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Sports

Tie is Win for Westwood Boys' Soccer

Wolverines battle league's best to scoreless draw.

Critics might say a scoreless draw is boring, but it would be hard to convince the Westwood boys' soccer team of that after their 0-0 tie with Medfield on Tuesday.

The Wolverines (7-5-2) put forth a huge defensive effort to keep the Tri-Valley League's top team off the scoreboard and earn an important point on their home field.

"They showed up and played very well," said Westwood coach Jon Grant. "We've been saying all along that we can hang with the big teams and tonight they pretty much proved it."

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The defensive unit Grant entrusted with shutting down a potent Warriors offense included seniors Myles McDonough, Shane Troy, Joe Williams, Jake Lupica, and juniors Sean Laughlin and Tom Ollerhead.

"I have to give it to the back four," said Grant. "There were people shifting in, so there were six people who made a big defensive effort. We were transitioning really quick back on defense, playing team defense."

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The last line of defense was Erik Maloney, who came up with some key saves in the second half when Medfield turned up the pressure.

"Eric played very well throwing his body around," said Grant. "He's starting to emerge as a leader now and his voice is starting to be heard, which is good."

Medfield had its chances with a number of corners and free kicks in the Westwood end that led to some tense moments in front of the net, but the home team's commitment to defense persevered.

Knowing what they would be up against, the Wolverines came prepared to defend, so their strategy didn't afford many offensive chances, but they were satisfied with the result.

"We focused on defense," said Grant. "Offensively we weren't really there, but at least we kept them out of our net and walked away with the point."

Though Westwood wasn't able to score, the tie should give them some all-important confidence and momentum as they try to pick up a few more wins and secure a spot in the postseason.

"We've been inconsistent and hopefully now we can roll into the next four games with a high level of consistency," said Grant. "We are definitely going to push for the tournament. No doubt about it."

Westwood returns to action Friday when they host a tough Norton team.

"Norton will be a big game," said Grant. "We tied them 1-1 the first time. They're a pretty good physical team and we didn't adjust very well to their physicality, but I think now we're going to be ready for them."

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