Sports
Westwood Field Hockey Falls in Opening Match
Defending Bay State Conference champion Hopkinton Hillers handle Wolverines Wednesday night.
The Westwood High School field hockey team didn't bother easing its way into the season.
With reigning league champion Hopkinton, who didn't so much as lose a league game last season, as an opening night opponent, the Wolverines had their work cut out for them. They held their own for much of the game, but eventually fell 4-1 at Flahive Field.
Wolverine goalkeeper Delaney Russell kept her team in the game all night, facing a routine Hiller attack and making a number of impressive saves.
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"My goalie played a fantastic game," said Westwood coach Angela Wilson. "Hopkinton had a lot of very beautiful shots and she had to make some fantastic saves."
Juniors Casey Bowler, Alex McLaughlin and Molly Powers were very solid defensively in support of Russell, taking away second-chance opportunities and clearing the defensive end.
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"Molly Powers had a great game on defense," said Wilson.
The defense eventually succumbed to the Hillers pressure, allowing two goals off of scrambles in front of the net and two on shots from point-blank range. Hopkinton goals were scored by Liz Keefe, Nicole Wigglesworth, Katie Pelgrin and Julie Younis.
Westwood had its share of chances, spending a good part of the game in the offensive end, but were unable to capitalize near the net. Freshman Jamison O'Neill, senior Sarah Biron and senior captain Anne Lally did well to create opportunities up front.
"Overall we did well, but we could have done better," said Wilson. "There's lot of things to improve on, but one thing is putting more shots on net."
The home team finally got on the board with 11:47 left in the game, thanks to some good offensive pressure. After a scramble in front, a high shot was blocked off the goal line by a Hiller defender and Biron was awarded a penalty shot, which she converted with a low hard shot through the goalie's giant pads.
With their sturdy defense, the Wolverines will need to continue that offensive pressure and put up a few more scores in order to reach their eventual goal in a tough league.
"The Tri-Valley League has traditionally sent more than half its teams to tournament," said Wilson. "Our goal is the tournament and just putting goals in the net."
Westwood will play at Stoughton on Monday.