Fall Sports Highlights 10.7.19

The Martlets had a banner day on KO’s home course. The spectacular fall weather and fast course — a combination of flat roads and wide trails – contributed to some excellent performances and multiple lifetime bests for the runners. Westminster narrowly lost to Williston Northampton but defeated Kingswood Oxford with a perfect score (15-45). Annabelle Smith ‘21 ran her fastest time ever (20:16) to place second overall behind Williston’s top runner. Laura Mittelman ‘20 also ran a lifetime PR (21:45) to secure a top-five finish, and captain Miranda Douglass ‘21 was close behind in sixth place (22:04). Fellow captains Olivia Goldstuck ‘21 (22:47) and Bethany Winters ‘20 (23:22) rounded out the top 10 finishers, guaranteeing a tight race against the Williston Wildcats (23-32). Bella Tawney ‘22 and Janessa Yan ‘22 both ran lifetime bests (23:53 and 25:34, respectively) as the Martlets’ sixth and seventh place finishers. Simone Routledge ‘23 (31:06) had her best race of the season so far and was followed closely by Alice Liu ‘23; both novice runners have been steady contributors to the team’s performance this season. Taylor Hill ‘22 and Hope Zimmerman ‘21 finished together after running 3.1 miles – matched stride-for-stride – to round out the Westminster runners.

The Martlets made the short trip to Farmington on a very heavy and hot day. Westminster scored five in the first half and three in the second. A nice range of goals came from corners and open play. Miss Porter’s had a strong defensive game and its goalkeeper did a great job with 16 saves. Congratulations to all goal scorers, but special congrats to captain Megan Rittenhouse '20 who scored her first goal for Westminster from attacking-mid after three years as our starting right back. Goal scorers first half: Sam DeLeo '21 (1), Mckenzie Bloom '23 (3), Rittenhouse (1). Assists first half: Claire Taylor '21 (1), Bennett Ghriskey '22 (2), Rittenhouse (1). Goal scorers second half: DeLeo (1), Casey Winslow '21 (2). Assists first half: Bloom (1), Taylor (1).

 

The Martlets pushed hard right from minute one, scoring four goals in the first half and conceding one. A further three nice finishes rounded off a strong outing for Westminster. This was a good challenge, and both coaches and watchers were proud of the focus and application shown by the whole team. Goal scorers first half: Mckenzie Bloom '23 (2); Gemma Green '21 (1); Megan Rittenhouse '20 (1) Assists first half: Claire Taylor '21 (3); Gemma Green '21 (1). Goal scorers second half: Mckenzie Bloom '23 (1); Gemma Green '21 (1); Claire Taylor '21 (1). Assists second half: Megan Rittenhouse '20 (1); Claire Taylor '21 (1); Gemma Green '21 (1); Betsy Winslow '21 (1).

 

Westminster continued the momentum from its Sept. 28 win and shut out a determined Miss Porter’s team. While Westminster kept the ball in the offensive zone for most of the first half, the Martlets weren’t able to capitalize on close opportunities inside the circle. With two minutes to go in the half, Liv Fernandez '23 found the back of the cage. A minute later, Halli Keenan '21 tipped a ball from Simonne Ponce '21 to end the half ahead by two. Westminster would go on to score five goals in the second half and play great team offense after a few halftime adjustments. Fernandez led the way on offensive with a hat trick, while Keenan notched two of her own.

 

Two first half goals propelled the Martlets to victory on a beautiful fall day. Loomis was a competitive opponent that forced the defense to play as a unit and the offense to be smart with the ball to maintain possession. Westminster controlled the momentum of the first half, finally getting on the board with under 10 minutes to go on a shot from Halli Keenan ‘21. Minutes later, Elle Dorrian ‘22 added another tally for the Martlets. Loomis came out strong in the second half but the Martlets were able to hold their own for the victory.

 

Westminster took the short ride over to Suffield Academy to take on a strong squad. Both teams came out and exchanged blows early on which set the tone for what would be a very physical game. Boniface Fatohou '23 would get the visitors on the board early with a well place hit from a distance to beat the diving Suffield keeper midway through the first half. Westminster would get another one before the half when Dylan Holley '20 would hammer home a rebound of a free kick from Percival Sibanda '20. Suffield would come out hard and press early on in the second half and score just over 10 minutes in. Both teams played extremely hard and left it all on the field. The Martlets were able to hang on and get the big win on the road. Lucas Wahlberg '21 had a strong game in net with eight saves.

