Sports Highlights 10.12.15

 

First Field Hockey now boasts a 6-0-1 undefeated record after recording two more wins last week. On Wednesday, Sarah Melanson ’16 scored twice and Kendall Brown '17 scored once to secure a 3-1 win over Choate, with Emma Stevens ‘16 assisting on all three goals. On Friday night, the girls eked out a 1-0 victory over Loomis in a big night game on the road. The deciding goal came from Sarah Migliori ’16 in the first half.

 

The Martlets showed heart and determination to win two close and well-played contests, with every player stepping up to do her job. On the forward line, Migliori, Stevens, Melanson and Maggie Kelly '18 were outstanding in keeping the pressure on the opposing defenses, while Midfielders Lilly Holmes '18, Ashlee White '17, Catherine Crawley '16 and Kendall Brown '17 did well to maintain possession and continually push the ball up field. The Martlet defense of Ashley Carbone '16, Maddy Paro '17, Eliza Mell '16 and Madie Bologa '17 came up big in both games to hold onto narrow leads, and Goalie Leah Klassen '17 made some enormous, crucial saves. 

 

 

Led by a combined 254 rushing yards from Isaiah Green ’16 and Tim Callahan ’17, Westminster moved to 3-0 with a resounding 26-6 victory over a tough and well-coached Tabor Academy squad on Saturday night. After Tabor's opening drive stalled in Martlet territory, the home team ground out a 12-play, 77-yard opening drive that culminated with Callahan's four-yard dash around the right end and into the end zone. The Martlets' next two drives stalled, and Tabor eventually evened the game at 6-6 in the second quarter on a 4th-and-goal Hail-Mary pass from the 20. It would be the last time Tabor reached the end zone. The Martlets bounced back instantly, as Greg Livingston ’17 took the kickoff back 80 yards to pay dirt. 

The boys opened the second half with a sloppy-but-clutch 14-play, 60-yard drive, marred by three penalties and three fumbles. Despite the mistakes, Green was able to run it in from 11 yards out to give Westminster what would turn out to be an insurmountable 18-6 lead. The team had a couple more good drives that ended on turnovers inside Tabor's 10-yard-line, but fortunately the defense was up to the challenge every time. Delando Clarke '16 picked off a fourth quarter pass and ran it back 38 yards to post the final touchdown of the game, and Green closed out the scoring with a successful two-point conversion. Though the Martlets made some mistakes along the way, they played valiantly and with grit to get the W.  The team knows they'll have to be better if they want to keep their winning streak alive against a strong Berkshire team on the road next week. 

 

 

The Martlet harriers went into Saturday's meet emphasizing TEAM, stating that each runner had a role to play if the group were to compete with the strong squads from Williston Northampton and Kingwood-Oxford. Despite an unanticipated delay before the meet began, the Westminster group answered the call and squeaked out the narrowest of victories over the Wyverns 28-29. At the one-mile, the boys were running a very smart and fast race, with the black and gold sprinkled amidst the blue and red of the opponents. It was clear that the Wildcats were way too deep, as they had a thick pack towards the front, but the Martlets had many runners on pace for season bests. Emmett de Kanter ’19 hung with the top pack right through the end; he was eventually out-kicked by the K.O. and Williston #1 runners, but he beat the Williston #2 who had beaten him the previous weekend. Co-captain Jordan Gabbidon ’17, who had been tasked with beating the Kingwood #2, found himself up against a faster runner that he had not seen at Canterbury. He almost took him, but could not quite pull ahead. Michael Fiorini ’18 answered the call at the second mile, when the coaches urged him to hunt down a Kingswood runner 100 yards ahead of him. Fiorinia ran down the Kingwood #3 over this distance, beating hm by 2 seconds to keep Westminster within a single point of Kingswood after three runners a piece. Co-captain Ben Shaver ’16, fighting a stomach bug, dropped out of the top seven for the afternoon, and the Wyverns got their fourth across the line, moving within striking distance of a clear victory. The back half of the ladder, however, would keep them from doing that. Running almost ninety seconds faster than his previous PR, Peter Horsfall ’17 had a tremendous finish, stepping in front of a Williston runner in the last stride. Tim Harris ’17, coming back from an illness, had a season PR to be our fifth man. However, Kingswood would still have won at that point if they could get their last man across the line, except Matt Cosentino ’18 beat him and fleet-footed Daniel Chey ’18 set a lifetime best PR to step in front of that last Wyvern by less than a foot, thus securing a one-point victory.

