Martlets Get Win No.15

This Wednesday, the Martlets hosted the Tigers of Thayer Academy in the first round of the NEPSAC Class A tournament. With plenty of grit and grace, the Martlets took home the W today in a 3-0 win. Supported by their fellow Martlets who came to cheer on their peers, the team was energized right from the start. The first half was a good battle between the Tigers and the Martlets. Throughout the first 40, Westminster had some solid opportunities on net and behind the backline but were unable to finish. The Tigers put up a good fight, were gritty in their attack, and also had some dangerous chances. The teams went into halftime tied 0-0. Despite their good efforts, the Martlets needed to focus on playing their game and entered the second half knowing they needed to get the job done. Off of the first play of the game, and within 15 seconds, the Martlets were able to finally get a point on the board. Mia Fluckiger ‘26 passed the ball back to Haley Cramer ‘24 on the kick-off, and Cramer played a tremendous ball over the top to Catherine Graves ‘24. Off of a touch from a Thayer defender, Graves took a one-touch rocket strike far outside the 18-yard box. The ball sailed over the hands of the keeper, and into the top right corner of the net for the first goal of the match. Less than thirty seconds later, Kalilah Akbar ‘23 threw the ball into Jillian Gregorski ‘24. Gregorski was quick to receive the ball, turn on a Thayer defender in the box, dribble toward the goal, and place a crisp ball into the back of the net. These two goals fueled the fire the Martlets already had going and allowed them to continue the fight against the Thayer Tigers for the remaining 40. With 20 minutes left on the clock, the Martlets were able to get their third goal. After winning the ball in the defensive third, Gregorski played the ball up the field to Fluckiger. At the half field, Fluckiger won the ball, dribbled up the field, and dribbled inward. Picking her head up, she then played Elysse Cumberland ‘24 who dribbled into the box and scored! With this win, the Martlets are now 15-2 on the season and will advance to the NEPSAC Class A Semifinals. The team looks forward to playing against the Wild Boars of Choate this upcoming Saturday.