 

Westminster came out on a perfect day for soccer and had a great first half of possession but could not break through the Kingswood backline. Kingswood played a couple of longball counter attacks that caught the Martlets backline off guard that resulted in prime scoring opportunities.

 

First Girls’ Soccer worked hard against a solid Canterbury squad at home. The Martlets came out strong by putting one in the back of the net. Defender Cammi Ahern ‘22 cleared the ball out of the Westminster defensive half to find Jillian Gregorski ‘23 in the midfield. Gregorski then sent the ball down the middle to Eliza Roach ‘21 who put it past the very talented Saints keeper six minutes into the game. Canterbury responded three more times that half and put the home team in a tough spot, needing to climb back in the final 40 minutes. There were multiple opportunities for the Martlets in the second half, but Canterbury held on, putting one more in with 10 minutes left in play, to win 4-1.

The Westminster boys struggled through some key injuries to a heavy defeat to Williston Northampton. Despite the score line, Will Mell '21 had his best game of the season in goal. Mell made a number of athletic saves and commanded his box well. He should judge his performance from the quality of his saves and not the scoreboard. Westminster did threaten the opposition goal regularly, but were denied by some fine goal keeping. Peter Miller '22 was extremely active and energetic in attack. Miller improved on his decision making and made some excellent runs through the defensive lines. He showed his team ethic by dropping deep to help on defense. Colin Pogue '23 has been brilliant in practice this week and earned his first start of the season. Pogue works hard whenever he is called upon and has made great strides in all sides of his game.

 

Second Boys' Soccer put on an exciting display of soccer against a mature Kingswood Oxford team. The score line hides the quantity of excellent saves the Kingswood keeper was forced to make against an increasingly potent Westminster forward line. Peter Miller '22 is increasingly more efficient in front of the goal and produced several athletic saves. More important is his movement off the ball and work rate. Miller uses the ball smartly when in possession, and his industry creates a number of dangerous opportunities during a match. Colin Pogue '23 was a late addition to the starting line and added another composed and steely display to his game record. Pogue is still learning the game but the coaches can always depend on him to offer his absolute best, grinning all along. He always finds a way to get the ball and is quickly offering competition to the starting fullbacks. The midfield trio of Tommy Cramer '23, Christian Yalda '22 and Tunji Osho-Williams '21 continues to improve their handling of the game and granted the team a better platform to work from. Cramer is assured in possession and keeps far more balls alive than he should; Yalda is energetic and never gives up in a fight for the ball; Osho-Williams is free to roam, either closing down an imminent threat or making a rampaging run through the lines. A special mention is reserved for Adam Cerny '21 who supports so much of the good work the team produces, either making runs into space and providing for his strike partners, or making the decisive pass from the midfield to start a fresh attack. Cerny has played in almost every position on the field and always finds a way to excel.

 

Against a skillful and well-organized Porter’s side, the Martlets had to settle for a scoreless draw in Farmington. The Daisies did a good job of possessing the ball, but for the most part it didn't lead to significant threats on goal. The Martlets were more potent in counterattacking mode, especially in the second half when the heat began to show its effect on both sides. On the day, the Martlets outshot the Daisies 19-7, with Susie Mahoney '20 creating particular havoc on numerous occasions. Several times she got behind the defense, and she nearly scored the game winner in the 70th minute on a shot that went off the near post and rolled across the goal mouth, missing the far post by only a foot. The defense was strong as always, and the shoutout goes to Laura Velez '20 for her play in central midfield.

