Westminster Knocks Off Defending Champs For Revenge Win Over Blessed Trinity, Advances To Title Game
On Wednesday, the Westminster Wildcats boys lacrosse team hosted defending champs, the Blessed Trinity Titans in a Georgia High School Association Class 1A-5A semifinal match up, a game which was a rematch from the semifinals last season, where the Titans defeated the Wildcats 10-9 and going on to eventually win the 2021 state title. The two teams met earlier this season and Westminster got a little payback with an 8-7 win, but the mission to return to the GHSA 1A-5A championship game had to go through Blessed Trinity.
With the last four 1A-5A championships being won by both Westminster and Blessed Trinity, two a piece, as expected, the game was a battle right out of the gate as Aidan Wooley would put the Wildcats on the board first with his first of three goals on the night, as Westminster would take the early 1-0 lead. Heading the other way, the Titans would not waste much time responding as Nick Palmisano would connect with Charlie Lohman for a goal to tie the game 1-1.
Both teams would score one more goal in the opening period of play and the second quarter would start with the game still tied, now at 2-2. However, the second quarter would be the period of difference for the Wildcats as they would outscore the Titans 3-1 to take a 5-3 lead as they started to connect on shots, while defensively forcing several Titans’ turnovers in addition to great play from William Maxwell in net for the Wildcats as he came up with several saves.
After a scoreless third quarter, Westminster would open up the fourth and final period of play with two more goals, including Wooley’s third of the night, to take a 7-3 lead and that would prove to be too much of a deficit for the Titans to overcome as they struggled to connect on shots before finally scoring in the final two minutes of the game. However, it would be the Wildcats picking up the 7-4 win, dethroning the defending champs and advancing to the title game in which they will face the Lovett Lions.
“It was huge,” Westminster head coach, Tony Souza, said of the Wildcats win over Blessed Trinity, getting some long awaited payback. “The guys have been working all year and it’s really been a year of improvement. We started off slow with a lot of new guys and to be able to go back to a state championship replacing eight of 10 starters is big. I’m really proud of these guys,” Souza said. With Lovett defeating Starrs Mill on the other half of the bracket, the Wildcats will begin preparations for their “riverbank” rival.
“I think our shooting percentage needs to go up but I mean we’re a good defensive team and we’ll be working on our defense and making sure we’re buttoned up,” Souza said.
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