Martlets Advance to New England Semis

After finishing the regular season with a 13-4 record, Westminster earned the #6 seed in the NEPSAC Class A tournament and made the trip down to Greenwich to play the #3 seed, Sacred Heart. Westminster showed up from the start, ready to prove that they not only belong in this competitive tournament, but that they are in it to win it. Sacred Heart was one of the four teams that beat the Martlets in the regular season, and you could sense Westminster’s urgency and competitive fire from the first whistle as the Martlets were excited to have another shot at this team. The first fifteen minutes saw a lot of back and forth play in the midfield as both teams settled into the pace of play. Minutes in, Sacred Heart had the first scoring chance of the day when one of their talented players ran into the circle unattested and fired a reverse shot to the cage. Cassie Goundrey ‘24 started the day with her best save of the season on that shot, going down in a split to catch the ball and redirect it wide and out. Just after that play, Olivia Gordon '24 was sent running down the field through several defenders and sprung herself on a mini breakaway, however the Sacred Heart goalie matched Goundrey’s save making an impressive one of her own. The second half welcomed more offensive chances for both teams, with Westminster capitalizing on their second corner of the day. Sydney Courtmanche ‘24 started the play by sending a ball to Lily Vincent ‘25. Vincent sent a pass to Allysen Whitehead ‘25 who kept it going to Hadley Crowther ‘25. Crowther’s shot was deflected by the goalie but sent straight to Vincent who was there to send it back to the cage and have the Martlets jumping in celebration! Minutes later, the Martlets earned another penalty corner and capitalized once again. This time it was off the stick of Talia Ondy ‘25. Ondy, positioned right in front of the goalie, deflected Gordon’s shot to the net after Gordon received the pass from Whitehead on the set play. The Martlets offense had its spark and continued to find lanes to the circle, however after that second goal it was Westminster’s team defense that shined. After regrouping at halftime, the Martlets took the field ready to continue to give it their all. Unsurprisingly, Sacred Heart pushed the pace, and the Martlets spent more time in their defensive end than they were used to. Fortunately, the Martlets were ready and showcased their best defense of the season, marking Sacred Heart players tightly, playing patient defense in the circle, and communicating effectively with one another when they needed to. Sacred Heart earned a flurry of penalty corners in the third quarter, however the defensive unit of Goundrey, Whitehead, Gordon, Crowther, and Margaret Dilks ‘24 held strong, disrupting all attempts to cage. The fourth quarter was set to be a battle, and Westminster answered every push that Sacred Heart had. A highlight of the quarter was a big defensive play with minutes left in the game. Crowther spent the afternoon chasing after Sacred Heart’s top player, who smartly cut towards a self start inside the 25 and then at the last second jumped up to take the start herself. Crowther, marking her tightly, knew she now needed to get out of the way and someone else would need to play the ball. In the heat of the moment in the final stretch of a tight game, Crowther showcased her field hockey IQ and did not play the ball, clearly backing away despite how challenging it is to watch a player walk into the circle without defending her. The surrounding Martlets communicated and stepped up appropriately without panicking, making the stop denying Sacred Heart a shot attempt or a corner, and cleared the ball from the circle. It was that focus, patience, and commitment to team defense that sealed the deal for the Martlets and sent them to the semi-finals! The Player of the Game hat could have gone to every player, but today was awarded to Goundrey and Dilks for their outstanding performances in the defensive end to lead the Martlets to the shutout victory! The team will enjoy this big win for a night before refocusing to prepare for their matchup at #2 Andover on Saturday!