By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood girl’s soccer team hosted the Needham Rockets this past Saturday, October 19th at Flahive Field. Despite their consistent effort and determination throughout the entire game, they fell short with Needham securing a 1-0 victory late in the second half.
On this beautiful fall day, the Wolverines sported pink jerseys in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Westwood fans filled the stands, simultaneously screaming “Let’s go Westwood!” at the top of their lungs.
Within the first half, the girls displayed excellent strength and defensive ability as Needham made multiple efforts to score throughout. There were numerous corner kick opportunities that the Wolverines tried to capitalize on, but the Rockets inevitably stood their ground within their goal line.
At half time, Head Coach Seth Lucash told the girls to keep the momentum going. “I believe we had more scoring chances than Needham in the first half,” Lucash explained, “and the message to the girls was really to just keep it up. Keep staying on your marks, keep the pressure on and make smart presses. And I think all of this really translated to a great second half.”
The Wolverines definitely held their own against the number two team in Division I. As the Rocket’s frustration rose, Westwood kept their mentality strong and continued to make phenomenal plays.
As the game was coming to a close, the Wolverines left everything they had out on their field. Senior Captain Harper Morrison sprinted down the field with mere seconds on the clock to stop a breakaway goal by Needham, leaving the final score 1-0.
While the Wolverines did not leave with the outcome they were looking for, Lucash told the girls that it is okay to be a little upset by the loss, but to take great pride in the way they played. “You forced them to play our version of soccer today which is what we strive for each game,” he stated.
He further detailed how well he thought the girls played and really did not count this as a full loss. “We came into the game knowing they are #2 in Division I,” Lucash explained, “so clearly they would be a good opponent. The mentality going into the game was that we know how we can play and it doesn’t matter who we are playing against, it is really about how we are playing. If we play our A game, we can beat anyone. I really think that showed today. If it wasn’t for probably the best shot I have seen all season, we would have left here 0-0.”
The Wolverines are set to play Hopkinton High School at Flahive Field tonight, Thursday, October 24th with a start time of 5:30 pm.
