Story by the Westfield TAP
The Westfield High School girls soccer team is once again on top of Union County.
The top-seeded Blue Devils (14-1) edged second-seeded Summit, 2-1, in the Union County Tournament final on Saturday at Johnson High School. It was the first county title since 2022 for Westfield.
Catherine Oliveira and Emilie Cadigan both put in goals for the Blue Devils, who won their ninth in a row. Ashley Yenawine and Audra Toth had assists for Westfield.
“It was a hard-fought battle, and I have the utmost respect for Coach Matt Carder and the Summit team for making it to the finals in back-to-back years,” Westfield head coach Alexander Schmidt said. “Facing any team twice in a season is challenging, but to play them twice in the same week adds a whole other level of difficulty.”
Nell Ducey put in the lone goal for Summit on an assist from Sophia Mora. Westfield held an 8-5 edge in shots.
It was the second win for Westfield over Summit this week, also getting past its county foe by the same 2-1 score in overtime on Oct. 22. The Blue Devils had to rally in that victory after trailing 1-0 at the half, as Audra Toth put in the equalizer in the second half before Ava Jasina netted the game-winner in OT.
The Blue Devils had previously defeated New Providence and Scotch Plains-Fanwood by shutouts in earlier rounds. Westfield has nine clean sheets on the season.
For the Blue Devils, the title was a sense of redemption after losing in the semifinals last fall. Westfield has now won three of the last four county titles.
“As we say, ‘attitude reflects leadership,’ and I couldn’t be prouder of the attitude our team has shown in big moments this season – led by our incredible seniors: Audra Toth, Eriz Hazard, Lauren Furey, Olivia Thornton and Brooke Morrison,” Schmidt said. “While this may have not been our sharpest performance technically, the heart, drive and refusal to give up were truly on display.”
Oliveira, in her first start of the season, scored a crucial opening goal with a powerful header. Summit had the equalizer from Ducey, and then Toth sent a cross to Cadigan, who found the net with seconds left in the first half, which ultimately proved to be the difference, along with Westfield’s defensive performance the rest of the way.
Summit won the county title a season ago. For head coach Matthew Carder, while the result was not what the Hilltoppers wanted, he feels this could be a motivator for the state tournament.
“The girls battled hard and showed that they deserved to be in the final,” he said. “It was a valiant effort, and I am so proud of their performance, and now we will use this as motivation for our state tournament run.”
Summit fell to 11-6-1 on the year. The Hilltoppers defeated Union and Oak Knoll on the path to the title.
With the win, Westfield is now division and county champions, and the Blue Devils will set their sights on a sectional title next.
“This team’s resilience and leadership have set a standard, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what they accomplish next,” Schmidt said.