 

Third Boys’ Soccer received a moderate test Oct. 2 when the team played against Taft in Watertown. The home team struck first on a misplayed ball in the box, but the Martlets soared back as Danny Judge '22, off a feed from Darion Benchich '20, out-hustled the Rhinos' defense to put Westminster on the board. Benchich wasn't finished as he would keep rolling out assists to Finn Gerry '20 and Will Murphy '21. The latter's goal was his first of the season. Gerry would strike twice, the first time on an uncanny header — not unlike one against Pomfret Sept. 28 — from the foot of Owen Kaplan '22. Kaplan put together another excellent defensive performance. Taft responded late in the second half on a penalty kick but could not match the Martlets' gritty-yet-surprisingly-graceful play. Adding another goal was Will Mazzaro '21, who would not be denied during a scrum in front of the goal. Keeper Theo Vandervoorn '20 strung together eight saves, which included a diving stop on Taft's first penalty try. Travis "Old Man" Paulsen '20, returning from injury, played smart, sound soccer and was a welcomed presence on the bench. Goals: Danny Judge '22 (1), Finn Gerry '20 (2), Will Mazzaro '21 (1), and Will Murphy '21 (1). Assists: Darion Benchich '20 (3) and Owen Kaplan '22 (1).

 

In an epic rematch, Westminster suffered its first loss of the season. Both teams sprinted out of the gates as they played a possession-heavy game. To the bystander, it must have looked like a serious Third Boys' Soccer match, which it certainly was. A couple misplayed balls by the Martlets led to two Loomis goals. The home team, however, would not fall easily. Jack Wainwright '22 drilled a ball from outside the box into the top corner of the net, the first goal of his young Westminster career. Danny Judge '22 also scored as he blasted a beautifully-placed ball past the Loomis keeper. With the score tied and time running out, Loomis was granted a free kick just outside the Westminster box. The Martlets failed to set up a suitable wall and, as their keeper was also out of position, Loomis lobbed one easily into the net, ensuring the tight upset. The Martlets received other notable performances from utility player Travis Paulsen '20, forward Ben Ferrell '21 and fullback Alex Tonioni '22.

 

 

 

Westminster started slow, but the second half of this match was a much better showing, and it was something to build upon for the games coming ahead. Speed and endurance continue to be important, and the small details continue to come. Keegan Bankoff ’22 came up with around 18 saves in this contest, and he continues to be a huge impact player for this young group. Hunter Hoogkamp ‘21 sailed in a beauty of a goal squeezing the ball into the top corner early in the second half. He also added two others during the match. Carter Henshaw ‘20, Layton Harmon ‘21 and Jeremy Hopsicker ‘22 added to the total, and the Martlets tallied six on the day. This was a rough game, both teams could have used a few more exclusion fouls to keep the tenor of the game in check. Hotchkiss has a few players with four years of water polo experience, and that continues to be the difference in matches.

 

It was a big game for the Black & Gold versus Wilbraham and Monson Academy Oct. 5. Determination and resilience were the name of the game early on, but in the second half, the Martlets began to execute in both even and odd man situations, capitalizing on good transitions and taking advantage of Wilbraham’s offensive-minded game. The game was physical, but the Martlets stood strong and kept their composure. They displayed improved ball management and evolving situational awareness. Westminster also has a few goal scorers, and hopefully this game will help the team understand how important it is to advance up the pool as a team in order to create opportunities off movement in the offensive half-court. Down 4-1 at the end of the first quarter, Wilbraham had the momentum. Westminster had a few opportunities in the first quarter, but shots were direct and from outside 5 meters. Shooting on the deep end in the second quarter, Westminster rallied as a team, and created opportunities inside the five-meter. With six goals in the second, the momentum swing was clear. With only one quality opportunity in the third quarter, the score held at 8-5 heading into the fourth quarter — still anyone’s game. Westminster earned five goals in the fourth quarter. More importantly, they limited turnovers and played as a team. Wilbraham continued to press, but Keegan Bankoff ‘22 shut down any opportunities it had. It was his work in the third quarter that made an enormous difference in the game. Wilbraham had some excellent opportunities inside the five meter and Bankoff came up huge by knocking down some shots and quarterbacking the transition. Layton Harmon ’21, Max Larock ’22, Jeremy Hopsicker ’22, Hunter Hoogkamp ’21, Rich Mugler ’22 and Kellen Seeley ’22 all contributed with goals in the Martlets’ first win on the season. It was a great effort from a great group of players who continue to work hard to learn a challenging game.