Details
Fall Sports Highlights 11.11.19
Cross Country – First/Second Boys’
Nov. 9: NEPSTA Championships at Noble and Greenough
The New England Division II Championships were hosted by Nobles School this year, and as it did in 2007, the hosts made every effort to make the day a great one for the racers and spectators. After watching the girls team put on a memorable performance in their race, the boys were pumped for their final 2019 race together. Hobbled by a number of injuries and absences, the team ran hard off the line for the fast first mile. Daniel Pinckney ’20 fought hard in this fast field to achieve a career ambition of making the All-New England team; his 15th place finish, just seconds off his lifetime best, earned him that honor. The rest of the team ran well but were much further back in the field, with no other Martlet in the top 100. James Beit ’22 was only four seconds off his lifetime best and Spencer Kwan ’22 did set his lifetime best by nine seconds. In the stiff competition at this race, the loss of key runners was felt keenly, and the team finished 15th out of 16 schools, but the young runners showed tremendous growth. Pinckney also deserves kudos for all of the leadership that he has demonstrated this fall; his impact will be felt for seasons to come.
In the Second team race, Zach Burelle ’20, the team “myrrh,” went out fast and, despite a significant fall in the final mile, ran his season best 5K to lead the Martlets. Season bests were also run by Hewitt Shelton ’23, Will Warner ’22 and Alex Shao ’22. The JV boys, again without a number of runners competing, performed well, finishing 12th out of 16 schools.
Cross Country – First Girls’
Nov. 9: NEPSTA Championships at Noble and Greenough
Westminster Girls Place Third at NEPSTA Division II Cross Country Championships
The Westminster harriers claimed third place at the NEPSTA Division II Cross Country Championships Nov. 9, capping off a record-breaking season with a historic finale. The Martlets traveled to Dedham, Massachusetts, to compete in a field of 16 Division II teams. The Noble and Greenough School hosted the meet on a quintessential — albeit chilly — fall day, sending runners through trails and across fields on a mostly flat, lightly wooded course. Annabelle Smith ‘21 claimed the top spot for the Martlets and a fifth-place finish overall in a field of 114 runners, running a lifetime best time of 20:11. Miranda Douglass ‘21 finished swiftly behind her (also running a PR, 20:50) to secure an impressive 12th-place spot; both she and Smith earned All-New England honors. Laura Mittelman ‘20 finished milliseconds out of 20th place (21st), just missing All-New England’s designation but also earning a new lifetime PR (21:03). Bethany Winters ‘20 (40th) and Olivia Goldstuck ‘21 (43rd) battled through the finish line to hold off encroaching competitors. Goldstuck’s finish sealed the deal over Williston Northampton, who finished 12 points behind Westminster, 121 to 133. Bella Tawney ‘22 staved off knee pain to run within seconds of her personal best. Simone Routledge ‘23 was seventh for Westminster and rounded out the Martlets’ varsity squad.
Field Hockey - First Girls'
Nov. 9: Field Hockey - First Girls’ 1 vs. Governor's Academy 0
The Martlets played their most consistent game versus The Governor’s Academy on a very cold late-fall day. Governor's played outstanding defense with Westminster only managing four shots on goal despite lots of pressure and seven corners. It was great to see the team really pushing hard. This is the kind of gritty, confident win that the team needs going into the tournament Nov. 13. This game marks the end of the team’s regular season. With a record of 12-2 (86%), this is the best season for the Martlets for quite some time. Congratulations to the girls on this and on their Founders League title. Goal scorers first half: Gemma Green '21 (1) Assists first half: Mckenzie Bloom '23 and Claire Taylor '21.
Field Hockey - Second Girls'
Nov. 6: Field Hockey - Second Girls’ 7 vs. Pomfret School 0
Westminster ended its season with a convincing win against a feisty Pomfret. Halli Keenan '21 opened up the scoring, tipping a nice feed from Abi Moss '20. The Martlets would go on to score four more goals in the first half, led by Elle Dorrian '22 who had two. In the second half, both Chloe Ferro '20 and Callie Dermody '23 added tallies for the Martlets. Westminster celebrated its Sixth Formers — Mary Dutton, Jackie Autorino, Ferro, Moss, Ellie Suit and Kyani Jemmotte — who have been great contributors to the Second Girls’ Field Hockey team.
