lift. The boys look to keep momentum rolling as they take on Avon Old Farms next.
 

The girls also rebounded from a loss on Wednesday, taking advantage of a beautiful sunny afternoon to steal a 13-3 victory in the Lions' den at Kent. The team played well despite missing a number of Martlets due to injury, illness, ACTs and college revisits. The first half saw a relatively slow start from Westminster, but the team made up for it with some sharp-shooting from the crease. Eliza Christman '15 popped in the first two goals within the opening six minutes of the half and then assisted Susanna Baker '15 soon after. Micaela Quinn '17 scored at 11:03, followed by Stina Ladd '15 and Baker again as the half came to a close. The Martlets went into intermission with a 6-2 lead.
 

The second half saw a Martlet team with much improved focus and discipline, and the girls controlled the rest of the game. Sarah Migliori '16 was the first to score at 21:24, and Baker scored off a beautiful feed made by Emma Stevens '16 soon after. Kendall Brown '17 got in on the action with a goal assisted by Migliori, and then Stevens notched another. Lily Von Stade '17, Quinn, and Baker closed out the scoring line for the 13-3 win.
 

Special thanks to Von Stade, who stepped up from JV to help out the shorthanded team and ended up netting a goal! Sarah Melanson '16 had some nice plays in the second half offense, illustrating her dynamic play around the 8. The team’s defense had another solid day, held together by Leah Klassen '17 in the net. Olivia Bey '15, Charlotte Lennox '16, Emma Alpaugh '18, Isabel Tibbetts '15 and Katie Simeon '16 all played determined and disciplined in the defensive zone. Klassen made six stops for the day.
 

Westminster’s First Softball squad kept rolling this week, winning their third, fourth and fifth games in a row.
 

In a 9-2 win over Loomis on Monday, Brenna Monroe '17 had another impressive outing, striking out 13 Loomis batters, while Jade Marlowe '15 had the hot bat with a double, triple and 4 RBI. The game was a close 2-1 contest until the fourth inning, when Catherine Crawley '16 drove in two runs with a double. Marlowe delivered a triple later in the inning, scoring two more runs and giving Westminster a 6-2 lead. Gabby Brown '17 also had a big day at the plate, with two hard hit doubles and an RBI. Emily Samar '18 added two singles. Monroe pitched very well, allowing just five hits. Samar caught another strong game, and Marlowe made some fine plays in the field.
 

On Wednesday, the team beat a good Taft squad 7-2 on the strength of a 6-hitter for Monroe, who also struck out ten batters. Brown, Samar and Marlowe each had two hits for the Black and Gold. Samar and Ashley White '18 drove in two runs apiece, while Katie Neilsen '18 and Monroe also delivered key run scoring hits. The game was a tight 3-2 contest until the seventh inning. Taft scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth and had a runner on first base with one out when Gabby Brown caught a line drive and doubled the runner off first. With two outs in the top of the seventh frame, Samar, Marlowe, Nielsen and White had clutch hits to break the game open. Monroe then pitched a 1-2-3 inning to seal the win. Defensively, Crawley made some important catches in the outfield and Brown had five putouts at second base.
 

The girls made it 5-0 on the season with a 20-4 win over Canterbury on Saturday. Kaitlyn McCausland '16 and Hannah Stone '18 homered while Ally Marenco '18 pitched three strong innings to earn the win. Again, Monroe pitched well before Marenco entered the game in relief, and White had three hits and drove in three runs. Madie Bologa '17 added to the score line, driving in her first RBI of the season, and Crawley drove in two runs for the Black and Gold as well.
 
First Girls' Tennis

First Girls’ Tennis earned two victories this week, defeating Williston 5-4 on Wednesday and taking down Kent 6-3 on Saturday. The Martlets nabbed their first win of the 2015 season with an exciting decision over the Wildcats of Williston Northampton. With close matches up and down the ladder, it was a well-deserved win for the Black and Gold. The match started with the three doubles contests. At #3, Mary Kille '18 and Natalie Wilson '18 cruised past their opponents for the second match in a row, winning 8-2, to earn the first point for Westminster.
 
Down 1-2 at the start of the singles matches, the Martlets had to take four of six to secure the win. Kille was dominant for the second time on the day in her win at #6. Playing at #4, Well Poler '16 came on strong in the second set to put the match out of reach for opponent, winning 7-5, 6-2. Julia Cooper '15 played a hard-hitting Wildcat but didn't back down, playing consistent tennis to win at #2. Ginny Durfee ’15 fought valiantly in defeat at #1, so the match came down to the #3 and #5 singles players, Katherine Ogden '16 and Natalie Wilson '18. Wilson found herself in a marathon match; she and her opponent had very similar games, consistent and smart.
 
