Virginia Field Hockey Tournament
Westfield Takes First Step, Earns Matchup With Cox
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Friday, November 14, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH, Nov. 13 -- Between the pops of slapping field hockey sticks, Westfield Coach Terri Towle screamed into a cheerful huddle, "We have done something that we have never done before."
Westfield, which beat Thomas Dale, 2-0, in a Virginia AAA quarterfinal Thursday at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center, won its first state tournament game and clinched a berth in Friday's semifinals, where it will face two-time defending state champion Cox, a 3-0 winner over North Stafford.
Westfield (20-4) scored the game-winner on a corner sent in from senior midfielder Kat Kendrick. Senior midfielder Maddy Curry laid down her stick to stop the offering, and Kelsey Grainer shipped a cross that junior forward Molly Gift scored from eight yards on "a wide-open goal," Gift said.
Westfield senior forward Ameera Ahmadieh also scored in the second half.
"This is all new to us," said Towle, whose Bulldogs fell, 6-1, to Mountain View in the 2006 tournament's first round. "I'm going to enjoy the moment and we are thrilled to be here. Of course, [Cox is] a historic program when it comes to field hockey. We are just thrilled to be here and have the opportunity and if we put together a strong 60 minutes like we did today, I think we can compete with anybody."
Cox Too Much for N. Stafford
Cox (21-2) advanced past North Stafford on the strength of junior forward Cara Witte's three goals.
Since the tournament began in 1977, Cox has claimed 15 titles.
North Stafford (16-6) held Cox scoreless for much of the first half before Witte, a speedster who has scored 29 goals this fall, scored less than two minutes before halftime to take a 1-0 lead.
Witte "had three different people feed her today, which I think was awesome," Cox Coach Julie Swain said.
Cox, the Eastern Region champion, has outscored its opponents 102-15 and earned its 11th shutout yesterday against North Stafford, which was making its first state tournament appearance in four seasons.
"The girls know [Cox's] reputation," North Stafford Coach Laura Cwick. "It doesn't matter who we meet down here, you deserve to be here."
North Stafford lost in the district and region championship games but outscored its opponents 53-19 with 12 shutouts this season.