Soccer - First Boys'
Nov. 6: Soccer - First Boys’ 3 vs. Kent School 0
Westminster took the long ride out to the Kent School and got off to a great start. Godwin Asore '20 would knock home a crossing ball from Boniface Fatohou '23 to put the Martlets up 1-0 just 90 seconds into the game. Thinking this would be a great jolt of energy the visitors would need to play some good soccer; the first half saw some sloppy play and uncontested 50/50 balls. After regrouping at halftime Westminster would play with more of an edge and place together more possession. In the 58th minute, Fatohou would take a shot from 30 yards out that would catch the Kent keeper off balance to put the visitors up 2-0. Pushing for more, Xander Cardia '21 would find Fatohou on the backside of the six-yard box for an easy knocked-home goal. The central defense unit of John Picard '22, John Clofine '21 and Will Lynch' 20 would do a great job shutting down Kent's top player. Lucas Wahlberg '21 would finish the game with a solid six saves, most in the first half, but he was able to pull down a bunch of solid crosses throughout the game.
Nov. 9: Soccer - First Boys’ 2 vs. Brunswick School 0
On a sunny brisk afternoon Westminster would host a strong Brunswick team with a winning record. The Martlets came out playing hard for the seven Sixth Formers who knew this would be the last time they would play a game on Wilbraham Field. Boniface Fatohou '23 would open the scoring midway through the first half off a short pass from Percival Sibanda '20. The Martlets would have more chances late in the first half but were turned away by the athletic play of the Brunswick keeper. Westminster would have a number of chances early in the second but were only able to find the back of the net in the 60th minute when Fatohou would score again off a pass from Lawrence Taylor '23. Pressing late more, the Martlets were turned away again by the heroic play of the Brunswick keeper. Westminster finishes the season with a strong 8-6-2 record.
Soccer - First Girls'
Nov. 6: Soccer - First Girls’ 1 vs. Pomfret School 2
For the First Girls’ final game of the season, the team traveled east to Pomfret. The girls looked a bit sleepy the first few minutes of the game, but the bus legs wore off and they began to play their game with tremendous ball movement, possession and created chances as a result. However, two defensive lapses and poor judgement led to two Pomfret goals early in the first half that left the Martlets fighting back the rest of the game. The second half proved to be an entirely different game for the Martlets and they ramped up their energy, desire to win and overall play to battle back. Just four minutes into the second half, captain Eve Cathcart ‘20 dribbled the ball down the left sideline, cutting into the center toward the 18-yard box to beat her Pomfret defender and find the feet of Eliza Roach ‘21 just inside the box. Roach then turned to find Taylor Adams ‘20 for a beautiful one-time shot. This would ultimately be the final goal of the game, but the rest of the 35 remaining minutes in the half were completely dominated by Westminster. Specifically, Sam de Kanter ‘22, Wheatley Sutro ‘22, Morgan Pineault ‘21 and Adams had tremendous impact on the game. Although the Martlets came up short on the scoreboard, the way in which the girls ended the game is what the team will remember as their final game of the season. The 2019 season was one of tremendous progress for First Girls’ Soccer. It’s most successful in years, it was also one that brought together a group of girls who were willing to work hard for their goals and for each other. The coaches would like to thank each of them for this season and wish the six Sixth Formers luck as their high school soccer career comes to a close. Go Martlets!
Soccer - Second Boys'
Nov. 6: Soccer - Second Boys’ 3 vs. Kent School 1
Nov. 9: Soccer - Second Boys' 0 vs. Brunswick School 2
Second Boys’ Soccer contested a hard-fought match against Brunswick Nov. 9. Brunswick was limited to two goals through the efforts of the Westminster back line, who really embraced the spirit of this game and left everything on the field. The Brunswick goals came through brief lapses in concentration and highlight the danger of losing focus. The boys sustained more pressure in the second half and drew a number of fine saves from the Brunswick keeper.
