Spring Sports Highlights 4.29.19

On a beautiful day for golf at Hop Meadow Country Club, the Seconds hosted Founders League rivals Avon Old Farms and Loomis Chaffee. Led by medalist Carson Roth '19 with a 38, the Martlets posted a disappointing 215 total score. The talented Avon side was four strokes better at 211 and bested the home team in a tight match. The Black and Gold defeated Loomis for the second time this season, as the visitors from Windsor came in at 245. Other Martlet scorers were Newt Cutler '22 and Darion Benchich '20, both with 43s, David Harris '21 with a 44, and Vincent van Nordeck '21 and Will Scott '20 with 47s.

First Girls' Lacrosse hosted Kingswood Oxford during the pouring rain April 22 on Hovey Field. The wet conditions made for some sloppy play on both sides, but the Martlets pulled it together for a decisive 18-4 victory on their home turf. The Martlets won the first draw and scored the first goal and really never looked back. Westminster won almost all of the draws thanks to captain Blake Cote '19 and Georgia Nolan '20 on the circle. Westminster had nine different goal scorers (Jill Parsons '19, Nolan, Sam DeLeo '21, Shannon Keefe '19, Casey Winslow '21, Betsy Winslow '21, Ridgely Green '20, Ali Hatfield '20 and Cote), and eight of those goals were assisted from seven different players. This was a true team win with solid play end to end thanks to solid defensive play as well, keeping the score low for the visiting team.

 

The Martlets turned in a fantastic game to beat the visiting Rhinos from Taft 11-10 in overtime April 24 on Hovey Field. Westminster found itself down three goals right off the bat thanks to a quick ones from Taft, but the team found its groove and inched back to make it a tight game, trailing only by two at halftime, 6-8. Westminster then turned it on, winning draws, coming up with great caused turnovers on defense, and placing beautiful shots to go on a four-goal run with 16 minutes left in the second half. Taft then had a four-goal run to tie it up with under four minutes left. With solid stops by defender Jenny Guider '20 and goalie Ellie Bailey '21 in the last seconds of regulation, the Martlets and the Rhinos headed into the sudden death overtime. Westminster found a way to win the draw thanks to captain Blake Cote '19. After a couple of seconds of possession to compose themselves in this epic battle, the Martlets looked to goal and Sam DeLeo '21 found the back of the net to solidify the 11-10 overtime win. Goal scorers for the Martlets were Jill Parsons '19 (1), DeLeo (2), Shannon Keefe '19 (3), Ridgely Green '20 (3) and Cote (2). Assists came from four different players. Meg Rittenhouse '20 was tremendous on defense with ground balls and Georgia Nolan '20 was essential in the midfield winning draws and ground balls for the home team. All Martlets, however, contributed to this team win.

 

Westminster First Girls' Lacrosse hosted the talented Doors of Deerfield April 27 on Hovey Field. It was a special afternoon for both teams as they competed for the First LBC Bowl. The LBC Bowl honors and remembers Lindsay Bugbee Crosby (1985 - 2018). Lindsay, or Coach Crosby, was a coach, mentor and dear friend of both Deerfield Academy (2013-2015) and Westminster School (2015-2018). To honor Lindsay and her love for competition, lacrosse and her meaningful impact on both school communities and lacrosse programs, Westminster and Deerfield lacrosse play for the LBC Bowl each spring. In the first ever LBC Bowl game, Deerfield took control of the game from the start, scoring 12 goals in the first half to Westminster's one. The draw was the key in Deerfield's strong start, but the Martlets played with heart and hung in there to get some great shots on goal, only to come up unlucky by hitting the post three times in the first half. After the halftime intermission, with the desire to compete, play for something bigger than themselves and finish the game, Westminster came back stronger than ever, outscoring its opponent 5-2 to win the second half. Sam DeLeo '21 led the squad with six ground balls and, thanks to goals from captain Blake Cote '19 (two), Jenny Guider '20, Georgia Nolan '20 and captain Georgia Swank '19, the Martlets put it together to lessen the deficit and play with intensity until the final whistle. Both Westminster and Deerfield played for something larger than themselves on Hovey Field this afternoon, establishing a special tradition in honor of Lindsay Crosby who loved the game of lacrosse and the teams she coached.

Taft.

 

Despite rainy conditions, Westminster prevailed against a feisty Kingswood Oxford team. The Martlets found success quickly in the opening seconds of the game with a beautiful feed from Caroline McDermott '20 to Celia Sotirhos '21 who found the back of the net. Kingswood was quick to tie things up before both teams battled back and forth to end the first half with a score of 5-3, with the Martlets on top. Westminster was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 10 goals and only allowing two. Campbell Swift '21 had three beautiful interceptions and Rachel Ha '21 had eight saves. Margaret Kennedy '22 and Lindsey Valenti '22 both had standout performances for the Martlets, scoring four goals apiece.

