Westfield Overcomes Eight-Goal Deficit to Stun Oakton

Molly O’Sullivan scored with just over a minute remaining as the Bulldogs completed an eight goal rally to beat Oakton 16-15. The Cougars led by as much as 11-3 in the first half before crumbling late in the game. Meghan Heick scored four goals for Westfield, including three in the second half.

Lindsay Slover, who hadn’t played goalie since youth league and had been called up from junior varsity on Wednesday when regular starter Tatum Roessler was sick, made nine saves and gave up only four goals in the second half to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance. Westfield coach Jim Dwyer said Slover was reluctant to fill the role.

“Lindsay came up huge for us,” Dwyer said. “We talked to her about it, and said ‘can you just try?’”

Slover’s Oakton counterpart, Emily George, looked phenomenal in the first half but struggled as Westfield was able to create more open looks in the second half. George made 12 saves in the first half, including three quick ones after time apparently had expired, and finished with 17 for the game. Three of Westfield’s goals were scored against Gabriella Mazziotti, who started the second half before George came back in.

Rachel Kuykendall scored five goals and picked up five groundballs, and was key to Oakton’s quick start. The Cougars led 5-0 less than four minutes into the game, and it appeared that a blowout was in store. Dwyer preached the importance of momentum, and said that the Bulldogs outhustling the Cougars in the second half is what the game came down to.

“We were really getting beat on the draws and on groundballs,” he said. “We just got some momentum going, and once that gets going, that’s the way the game is.”

Heick and O’Sullivan, both freshmen, add even more offensive punch to an already deep Westfield team that graduated just two seniors last year while advancing to the second round of regionals.

“It’s a high pressure game, and you don’t know how those freshmen are going to react,” Dwyer said. “Both came up really huge at the end of the game for us. They're so poised as freshmen, and we’re just so proud of them.”

O’Sullivan, Abby Fallon and Blair Duncan, who scored the game tying goal, finished with three goals each for Westfield. Carly Palmucci added three goals and two assists for the Cougars, and Tori Anderson and Jackie Rupp both scored three goals.

Dwyer had nothing but praise for Oakton, and recognizes the importance of winning district games even early in the season.

“[If I was asked who the team to beat was], I think they're the favorite. They have so much depth, and they're goalie was awesome,” he said. “You can say one [district game] doesn’t matter, but you're playing for seeding, and if you can get in those top two seeds and get that bye, it’s huge.”