Soccer - Second Girls’
Nov. 6: Soccer - Second Girls' 7 vs. Pomfret School 0
Second Girls ran its record to 8-1-2 with a 7-0 over Pomfret. On a day honoring the eight Sixth Formers, five of them scored, including Elisabeth Knauf, Lauren Way, Ridgely Green, Cecilia Raymond and — for the first time this season — Lizzy McCoy. Also finding the net for their first Westminster goals were Mather Thompson '23 and Catie McGuigan '23. Nice contributions were also made by Molly Rubin '22, who slid seamlessly into a central midfield role, and Nina Ahl '22, who had a bunch of good touches at striker.
Nov. 9: Soccer - Second Girls’ 2 vs Hopkins School 1
With a depleted side (seven players missing, including co-captain Susie Mahoney '20, whose skill and creativity were sorely missed), the Second Girls went to New Haven and brought home their ninth victory. Despite a decided advantage in terms of possession, it took 30 minutes before Alexa Dwyer '22 staked the Martlets to a 1-0 lead. She and Cecilia Raymond '20 spent a good part of the half getting behind the Hopkins D, and Dwyer eventually converted with a nice shot from the right side of the box. Raymond doubled the lead with her team-leading 12th goal of the season just two minutes into the second half, using her speed to touch the ball past a pair of defenders before steering the ball into the net. Hopkins' dangerous striker — neutralized for most of the game by Ola Szopa '20 — drew the hosts within one with a nice shot in the 68th minute, but the 2-1 score would stand. In their final games, great performances were turned in by Sixth Formers Lauren Way, who repeatedly sent beautiful balls through to set up her strikers; Szopa, who, as always, simply refused to let her mark get past her; Ridgely Green, whose energy allowed her to both disrupt many Hopkins attacks while initiating attacks of her own; Raymond, who provided a constant threat to the opposing defense; and Lizzy McCoy, who anchored the Martlet defense with her typical poise and vision. Their coach will miss the myriad contributions of these talented leaders.
Soccer - Third Boys'
Nov. 6: Soccer - Third Boys’ 5 vs. Kent School 0
On a crisp fall afternoon, Westminster overwhelmed host Kent with speed and timely finishes. Luke Holyfield '22 started the scoring with an authoritative shot to the lower right corner. He was assisted by fellow forward Danny Judge '22. The visitors' second score came on a corner kick when Judge served one up to Will Mazzaro '21 who headed it home, giving the Martlets a two-goal lead going into the half. With better ball control and containment on defense, Westminster would run away with the contest in the second half. Darion "Chich" Benchich '20 became the assist man, putting a cross right on the foot of Travis "Old Man" Paulsen '20 who nonchalantly tapped it home. Benchich then lobbed a corner kick to Daniel Lurie '22. In all the traffic, Lurie managed to somehow "steer" the ball into the net. To cap off the scoring, Ben Ferrell '21, after a nifty move through two Kent defenders, assisted Will Murphy ’21 on an easy finish near the post. Strong performances were easy to come by on this day: Oliver Frantzis '22 played solid defense, Jack Wainwright '22 cobbled together a nice performance in the midfield, Sawyer von Jess '22 out-hustled the majority, and veteran Brad Donegan '20 saved his best for last with some soccer moves no one had seen previously throughout the course of his career. Theo Vandervoorn '20 upheld the shutout in goal for the victors. Goal scorers: Luke Holyfield (1), Will Mazzaro (1), Travis Paulsen (1), Daniel Lurie (1) and Will Murphy (1). Assists: Danny Judge (2), Darion Benchich (2) and Ben Ferrell (1).
Soccer - Third Girls'
Nov. 6: Soccer - Third Girls’ 1 vs. Rumsey Hall School 2
Third Girls' Soccer dropped its final game of the season 2-1 in a very close match. In the first half, India Lalor '21 was tripped in the box, setting up a penalty kick that she rocketed into the net for the lone Westminster goal. In the second half, a Rumsey Hall striker penetrated the Westminster defense just enough to shoot one in the net for the decisive Rumsey goal. It was a great game for the three graduating Sixth Formers: Mairead DeFronzo, Brooke Nani and Caroline McDermott, who returned after missing a few weeks to play her final game on Thirds. Sasha van Vredenburch '21 also returned after injury to have a solid game, making several decisive passes to help set up the offense.
Soccer - Fourth Boys'
Nov. 6: Soccer - Fourth Boys’ 1 vs. Granby High School 2
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