 

Taft came out flying, scoring four unanswered goals in the first 10 minutes of play, leaving Westminster on its heels. The Martlets found their momentum and scored three unanswered goals. However, the Rhinos quickly found the back of the net three additional times to end the half 7-3, advantage to the Rhinos. Westminster set the pace in the second half. Defense adjusted to speedy Taft attackers and Westminster attack found success in its settled and fast break offense. With 10 minutes to go and down 11-5, Westminster turned on the jets, putting away four goals before the end of regulation. Margaret Kennedy '22 led the way for attack with four goals and set the pace both offensively and defensively. Lucy Jones '21 and Jane Ogden '19 set the tone defensively with its vocal contributions and grit on ground balls. Rachel Ha '21 had a solid game in net with five saves.

 

Westminster started off the game strong, with two quick goals in the opening minutes of play. However, the Martlets were not able to hold up against Deerfield's strong attacking efforts. Deerfield scored seven goals in the first half. While the Martlets were able to score three additional goals in the second half, Deerfield scored eight more to win the game. Rachel Ha '21 was fearless in net, with five great stops against talented Deerfield shooters.

 

On a sunny day in Simsbury, the crosstown rival of Avon Old Farms rolled in for a rematch of an earlier contest this season. During the first half was an evenly-matched contest, with the Winged Beavers leading the Martlets by only one or two goals. As the second half began, the Martlets began to falter and committed too many mistakes. Eight second half penalties allowed Avon to dominate offensive play and allowed no time for Westminster to counter. The Westminster goal scorers were Daniel Pinckney '20, Kellen Seeley '22, Baker Morton '22 and Theo Vandervoorn '20 (two goals).

 

 

Third Boys’ Lacrosse traveled to Avon in what was the second of a three-game season series. After beating Avon handily in their first game of the season, the Martlets came out uncharacteristically slow in the first of four hard-fought quarters. Up 3-2 at the half, Avon brought the score even after Westminster took a series of bad penalties, and the two teams went into the fourth deadlocked at 4-4. Two more Avon goals had the boys fighting from behind until the very last minute, when Alex Tonioni '22, the day's game ball winner, brought the team within one with 12 seconds left on the clock. An ensuing faceoff win by Tonioni saw a fast break pass that caromed off a Martlet stick as time expired. Juan Jo Garibay '20 played another solid game in net.  

 

The boys of Thirds Lacrosse took on Eaglebrook on a cold and wet afternoon. Scoring early on, the Martlets never took their foot off the gas and were able to fight off a skilled Eaglebrook face-off man, and quite a few second half penalties, with a strong defensive effort all game long. Outstanding play came from Hunter Hoogkamp '21, who ran some LSM as well as AJ Paladino '21, who put together one of the nicest fast break assists the team has seen all year, setting up Jack Kelly '22 for a crease finish. Jack Luppino '21 played a solid LSM and Juan Jo Garibay '20 put together his first career shutout. While he wasn't ultimately able to put one in, the game ball went to Max Hong '22 for numerous strong takes to the goal.

 

 

With a few girls struggling with bad colds and an always competitive Taft team on the agenda, the Martlets knew they were going to have their hands full. Led by strong performances by the Sixth Formers and captains, it took a good deal of grit to pull out the 5-4 win. The Black and Gold were able to get an advantage in the doubles, winning at No. 2, Lauren Way '20 and Alex Wolf '19, and No. 3, Olivia Zhang '20 and Diana Tsibikova '21. Both teams shot out to a strong start and were up 6-1 before their Rhino opponents dug in and closed the gap, threatening to pull ahead. The Martlets hung tough, however, and both teams won 8-6. In singles, Clara Ekholm '20 looked strong at No. 4 singles and controlled play throughout her match, winning 8-4. After losing at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 and No. 5 singles, the overall match came down to singles at the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 positions. Feeling under the weather, Way was unable to turn the tide against her opponent and lost 8-5. So the match came down to the two Sixth Formers, Maggie Chaves and Wolf. Despite coughing between points, and sometimes during points, Wolf managed to get a good lead on her opponent, and after a long final game that went to deuce many, many times, achieved the 8-4 win. Chaves battled back and forth with her opponent but also pulled ahead in the middle of the match and slammed the door with an 8-4 victory. These two players showed great determination under pressure to secure their matches and get the team to five wins. In addition, Sasha van Vredenburch '21 won her exhibition singles match 8-3.

 

 

Westminster traveled to Easthampton, Mass. and came away on the short end of a 6-1 decision. There were a few notable highlights: the first doubles team of Azat Mukhametkulov '19 and Carl Ekholm '19 played magnificent tennis and earned a solid 8-6 decision, and Ethan Na '19 won his match 6-2, 6-4 against an opponent to whom he lost last year at No. 2 singles. Scoobi Wilson '19 took the first set from his opponent at No. 5 singles but could not close out the match.

 

Second Girls’ Tennis played well despite the rapidly changing weather. Jane Burke '21, Miranda Douglass '21 and the doubles team of Annabel Bradley '19 and Lara Connor '22 all managed to win their match before the rest were called off due to inclement weather.

