Martlets Fall on the Road

After earning the 7th seed in the NEPSAC Class A tournament, Westminster traveled to 2nd seed Philips Andover to take on the defending champions. The Martlets got off the bus and came out flying, earning several offensive possessions in the opening minutes that led to penalty corners. Despite the offensive outburst leading to several chances in the attacking circle, Westminster could not break through Andovers defense. Amelia Molin ‘23 played an outstanding first half in her final Westminster field hockey game, owning the transition in the midfield and coming up with several interceptions. Westminster continued a strong passing game for the rest of the half and confidently stepped to balls to disrupt any Andover attempts to find the cage. Cassie Goundrey ‘24 made a huge diving stop in the second quarter on a penalty corner to keep the score knotted at 0-0 heading into halftime. After the break, Andover began to hold more of the midfield possession, however the Martlets played their best defense of the season, disrupting all plays reaching the circle. Dylan Bloom ‘23, Margaret Dilks ‘24 and Ava Lunch ‘23 teamed up in the backfield to shut down the explosive Andover attack. After back and forth play in the midfield, Andover took off on a fast break with just over a minute left that looked to break the tie, however Sydney Courtmanche ‘24 made an incredible effort to sprint back and make a defensive save as the ball was crossing the goal line. Andover earned a penalty corner on the clear attempt and despite several stops in front, Andover found a loose ball in front and found the touch they needed to just get the ball over the line to bring a 1-0 lead into the final 15-minute frame. Westminster continued to press and made some adjustments on the field to find more offensive options. Olivia Gordon ‘24 did a phenomenal job working tirelessly in the midfield to start the transition to attack and Allysen Whitehead ‘25 and Liv Fernandez ‘24 pushed the play on the left side of the field to earn the chances the Martlets were looking for. After pushing the play up field with several extra attackers on, an Andover transition  through the midfield led to another penalty corner and they capitalized on a deflection in front to add to their lead with just three minutes to play. The Martlets did not give up, however the time expired on their season as they left it all out on the field. This was an outstanding field hockey game by both sides and Westminster is exceptionally proud of how they finished the season playing at their highest level. A huge thank you to Sixth Formers Dylan Bloom, McKenzie Bloom, Ava Lynch, Olivia Fernandez, Emma Budke, and Amelia Molin for all they have given to the program during their years at Westminster. A final thank you to all of the parents and fans that have supported the Martlets all season - we could not do it without you!