Westlake sophomore goaltender Sophia Martin made three saves and two stops in the final 5 minutes, 21 seconds of a Class 6A bi-district game at House Park as the Chaps defeated West in a windy game. They defeated Wood 2-1.
“It was very intense,” Martin said after the Chaps led 2-1 at halftime and engaged in a physical battle against the Warriors, a 2023 state semifinalist. Just that,” he said. They put a lot of pressure on Martin and Chap's defense throughout the contest.
Westlake (12-4-2) took an early lead early in the game when Carter Utkoff converted a pass from AJ Carlson to take a 1-0 lead.
Westwood (14-3-4) showed strong ball control in the middle, with All-State standout Mia Wiele tripping near midfield with 19:00 left in the first half.
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Wiele took a free kick that sailed 38 meters off her feet and into Chapnett's top left corner, narrowly grazing Martin's outstretched glove fingers.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but as the north wind picked up, both teams opted to mark and check. A miscalculation in the wind may have led to Westlake's second goal. Kit Kat Valentine hit a long pass down Westwood's sideline, but a gust of wind appeared to prevent the ball from reaching her, and Chaps striker Kate Grannis darted out, picked up the ball and took a shot. With 12:09 left in the first half, a 30-meter shot hit the right post of the Warrior goal.
“The game went exactly as we expected,” Westlake head coach Darci Carruthers said. “Westwood is well-coached, very skilled, very strong. We had to take every chance we had, and the girls did a great job tonight. ”
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Carruthers also took time to comment on her goaltender's soccer career and her tenacity that got her to the point where she saved the game for Westlake.
“Sofia tried out last season as a field player, but frankly, she was on our support team, so she wasn't a candidate, but she didn't really make the team.” Mr Carruthers said. “But she asked what she could do to get into the program, so I told her her junior varsity 'B' team needed a goalie. ”
Carruthers paused, smiled, and continued. “Sofia said, 'Great, I'll do that.' And she played that year, worked hard, and was the starter this season.” She's a rookie, but what a lot of patience and dedication. It's a story. ”
