This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/30/2017 12:00 AMThe Westbrook girls’ soccer squad clinched a spot in the Class S State Tournament for the first time in eight years last week. As the regular season drew to a close, the Knights had to win their last two games to qualify for states. Westbrook did just that by posting a pair of shutout victories over Amistad to finish on a high note.
Westbrook Head Coach Rob McConville felt pleased that his squad had a strong push across the finish line this year. It took a great deal of work for the Knights to reach this point, and McConville was happy to see his athletes stick to the plan that they put in motion last season.
“It’s been a two-year process. When I started last year with the team, the goal was to turn the program around and compete in the State Tournament again,” said McConville, whose club is 6-9-1. “Nearly all of the team from last season returned this year. We spent last year relearning the game and establishing players in certain positions. When we met at the beginning of the year, we were ready to go, and the goal this year was to make the tournament.”
That two-year process came down to just two games and, on Oct. 19, Westbrook defeated Amistad 7-0 at home to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Knights got out to an early lead behind two goals from Christina Matute-Heredia with one at the eight-minute mark and the other in the 23rd minute. Erin Metcalfe then put the ball in the back of the net off a helper from Marilyn Ulanowicz in the 28th minute. Metcalfe struck again in the 38th minute with an assist from Renee Perregaux and, just a minute later, Metcalfe completed the hat trick with an unassisted goal to make it 5-0. The Knights still weren’t done scoring in the first half as Alyssa Esposito got one past the keeper in the final minute. Isabelle Esposito scored the last goal of the game in the second half on an assist from Juliana Fabrizi.
Metcalfe had a huge game for the Knights as she notched her second hat trick of the season. She’s the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals to go with five assists. Coach McConville said that Westbrook’s offense depends upon the senior captain.
“We basically run our offense through her. She plays center mid, occasionally forward,” said McConville. “She was really on that day. She scored on 50 percent of her shots. She only played about half the game, too.”
On Oct. 26, Westbrook headed to New Haven to face Amistad and got their state-clinching win by blanking the Wolves 5-0. Matute-Heredia scored quickly in the fourth minute and again eight minutes later on a Metcalfe assist. Metcalfe grabbed a goal just a minute after that with an assist from Gretchen Pierpont, making it 3-0. Devin Mulvihill added a goal at the 20-minute mark, and Alyssa Esposito closed out the scoring with a goal in the 26th minute.
Coach McConville said that Matute-Heredia put forth her top performance of the year, giving the sophomore six goals and four assists on the season.
“This was Christina’s best game,” McConville said. “She scored the first two goals very well. The second, the keeper ran into her, and she was still able to score after being knocked down.”
The Knights’ defense also stepped up in their two recent victories. Senior captain Hayden Davis looms large by patrolling the midfield as the first line of defense, but she also gets her touches on offense, and has two goals with three assists this year.
“She has a high work ethic and contributes both on offense and defense,” said McConville of Davis. “She provides nice balance on the right side of the field. She’s a defensive minded midfielder.”
Coach McConville also looks to Perregaux to lock things down in the deeper depths of the defensive backfield.
“She’s the focal point of our defense. She carries our defense,” said McConville. “She plays 80 minutes a game, and she rarely comes out, and she never stops working.”
The last line of defense is always the goalkeeper, and Coach McConville said the vocal leader of his team, senior captain Alexi Vumback, resides in the net. Vumback has five shutouts on the season, including two against Amistad last week.
“She’s our most vocal captain. It’s her strong suit leading the team from back there,” he said. “She’s been acting like a second coach on the field and making sure the girls are marking where they need to be and getting back when they need to.”
Westbrook has come a long way on both offense and defense in McConville’s two seasons, and the coach feels proud to see it.
“The year before I came here, they gave up 71 goals. We cut that in half, but the offense has been our biggest plus this year,” said McConville. “We’ve scored the most goals [40] since 2007.”
As Westbrook prepares for its first postseason in several years, Coach McConville wants the Knights to play free of pressure after having achieved one of their primary goals with getting back to states.
“It’s a brand new season. The team that wants it more is the team that usually ends up winning...It’s the team that can focus more and get a quick start at the opening whistle,” said McConville. “We’re celebrating the accomplishment of making the tournament. Now, we have a new goal of seeing how far we can advance this program not only this year, but in the coming years.”
From the Sidelines
Head Coach Rob McConville is in his second year at the helm of Westbrook girls’ soccer, and his coaching staff includes assistant coach Caitlin Eichler.
The Knights’ wins this season have come against Hale-Ray (8-1, 4-0), Bassick (7-1, 4-0), and Amistad (7-0, 5-0).
Westbrook’s regular season record has steadily improved over the last four years. They went 1-12-1 in 2014, 4-12 in 2015, and 5-10-1 in 2016.