Fall Sports Highlights for 10.2.17

 

Field Hockey - First Girls’ 2 vs Kent School 3

The game got off to a slow start before the Martlets scored in the first half. Kent played at a higher tempo and was up 3-1, scoring twice soon after Westminster took the lead. The Martlets need to find their competitive drive to fulfill their strong potential this season.

 

It was a hot late September day when the Martlets played Kent. With many grandparents watching, the team worked hard to keep the ball in its offensive end. Despite a couple of opportunities, it was tough to get the ball into net with Kent blocking the way. The Martlets found an opponent who challenged them well. The team is continuing to work on bringing the ball up the right side of the field, their strong side, and moving onto the ball. Ellie Suit '20 and Abby Moss '20 managed to go to the ball and put pressure on Kent after they tapped the ball for a free shot. Katie Kosior '18 had great self-starts for Westminster's free hits. Layla Ennis '19 stopped the ball as it went into the defensive end many times. Goalie Ally Marenco '18 had her first saves of the season. While the team tried hard, Kent brought stiff competition to the field.

 

On a hot September afternoon, Second Football rolled into Canterbury with only 20 minutes to warm up. After getting ready, the Martlets put up a good fight against the Saints, despite being quite smaller in size. QB Teddy Schellbach ‘20 led the offense by throwing four for eight along with about 35 yards on the ground. Drew Brownback ‘19 had a long, 50-yard catch and run after breaking away from his defender on a short out. On defense, Mac Dye ‘20 had a 50+ yard interception return for a touchdown and Jack Luppino ‘21 was a force on defense, leading the team with four tackles and making many other great plays. In the end, the Martlets were able to run the clock down and stop the final two Canterbury plays to secure the win.

 

Westminster hosted Kent for a hot and sunny match on Wilbraham Field. Katy Maxon '18 took a corner to find Taylor Adams '20 for a one-timer into the net just five minutes into the first half. Adams struck again five minutes later with a through ball from Emma Davis '18. The Martlets took control of the game, but in the moment they let up, Kent found a gap and scored with 13 minutes left in the first half. The teams headed for the halftime break with the score 2-1 favoring the Martlets. It was only a matter of time that the Martlets' 19 shots in the first half would eventually be converted to goals in the second half as Westminster came out blazing with five second half goals. Maxon found the net three times (with assists from Georgia Swank '19, Davis and Mia Poling '18) and Davis found it twice (one assisted from captain defender Emily Samar '18).

 

Westminster took the hour drive down to Choate on an extremely warm day for fall. Choate was able to get on the board first with a long-range shot that took many off guard. The Martlets, on their heels, gave up some corner kicks late and the Wild Boars were able to convert one low and to the far post. Pressing up field in the final minutes of the half, Choate counterattacked and caught a Westminster fullback on the wrong side of the ball and tipped it by a diving keeper. Second half saw much of the same, a few opportunities late for the visitors but nothing was able to get in the back of the net. Peyton Knauf '19 had a strong game in net with 12 solid saves and good distribution.

 

Second Girls’ Soccer seized control of this game from the opening whistle, dominating the possession, leading to relentless pressure on goal. Ridgely Green '20 was a force in midfield, and her efforts were rewarded with two first-half goals. Susie Mahoney '20 created additional havoc at striker, matching Green with two first-half goals of her own. Ellie Bailey '21 took advantage of a cross from Caroline McCausland '19 late in the half to bring the score to 5-0. In the second half the advantage in possession continued, but the Lions' defense stiffened and they put together some good passing strings of their own. However, the Kent goal remained under attack, and Maddie Dwyer '18 added one more tally to produce the final result.

 

The Martlets came out flat and sluggish on another scorching day, and Choate capitalized by combining fast-paced play and accurate passing to score its first goal in the fifth minute. They added two more goals before the first half ended, while Westminster was unable to keep the home team out of the net and struggled to organize any meaningful counterattacks. The Martlets threatened a few times in the second half but were unable to score. Choate added a goal from the penalty spot and another as the Martlets flagged late in the game.

 

In the sweltering heat and bug-infested land of northwest Connecticut, Third Girls’ Soccer fell to Hotchkiss 3-1. The Hotchkiss squad played with a high level of energy. The Westminster defense definitely improved upon its previous games, even in the heat. This is something to continue to build on for the next few games. Lizzi Cronin '21 scored the lone goal for Westminster. A shout out to several players including Cecily Carter '21 and Diana Tsibikova '21 for helping to relieve some fatigued midfielders during the game.

 

 

Fourth Boys’ Soccer played a great first half against NMH with a goal by Peter Sanger '21 on a great pass by Zach Burelle '20. Tremaine Dawson ’21 had many great saves. The NMH thirds team dominated the second half scoring two goals. The Quad Squad fought hard in the heat but couldn’t score again.