In her third set, decided by a super tie-breaker, Wilson and her opponent exchanged point for point, but unfortunately the Wildcat was able to win two in a row to take the tie-breaker 12-10. The Martlet victory therefore rested on the shoulders of Ogden, who was able to pull through, winning two close sets 6-4, 6-4. Ogden played a solid opponent. It took patience as well as smart play to grab the win. After losing a close match on Saturday, this was a particularly sweet win for Ogden.
 

On Saturday, the Martlets earned their second win of the season. The girls swept the doubles matches to take an early 3-0 lead. Cooper and Durfee at #1, Ogdenand Paige Brackett '16 at #2 and Kille and Wilson at #3 all played smart and at time aggressive doubles to stymie the Lions.
 

For the singles matches, Kent chose to play the top four matches inside, which gave them a clear home-court advantage. The fast surface proved too difficult to overcome against their hard-hitting opponents for the top three Martlets, Durfee, Cooper and Ogden.
 
Wells Poler '16 was dominant in her performance at #4, however, jumping out to a 4-1 and 7-2 lead. She held on for the 8-4 win. Wilson was also in control throughout her match and only dropped one game. Finally, Kille played a consistent, tenacious Lion who seemed to get everything back. After starting out down 2-3, Kille used her aggressive play to win the next six games and earn the final point for the Martlets.
 

Westminster’s Boys’ and Girls’ Track teams both recorded victories on a sunny Saturday afternoon on Williams Hill. The boys defeated Avon Old Farms and Brunswick 81-33 and 81-37, respectively, while the girls defeated Miss Porter’s by a score of 44-21.
 

On a beautiful spring day at Hop Meadow Country Club, Westminster played host to The Bears of Berkshire and won 205 to 271 for their second victory of the season. George Brown '15, playing in his first Westminster golf match, was match medalist, shooting a 39. Other scores for the Martlets included George Crawford '15 (41): Mackenzie Hawkes '15 (46); Wonjune Kang '16 (40); Brett Roenick '16 (44); Jack Griffith '17 (41). This was a very good score given the team’s limited course play this season. The team hosts Avon and Loomis this coming Wednesday.
 

In a wild contest involving goals that were called back and extensive penalty minutes, Westminster was able to maintain composure and compete through the final whistle to take a 7-5 win over Trinity-Pawling on Saturday afternoon. The team's settled and patient offensive possessions resulted in quality scoring chances, and the boys were able to earn a lead early and keep it throughout the game.
 
TP mounted strong offense but were stopped multiple times on the doorstep by some excellent play between the pipes by Austin Pope '15. Westminster's defense had another steady game, able to turn away scorers and keep a lead late. Westminster made better efforts to maintain longer possessions on offense, and though successful at times, needed to keep focused and disciplined. The game was a little unorthodox and chaotic at times, but the Martlets were able to push through.
 

Westminster had two big wins this week, beating Williston 10-8 on Wednesday and then taking down Kent 14-0 on Saturday. From the opening whistle on Wednesday, the Martlets were able to maintain possession of the ball and dictate the pace of the game. Although Williston had very good defense through the transitional play, the girls adjusted and worked the ball down the field efficiently. All players on all areas of the field were worth recognizing. The defense, led by Lily Holmes '18 and Katherine Berry '16, worked well up the field and on settled 7v7 play. Additionally, Emily Burstein '17 did a fantastic job on the draw, while Fraser Allen '17, Abby Newman '16 and Emma Merlin '16 played both strong defense and offense as midfielders. The offense was led by Lily Von Stade '17, who tallied 4 goals and 2 assists on the day. The last five minutes of the game were exciting, as the score was close and both teams were determined and tenacious. Every player on the Martlet team worked their hardest to come out victorious in the end.
 

Next, the girls defeated Kent School on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. Despite leading 9-0 at the half, Westminster had a shaky start to the game. After regrouping and agreeing to focus on fundamentals (passing, catching, cutting), the girls played some tremendous lacrosse in the second half. Maggie Kelly '18 and Julia Carter '16 had strong efforts on the attack and in the midfield, while the Martlet defense was held down by Katie Deveaux '16 and Morgan Peirce '17. Sixth Former Emily Kandarian '15 also had a solid game, netting 2 goals and contributing 2 assists. Goal scorers on the day included Emily Burstein '17 (1), Emma Merlin '16 (2), Emily Kandarian '15 (2), Anne Bitterli '16 (3), Mckenna Burelle '17 (1), Maggie Kelly '18 (2), Abby Newman '16 (2), Cynnie White '17 (1).
 

The Martlets took down a speedy Kent team with tight defense on Saturday afternoon, winning 6-3 over the Lions. The boys were able to net 2 goals in the first quarter and another in the second to lead at the half 3-2 in a tight game. The third quarter saw some great transition play by both LSMs; Jason Chung '17 and John Kuzminskas '18 helped lead to 2 great goals to put the Martlets up 5-2. In the fourth quarter the visitors played more settled offense that took some pace out of the game, but Westminster put another one in and ended the day with a well-earned "W."