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The game between the Greenwich High School and Westhill High School girls' soccer teams Tuesday was a matchup of two teams that have a lot of respect for the other. The contest came down to two shots in the final wild minute, which served as warning shots across the bows of both teams that a November showdown could be looming in the FCIAC or state tournament.
Westhill's superb passing and Greenwich's rough-and-tumble style seemed to cancel each other out as the two evenly matched squads fought to a 1-1 tie.
Both teams played most of the first half conservatively, seeming to be more concerned with avoiding injuries so close to the postseason. Neither team could create an offensive opportunity until late in the first half when Greenwich's Emma Christie executed a perfect direct kick near the corner, which Shannon Colligan redirected with a header right into the net.
Then midway through the second half, Westhill took advantage of almost the exact same type of play when Tessa Dunster lofted a perfect corner kick, which Alouna Velej headed in for the equalizer. While the game was tame as it began, it ended with a frenzied volley. Dunster had a free kick from the top of the box with 55 seconds to play that sailed just high. Then Colligan answered with a close call of her own that nicked off the post with 33 seconds remaining.
"I'm happy with the result because we came from behind on the road," Westhill head coach Dave Flower said. "They're very physical so we had to concentrate on equaling them, physically. These kids and the coaches all have a lot of respect for each other."
Westhill is now 8-2-4 on the year and heads into today's game needing only a tie against Trinity or a Trumbull tie or loss to get into the FCIAC tournament. FCIAC playoff pairings will be announced Friday with the tournament beginning Saturday.
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