Martlets Defeat Choate on the Road

Westminster hit the road for the second time in 24 hours to take on Founders’ League foe Choate. The Martlets knew this would be a tight matchup from the start as Choate was athletic, skilled, and determined to compete all over the field. Choate started strong, connecting on passes early and putting the Westminster defense on their heels a bit. The Martlets had to defend several penalty corners early on, and Cassie Goundrey ‘24 was stellar in net all afternoon. With 3:27 left in the first quarter, the Wild Boars gained possession in the circle after a defensive miscommunication and sent the ball to the back of the net to earn the early lead. Despite falling behind, the Martlets showed a burst of energy before the end of the quarter and Allysen Whitehead knotted the score at 1-1 when she received a pass from Hadley Crowther ‘25 and sent an impressive reverse chip from the top of the circle to the back of the Choate net. The second quarter saw more back and forth play, but the Martlets looked more organized in the backfield and were defending with more urgency in the midfield. At halftime, Westminster looked to make a few slight adjustments, but mostly wanted to stay focused and organized on the field defensively, and keep sending shots to net on the talented Choate keeper. In the third quarter, Westminster was awarded a penalty stroke after Olivia Gordon ‘24 worked her way into the circle and attempted several times to get the ball past the Choate goalie who was sprawled out on the turf. Whitehead stepped up to take the stroke for the Martlets and set the ball flying into the net to give the Martlets their first lead of the afternoon with 9:43 left in the third quarter. Westminster knew Choate would have a response and the defensive unit led by Goundrey stood tall in the backfield to deny several attempts to tie the game. In the fourth quarter, Sydney Courtmanche gave the Martlets some breathing room when she sent a hard shot to the back of the net with 10:51 remaining in the game. Just a few minutes later with 6:31 on the clock, Westminster earned another penalty corner and Crowther deflected a shot that Lily Vincent ‘25 sent to cage after she and Allysen Whitehead ‘25 completed a beautiful passing play at the top of the circle. The Martlets held on late in the game after Choate gave everything they had looking to close the gap. Goundrey needed to make a few more impressive saves to hold off the Wild Boars, earning herself the player of the game hat! Westminster will return to action on Wednesday at Miss Porters.