Westfield Girls’ Soccer Finding Its Stride

After an 0-1-3 start, Coach Kristi Williams’ varsity soccer team (5-3-3) has won five of its last seven games, including two 8-0 shutouts. The Bulldogs are 3-2 in Concorde play over the last month and look poised to earn a great seed in the upcoming district tournament beginning May 16.

Williams noted that they still have one more district game to play, against .

“They all matter but that’s the game that really matters," Williams said. "Our focus is preparing as well as we can to play the best in the game, and hopefully getting the results that we want. Hopefully we get the best seed in the tournament and see where it goes from there.”

During the recent streak, Williams’ back-line and goalkeeper Shannon Casey have performed brilliantly. , and each scored just one goal in their respective games against Westfield, while and scored just two goals in each game. The Rams and Chargers were the only teams able to defeat Westfield with such low scoring, during the seven-game streak. And the tough Bulldog defense has only allowed an average of 0.87 goals-allowed per game through those last seven contests.

“Our back line just continues to battle,” Williams said. “It takes everybody, but I think the higher up the field you can play with a little bit more confidence and maybe take more chances knowing you have a really good back line.”

Those risks have paid off as Westfield’s offense has picked up the pace. In its first four games of 2012, Westfield scored just one goal in each of its first four matches. But since March 29, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 24-8.

“We’re clicking more and learning to play together more,” Williams said. “And I’m learning where people fit best.”

Sign up for the Centreville Patch newsletter to get daily and breaking news email updates.

The Bulldog youth and senior leadership has meshed well, creating that strong chemistry on the field this season. And with several athletes playing multiple positions, it gives the team an even greater advantage down the stretch.

“Seniors Natalie Cook and Amanda Cameron can both play outside back and outside midfielders and it’s nice to have as depth,” Williams said. “Carley Jenkins gets double-teamed everywhere we go, so I think that speaks to the respect people have for her. Grace DeBell went down with injury in Robinson game and she and Nicole are really fantastic in the middle of the field.”

Williams said she hopes to get DeBell back by tourney time. Until then, the Bulldogs will continue to fight for a top seed and seek vengeance for the defeat suffered against Oakton in last year’s Concorde title game.

“You do the best we can,” the coach said. “We battle each other all year long and then we battle each other in the district. We’re hanging in with every district opponent and in soccer that’s what’s important.”

The girls celebrated Senior Night recently and Williams said it became a very special evening for everyone involved.

“It was fantastic,” Williams said. “The parents really did a nice job of honoring the seniors and they deserved it. It was a really nice celebration of four years of commitment and four years of hard work.”

Westfield travels to Oakton on May 7. Kickoff at 7 p.m.