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12/10/2017 11:00 PMThe Westbrook girls’ soccer squad played in the Class S State Tournament for the first time in eight years this fall. With Rob McConville at the helm for his second season, the Knights’ success was the result of the head coach’s two-year plan. After coming up one win short of a state tourney berth last year, Westbrook’s senior class was determined to turn around the team’s fortunes this season, and the Knights ultimately got their first taste of states since 2009 by posting six wins and a tie.
“I started with Westbrook last year. The focus was to turn everything around and get competitive again,” Coach McConville said. “With everyone returning, the goal this season was to make it to the tournament from day one.”
The Knights qualified for the tournament by grinding out some tough matchups. In a key road game against Portland early in the season, Westbrook secured a point by playing to a scoreless tie with a Highlanders’ team that had the Knights’ number in previous years.
“The most important game of the season came early when we tied Portland 0-0. It was the first time we’ve done anything but lose to Portland in eight or nine years,” McConville said. “It showed the team that the hard work really payed off, and that point put us on track for the tournament.”
Westbrook had to defeat Amistad in last two regular-season games to make states and did so by posting a pair of one-sided shutouts. The Knights entered the Class S State Tournament as the No. 21 seed and continued showing grit in a 3-2 defeat to No. 12 East Granby in a back-and-forth contest that came down to penalty kicks.
“The East Granby game was a culmination of everything we’ve been trying to do in two years. It all came together that game. It just didn’t go our way,” said McConville. “In the past, this team may have struggled to keep their heads up, but this year was different...The girls didn’t put their heads down. We were able to put together a good regulation and two tough 10-minute overtime periods...They gave everything they had. We couldn’t be prouder of the way they handled the whole situation.”
Coach McConville said his team’s demeanor largely stemmed from the desire of his senior athletes to succeed. McConville felt his seniors were key motivators who came into 2017 prepared to lead the Knights back into states.
“This year, senior leadership was a big part of the process. It was the entire senior class, eight seniors in total,” he said. “They really stepped up and wanted to lead by example, specifically the three captains.”
Westbrook’s captains included Erin Metcalfe, who primarily played center midfield, but also saw some time at forward. Metcalfe was named to the All-Shoreline Conference First Team and earned the Knights’ Offensive Most Valuable Player Award as she led the squad in scoring with 17 goals, while supplying seven assists. Westbrook’s success this year marked a fitting finish for Metcalfe, who was a major contributor for the team from the get-go.
“She played the majority of the season at center midfield, but she played some forward, as well,” McConville said. “She’s basically been a focal point of the varsity team since her freshman season. She was excited to step up herself and help the team.”
Helping Metcalfe hold down the midfield was fellow captain Hayden Davis, who had two goals with four assists and displayed a work ethic that proved a huge influence for everyone.
“She just led by example. Her work rate spoke for itself. She never stopped playing no matter what the score was or how the game was,” said McConville of Davis. “The other girls looked to her to see what kind of game they had to put in.”
Senior captain Alexi Vumback stood in tall in goal and kept the defense moving by calling out positioning from the net. Coach McConville was thankful for Vumback’s presence and said she was his voice between the lines. Vumback recorded five shutouts and finished with 102 saves on the season.
“She was our vocal leader on the field directing from the back. She understood what I was looking for in the defense,” said McConville. “She made sure the back four were marking who they were supposed to and playing their roles. I was comfortable with her taking the reins with that. She was asked a lot of.”
Another player who made a big impact for the Knights was junior defender Renee Perregaux, who garnered All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors, along with the Knights’ Coach’s Award. Perregaux was part of a defensive crew that included senior Olivia Fabrizi, plus juniors Kelly Donlan and Gretchen Pierpont. Perregaux played defense this season despite having never previously manned that position.
“Anything I asked her to do on the field, she just went out and did it. She actually came out of one game all season for five minutes,” said McConville. “Renee was new to defense this year. Her speed and physical play made her stand out, in my opinion, to make her a solid defender. The other girls added a nice balance with consistency. They rarely, if ever, came out of the games. The four of them played 100 minutes [against East Granby].”
On the attack for the Knights were senior Alyssa Esposito (6 goals, 3 assists) and sophomore Christina Matute-Heredia (8 goals, 2 assists). The duo formed a solid offensive front for Westbrook because of their ability to strike in different ways, and they both wound up earning All-Shoreline Honorable Mention.
“My two forwards, they have two different skillsets. Alyssa is one of the better natural strikers with the ball. She has an excellent finish, and she can shoot from way out,” McConville said. “Christina is one of the most comfortable people with the ball on her foot that I’ve seen. She has a knack for finishing. She can take a player on a finish. That’s her strength.”
In the coming seasons, Coach McConville will be looking for players to step up as the Knights are losing the key seniors who helped take them back to states. One of those players is sophomore Hannah Martin, who won the team’s Most Improved Player Award.
“She came off the bench to give us a lot of good minutes,” McConville said. “She’ll be a strong part of the team for the next two years.”
Speaking more about the future of the team, McConville said that Westbrook will be a young bunch next season. With this year’s seniors moving on, the Knights will by relying on their younger talent to carry them into the future.
“We’re going to graduate eight seniors, so we’re going to be a young crew next year...The sophomore class and junior class are more than capable of stepping up and leading the team. We’re just going to look toward some younger talent coming up, “ McConville said. “It was a giant leap in the right direction, and we look forward to building on it in the future. We’ll have a young squad next year, but if they work as hard as they did this season, we should be in good shape.”
From the Sidelines
• The Westbrook girls’ soccer squad’s varsity roster included senior captains Hayden Davis, Erin Metcalfe, Alexi Vumback; seniors Alyssa Esposito, Olivia Fabrizi, Meredith Farrell, Marilyn Ulanowicz, and Savannah Whitney; juniors Kelly Donlan, Renee Perregaux, and Gretchen Pierpont; sophomores Sarah Davey, Juliana Fabrizi, Hannah Martin, Christina Matute-Heredia, Callie Newberg, and Melissa Solis; and freshman Kayla Arevalo, Isabelle Esposito, Devin Mulvihill, and Emma Parkhurst.
• Head Coach Rob McConville finished his second season with the Knights and was assisted by Caitlin Eichler, who completed her third year with the squad.
• Westbrook’s wins this season came against Hale-Ray (8-1, 4-0), Bassick (7-1), and Amistad (7-0, 5-0). The Knights also played to a 0-0 tie with Portland.