 

With a steady breeze and shining sun, the team took to the courts for doubles to start the day at 2:30. Matt Lewin '20 and Jake Monroe '20 were competitive as were Mac Dye '20 and Charlie Crowther '21, all winning four games. After Taft swept the doubles point, the team spread out for singles, playing eight game pro-sets. Lewin and Crowther battled well, with Crowther having many long rallies. When his first serve went in, he was particularly effective, staying on serve until 4-5. Grand Tantichot '22 managed to win five games in an exhibition match. The team highlight was provided by Monroe who, by his own account, "dismantled" his opponent.

 

Canterbury arrived early for the match on a windy day which alternated sun and rain. Fortunately, the rain was light and the wind kept the playing surfaces dry. The Westminster boys took the doubles point winning 24 games and allowing only three. In singles, Jacob Monroe '20 and Matt Lewin '20 were first off making quick work of their respective opponents. John Clofine '21 shut his opponent out in both singles and doubles. Mac Dye '20 won six straight games after double faulting early. Eddie Shin '21 took a four-game lead and then held on for the win using precision and patience to wear his opponent down. Charlie Crowther '21 found himself down 1-2 against a player who came to net often. Crowther came up with a plan to hit higher lobs and to favor precision over power on his passing shots. The adjustments paid off and he won seven straight games to close out his match. Third Formers Will Warner, Peter Barrett and Grand Tantichot all competed in exhibition matches.

 

After a rainy Monday postponed the match, the Martlets traveled to West Hartford on a dry and sunny Tuesday afternoon. The epic match of the day was played by Kristina Oganyan '22 and No. 1 singles. The two opponents were evenly matched and although Oganyan lost 7-9, she played well and is improving every game. The two wins for the day came at Nos. 3 and 6 doubles. Annie Brewer '21 and Alex Buerck '21 won handily, as did Lizzy McCoy '20 and Chloe Ferro '20. Playing No. 2 singles for the first time was Sofia Daniele '22 who played a great match but also lost by just two games. Similarly, No. 1 doubles team of Izzy Bailey '21 and Olivia Olney '22 was a hard-fought battle, with lots of games going to deuce. Unfortunately for the Martlets, the eight-game pro set was being played no ad, and the last point didn't always fall in the Martlets favor. This was true for the No. 2 doubles team of Sofia Raymond '19 and Lily Carrel '19. Rounding out the remaining very close matches were Jessie Kwon '21 and Mairead DeFronzo '20 at No. 4 doubles, Siena Holowesko '21 and Christina Zahringer '20 at No. 5 doubles, and Elena McGuigan '21 and Shui Se Phoe '21 at No. 7 doubles. All of the matches were fun to watch and everyone's tennis game is coming along nicely.

 

April 27: Tennis - Third Boys’ 0 vs Taft School 9
On a cold rainy Saturday, the Martlets squared off against a solid Taft team. They played three doubles matches and six singles. Even though the Martlets didn't win any matches, there were certainly a hand full of close sets. Lukas Dudzik '19, Ben Huisman '20, Will Gilson '20, Alex Paro '19 and Ian Shane '20 all played hard throughout the day.

Despite windy and cold conditions, the Martlets came to compete April 27. Dylan Foster '20 led the scorers on the day followed very closely by Bella Tawney '22 and Claire Taylor '21. Foster won both the long jump and 200m and ran the lead leg of the winning 4x100m relay team. Tawney and Taylor were both members of that relay team as well. Additionally, Tawney won the javelin and competed on the winning 4x400m relay team. Taylor joined her on that relay as well. She also won the pole vault with a personal best vault of 8 feet and placed second in the triple jump. The final member of that winning 4x400m relay team was Sam de Kanter '22 who also placed third in her first-ever running of the 300m hurdles. Solveig Nycander '20 won the 800m, followed by Hannah Schuler '22 in second, and placed second in the 1500m, followed by Laura Mittelman '20 in third. Captain Maya Ruffin '19 placed second and third in the shot put and discus. She was followed closely by Alisa Toner '21, who also finished second in the javelin. Molly Rubin '22 finished third in the 400m, and Alexa Dwyer ‘22, a key member of the winning 4x100m relay team, finished third in the 100m.

 

Despite windy and cold conditions, the Martlets came to compete. Sean Clarke '19 led all scorers on the day. Clarke won the 100m dash, continuing his unbeaten streak in the event, and finished second in the 200m. In the 100m, Matt Park '21 finished fourth, and in the 200m, Nate Pane '19 finished second. Pane went on to win the 400m. Captain Emmett de Kanter '19 won the 1500m and was, along with Pane, Aidan Petrie '20 and Dinh Truong '19, a member of the second place 4x400m relay team. Later in the meet, Justin Schuster '19 won the 3000m, an event where he was followed by Dylan Holley '20 in third place. In the throws, Tremaine Dawson '21 finished second in the discus just ahead of teammate Gio Hamilton '19 in fourth. Over in the javelin, Phalla Phoap '20 and Petrie took the second and third spots. High jumpers Xander Cardia '21 and Jalen Sears '19 placed second and fourth. Captain Drew Brownback '19 won the triple jump and placed second in the pole vault. David DeFronzo '19 notched a point for the team in the 1500m as did Petrie in the 400m.