By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The Wolverines were not able to gut out a win at home against Tri-Valley League foe, Medfield, on Friday night. They fell 18-11 and pushed their record back to 4-2.
Westwood came out with a burst of energy pushing them to an early lead courtesy of goals from junior Liam Williams and sophomore William Sesselman.
“That definitely factored into [the fast start],” said head coach Todd Zahurak about the energy. “We had a great first half and we were right there at halftime.”
That held true as the Wolverines traded goals with their opponent for the first two quarters. After Medfield tallied its first goal of the game, senior Jack Roycroft answered with a score. Later on in the quarter, senior Troy Fredrickson scored from twenty yards away from the goal to give Westwood a 4-2 lead, and seemingly, control of the game.
The second quarter proved otherwise.
Medfield equalized the scoreboard within the first four minutes and the early energy Westwood had started to dissipate. Williams scored again to regain the lead but it would be the last time in the game the Wolverines would have a higher point total.
Medfield ripped off three consecutive goals before Roycroft put his intelligence on display by catching the whole defense off guard. As he made his way around the backside of the net, Medfield’s goalie took his eye off the attackman, allowing him to sneak a shot for a goal while adjacent to the net. The score permitted Westwood to walk into halftime with a one-goal deficit.
The Wolverines managed to tie the game up to start the second half on a coast-to-coast charge from Roycroft – his third goal of the game. Unfortunately, that was the team’s only goal the whole quarter. Medfield went on another run; this time around, it was for five goals.
Westwood started the fourth quarter off with a long offensive possession, working for the correct scoring opportunity, however, its eventual shot attempt missed. After gaining possession again, Sesselman notched his second goal of the game to bring the score to 12-8.
Before the Wolverines were able to mount a comeback, Medfield scored four goals in a row, putting the game out of reach. Even with the contest out of hand, Westwood continued its offensive efforts. Williams scored twice more, securing a hat trick, and Cochran added on with his second goal of the affair. Medfield scored twice on an empty net to inflate the final score.
“It's certainly a rivalry game and it's one that you want to get every year,” said Zahurak. “We did spend a good amount of time prepping for the game and I thought we played well in the first half and, in the second half, they got the better of us. They're a great team and very well coached. We tried our best and sometimes you come a little bit short.”
The Wolverines will have a chance to redeem themselves in the annual Chowda Cup.