 

The Girls, competing in their first tri-meet of the season, notched their first victory of the season against the host Kingswood Oxford Wyverns. Perhaps more impressively were the number of new personal bests that were established as the girls took advantage of the flat, fast course. For the second week in a row, Oumou Kanoute '17 led the Martlets with a time of 21:42, placing fifth overall. Kanoute was strong in the final mile of the race pushing ahead of fellow Martlet Abigayle Hovey '18 who crossed the line 12 seconds after Kanoute. The healthy battle between the Westminster #1 and #2 is pushing these girls to get faster every week. Sarah Minella '17 looked fast and strong as she flew down to the finish and again set a new lifetime best, while Katherine Ogden '16 was right on her heels, also running her best time. Nicole Fox '16 rounded out the top five for the Black and Gold clinching the win for the Martlets against the Wyverns. Running her way to her fastest time yet, Maggie Chaves '19 continued to develop confidence and strength, and Annie Sherbacow '19, only her second week into training, is making quick improvement as well. Perhaps most exciting were the lifetime bests set by Sixth Formers Ashlyn Chin and Maggie DeDominico, who continue to knock significant time off of their finishes. This was a day when everyone felt good about their performance and the hard work the girls are putting in on a daily basis is beginning to produce results. It was a good day to be a Martlet runner.

 

 

First Boys’ Soccer, coming off of an emotional 1-1 tie against Pomfret the previous Saturday, seemed nervy throughout much of the game on Wednesday against WNS, but the boys were able to scrape together a 1-0 win in the end. Ian Anderson '18, coming off the bench in the 80th minute, was able to find himself in the box uncovered and had the composure to place the ball corner net on a nice one-touch past the goalie in the 85th minute. Griffin Price '16 had another great game between the posts; he was awarded player of the game for Westminster and also the outstanding keeper of the match. Price and Alec Costanza '17 were awarded game balls for their hard work on the field. 

 

 

The Second Football team got off to a hot start on Wednesday afternoon and didn't let up until the final whistle. The boys won 32-6 over Wilbraham & Monson Academy on the strength of their controlled offense and aggressive defense. Brandon Williams '18 had another fine outing, rushing for two touchdowns, including a long run in which he broke free from multiple would-be tacklers. Jagger LeClair '18, Manny Meltzer '17 and Anton Gonzalez '18 all scored as well, while Mike Riberdy '18 got in on a two-point conversion. Jack Devlin '19 hooked up on a beautiful 35-yard pass for a touchdown near the end of the first half. On the defensive side, Joe Patrina '18 and Mason Horigan '18 were stout linebackers, and the Martlets had great play on the front line by Ian Broadbent '18 and Josh Consentino '18. Right now, the boys look fired up and ready to take on all challengers.

 

 

After a loss to open the season, Seconds Field Hockey now has a five-game winning streak after beating Miss Porter’s 5-0 and Loomis Chaffee 2-0 last week. In her first game with the Seconds team, Ally Marenco '18 had a crucial save to hold the shut-out for the Martlets on Wednesday. Nice goals, quick passes and lots of good shots highlighted another great outing for the girls. Morgan Peirce '17 scored off of a corner 10 minutes into the game to get Westminster on the board first. Next, Sophia Gasser '18 redirected the ball into goal off of a free hit from Liza Lennox '18. Near the end of the first, Abby Newman '16 scored from a rebound off the goalie, and then Greta Baker '19 put one in with under a minute left in the half. The lone goal in the second came from Sydney Autorino '17.

 

The Martlets traveled to "the Island" on Saturday afternoon to take on the Pelicans at Loomis Chaffee. Westminster communicated well, held the ball in their offensive end throughout most of the game, executed clean passing and had many opportunities to score. While the Pelican defense and goalie did a good job to keep most of the shots out of the cage, Peirce and Newman were able to put two away in the first half to secure the lead. Overall, it was a good effort by the whole team - especially the defense, which held a solid wall, pushing the ball back up the field when it got down to the Westminster end. The defensive unit has now held opponents scoreless in its last five games. An impressive run!

 

 

The Martlets, riding a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Miss Porter's, continued their strong play to mow down the Fighting Daisies 2-0. Rebecca Gavel '18 scored both goals in the victory, one unassisted and the other assisted by Hallie Feibel '16.

 

 

Thirds Field Hockey played an exciting game against Taft on Saturday afternoon, edging out the Rhinos 1-0 for its first win of the season! In the second of the back-to-back series for the Martlets and Rhinos, the teams played on Hovey field, and the Turf helped Westminster show of the skills they've been working on since the beginning of the season. The girls looked like seasoned field hockey players, with several great opportunities coming from disciplined offensive play, including some beautiful corners. While the team was only able to net one goal - a nice slap from Liza Polukhin '19 assisted by Sofia Raymond '19 10 minutes into the first half - it was a great effort from start to finish.