Sports Highlights 10.19.15

The Martlets won two out of three contests last week to push their record to 8-1-1 on the season. The girls took on the Fighting Daisies from Miss Porter's on a beautiful Monday afternoon and, on the strength of relentless offensive pressure and lock-down defense, came away with an 8-0 victory. There were great moments on both sides of the field throughout the game; the forward line of Shannon Keefe '19, Maggie Kelly '18, Sarah Migliori '16, Emma Stevens '16 and Sarah Melanson '16 was fast-moving, hustling to 50/50 balls. Migliori in particular put together an outstanding game, racking up four goals. Midfielders Lilly Holmes '18, Catherine Crawley '16 and Emma Lange '18 continually pushed the ball up to the forwards and recovered well on defense, while Kendall Brown '17 gave huge efforts on the right side, including beating a Porter's girl to a ball and then diving to get it into the circle, which Kelly and Melanson were able to convert into a goal

In a much chillier Saturday evening game at Williston Northampton, Westminster was able to once again shut out the opposing team for a 3-0 victory. The girls stepped well to the ball and built a strong game of field hockey for the entire 60 minute tilt. The Martlet defense was especially solid, as Maddy Paro '17, Ashley Carbone '16, Ashlee White '18, Eliza Mell '16 and Madie Bologa '17 stood strong to make sure the challengers had no good looks at the cage. Leah Klassen '17 once again proved to be a wall between the posts while confidently communicating with the black and gold players in front of her. Stevens, Migliori and Paro all notched goals in the win.

The Martlets split their games this week, earning an impressive 2-1 come-from-behind victory on Wednesday afternoon. Westminster got off to a slow start in what would be a very physical midweek match against Hotchkiss. Luckily, the girls were able to find their legs after Hotchkiss scored the first goal of the match deep into the second half. With a few position changes and some great ball movement, Westminster broke through when Katherine Eckerson '17 slotted the first goal to even the score with just over 15 minutes remaining. The second goal was scored minutes later off of a beautiful cross from Blake Cote '19 into the box, where Eckerson again found the back of the net. It was an exciting comeback for the Martlets, and an indicator of the heart, drive and grit of this team.

The boys were back at home after two tough road games for a Saturday afternoon match against the Knights from Salisbury. The visiting team took an early lead, scoring just 8 minutes into the game off of a Westminster turnover in the middle of the field. The Martlets responded well with good possession and effective counter attacks. Jordan Barnes '16 converted a deflection into the side netting to tie the score at 1-1 at the 15-minute mark. Both teams exchanged scoring opportunities early in the second, but Westminster was able to snatch the next and final lead 70 minutes into the game. Jack Griffith '17 took a free kick from the right side of the net and placed it off the back post, where an oncoming JP Schuhlen '16 was able to head the ball home and clinch a victory for the Martlets. 

The Kent course is one of the most scenic in the league, but the aptly named “Gutbuster Hill” and “Ripsaw Ridge” alternately exhaust and then slow down runners, making it a slow 3.0 mile track. No Westminster runner has broken 18 minutes on this course, but Emmett de Kanter ’19 made a nice bid with an 18:11 run on Saturday afternoon for the boys’ team, chasing two very fast lead runners from Kent, one who set the course record by over 20 seconds. Jordan Gabbidon ’17 and Ben Shaver ’16 both broke 20 minutes with strong efforts, and they were followed by Daniel Chey ’18, Matt Cosentino ’18, Tim Harris ’17, and a surging John Rao ’17, who has been getting better and better every week. While the boys did not have much of a chance against the deep and motivated Kent squad, who were racing in front of a home crowd during their Parents’ Weekend, the Martlets handled the Scarlet Knights easily for their second win of the season. 

The girls lost to Kent by a razor-thin 29-27 margin on Saturday, as the squad found itself thin due to illness and testing but raced hard and with heart on a tough course. Pulling far out ahead of the Lions, Oumou Kanoute '17 and Abigayle Hovey '18 finished 1-2 in the race. Sarah Minella '17 put in an excellent effort to finish third for the Martlets. She held off a pressing Kent runner to take sixth place overall. Minella gets stronger every week, and her gritty performance in the race proved her physical and mental toughness. The Lions took the next two spots before Katherine Ogden '16 crossed the finish. Ogden was sick all week but pulled things together to compete in this race. Another Lion slipped by, clinching the win for Kent before Nicole Fox '16 followed twenty seconds later. Fox did a great job picking off runners in the last 3/4 of a mile but couldn't catch this last one. Maggie Chaves '19 and Ashlyn Chin '16 rounded out the gritty effort by the Martlets. Despite the close loss, the Westminster runners should be proud of themselves. The hard work of these girls is paying off as they continue to improve every week.

Westminster’s Second Girls’ Soccer team had a great week, winning both if its games over strong competition. On Wednesday, the Martlets went down early against the Hotchkiss Bearcats but fought back to earn a 3-1 win. At halftime, the Bearcats held a slight 1-0 lead, but Westminster came roaring into the second half, as Becca Gavel '18, Emily Burstein '17 and Devin Selvala '16 each put one in net to secure the victory.

The girls carried this momentum into their game on Saturday afternoon, holding Williston Northampton scoreless in a 4-0 victory at home. Once again, Selvala found the back of the net, taking a pass from Natalie Rubin '19 and knocking it in past the WNS keeper. Rubin scored one of her own a few minutes later to put Westminster up 2-0 by intermission. The second half was more of the same, as Brinley Cuddeback '17 scored to put the team up 3-0, and then WNS scored an own goal. While the offensive pressure was wreaking havoc at the top of the field, the Martlet defense shut down WNS throughout the game, closing in on 50/50 balls and pushing the ball back up the pitch. 

The Martlets pushed their record to 3-0 with a 20-3 victory over Kingswood Oxford on Wednesday afternoon. Westminster started the scoring with a touchdown in the first quarter, but the boys went into halftime with a tenuous 6-3 lead. The Martlet offense took off in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points, while the defense held the Wyvern offense at bay. Brandon Williams '18, Jagger LeClair '18 and Mike Riberdy '18 scored touchdowns on the day, aided by great play on the O-line from Matt Quinn19 and Jack Feingold '18. On defense, Joe Patrina '18, Ian Broadbent '18 and Anton Gonzalez '18 played tough, smart football. 

The young Martlet squad continued to show improvement last week, winning two out of three games, both against Taft. The girls exhibited great passing and ball control throughout the game on Wednesday to win 6-2. Martlet Fifth Formers led the way in the first half, with solid play from Annie Hicks '17, Nikki Armour '17, Captain Sophia Tawney '17 and Malika Baymuradova '17. Indira Marzbani '18 and Kate Lovas '18 both netted two goals for the birds, while Kaitlyn Eddy '19 and Nikki Armour '17 scored as well. In a great moment, Gabi Drumm '19 helped to carry an injured Taft player off the field.

The teams clashed again on Saturday, and Westminster once again captured a victory, this time by a score of 7-2. The black and gold took control of the game early, holding a 6-0 lead at the half. Goal scorers in the game were Drumm (2), Clea Guerrand-Hermes '19 (2), Eddy, Klaudia Khegay '19 and Marzbani. Guerrand-Hermes is playing incredible soccer at this point in the year, with two goals on Saturday and tremendous tenacity in the field. In addition, Drumm has stepped up to play every position this season and was still able to score two goals in Saturday’s game. Westminster will need to capitalize on this momentum heading into matchups against Hotchkiss, Suffield and Miss Porters' over the next two weeks.