Martlets Get a W on the Road

The Martlets traveled to Berkshire on another gorgeous fall afternoon with several other Westminster teams to take on a relentless Berkshire squad. The visitors got off to a quick start when Liv Fernandez ’23 carried the ball all the way down the left sideline and tucked it into the side of the net just a minute and a half into the contest. Berkshire quickly answered thirty seconds later when one of their speedy forwards jumped a transfer and made the most of her chance in front of the net. This fast start set the tone for a high scoring, back and forth affair. Westminster began to dominate the possession, however ran into a talented Berkshire keeper who seemed to be stopping it all, accounting for over 20 saves on the day. Olivia Gordon ’24 made an exceptional effort to put the Martlets back in the lead, hunting down a rebound and making sure it got over the line after the Berkshire keeper stopped three in tight shots in a row. Fernandez found the back of the net again in the second half to give Westminster a 3-1 lead. Westminster continued to hold possession in the attacking end, however Berkshire’s defense held strong and their speedy forwards made the most of quick transitions, capitalizing on a fast break when the Martlet midfield got too deep into the attacking circle and scoring with under a minute left in the third quarter to set an exciting scene for the final fifteen minute frame. Westminster wanted to shut the door on the Bears and thought they did just that when Mckenzie Bloom ’23 carried the ball through several defenders and made one last impressive move before firing a shot from the top of the circle that found its way all the way to the back of the net to put Westminster back up by two. Berkshire did not go away however, and the Bears got on the board once again after a breakdown in the midfield with four and a half minutes to play. Westminster battled it out until the end and took care of the final minutes in order to take home a well-deserved win against a talented and gritty Berkshire opponent. Sydney Courtmanche ’24 did a great job stepping into the midfield today and Sophia Peterson ’24, Talia Ondy ’25, and Margee Mahoney ’24 stepped up and played key roles in allowing the Martlets to compete for a full sixty minutes. The Martlets are excited to have a week of practice in order to rest, fine tune some things, and enjoy competing against one another before they make a trip to Governor’s Academy for one final regular season matchup.