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By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The Westwood High School varsity field hockey team took to Flahive Field for the first time in 2019 last Wednesday afternoon as the Lady-Wolverines (2-0-0) hosted rival Holliston for their season-opener.
Behind goals by Abby Crowley and Hannah Blomquist, along with a shutdown defensive effort, Westwood started its season on the correct note with a 2-0 victory, followed by a convincing 8-1 win against Bellingham on Friday.
Despite Westwood dominating the time on attack in the early going, the game remained scoreless at halftime. On a penalty corner attempt with 12:03 remaining, Abby Crowley tipped home a cannon of a shot from the top of the circle by Hannah Blomquist to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
Following the go-ahead goal, Westwood took a more defensive approach. While still controlling the game’s tempo and holding the majority of time on attack, the Wolverines made it a point to lock down the middle of the field and force Holliston to navigate the ball to the outside. With this, Westwood made producing offense nearly impossible for the rival Panthers. With 5:06 to play, Hannah Blomquist gave Westwood some insurance with a goal off of a net mouth scramble. Westwood killed the remainder of the clock and prevailed by the 2-0 final.
Westwood will look to keep up the momentum when the Wolverines travel to face Medway on September 13.
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter and Instagram @flano0.
