Martlets Shutout by Granby

The Martlets travelled from Simsbury to neighboring Granby on a cold and blustery fall afternoon to compete against a skilled and tough Granby Bears team. Although the Bears only had one sub, they proved to be the grittier and stronger team. Westminster came out flat in the first half, struggling to stay focused and not competing as hard as they have in past games. Granby took advantage of this nonchalance and jumped out to a two goal lead, keeping the ball in the Martlet zone for almost the whole half. Keeper The Martlets hit the road for a long trip to Greenwich Academy but stepped off the bus ready to roll. The Black and Gold wasted no time making their mark, striking within the first minute of play. A driven shot from Natalie Czop ’27 was saved and deflected by the GA keeper, but Mia Fluckiger ’26 was there to bury the rebound and give Westminster an early 1–0 lead.

Greenwich responded quickly, capitalizing on a scramble in the box off a corner kick to even the score at 1–1. Halfway through the first half, a spark off the bench reignited the Martlet attack.  On her very first touch, Coslyn Bardy ’28 took a perfectly placed pass from Izzie Leone ’27 and slotted it home to reclaim the lead heading into halftime.

GA came out pressing in the second half, but Westminster’s back line held firm under pressure. The breakthrough came when Maeve Nicholas ’29 delivered a stunning strike from distance, assisted by Czop, to extend the advantage. With just over 12 minutes remaining, the Martlets sealed the deal as Bardy returned the favor,  threading a pass to Leone, who calmly finished to make it 4–1.

The Martlets have now won three straight and look to carry their momentum into Saturday’s matchup against Kingswood Oxford.

’29 was tough and aggressive in net all afternoon, keeping the Martlets in the game. Westminster bounced back in the second half, competing much harder and creating some scoring opportunities, but ultimately they had trouble getting the ball past Granby’s dominant defense and talented goalkeeper. Drew Doering ‘29, CJ Berry ‘29, and Lucas Steniger ‘29 led the Martlets with especially tough play in the midfield. Westminster will get back to work in practice and the team looks forward to another opportunity to play Granby later in the season.