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Searching for the Moments That Matter: Westchester SC Falls 1-0 To Ft. Wayne

  • Writer: Randy Medina
    Randy Medina
  • May 11
  • 3 min read
Wide broadcast view of a USL League One match between Ft. Wayne and Westchester SC during the 35th minute with the score tied 0-0. Ft. Wayne players in black work the ball down the left side of the attack while Westchester defenders in white drop back toward their penalty area. The referee in a bright blue shirt stands near midfield as fans watch from the stands in the background. The scoreboard graphic in the top-left corner displays “FW 0 - 0 WES” and the match clock at 34:09.

Westchester SC Controls the Match but Falls Short Again on the Road


A Westchester SC player wearing a white jersey and black gloves poses with his hands pressed against his cheeks in a mock-surprised expression while standing beside a large Colossus statue from Marvel’s Deadpool universe. The scene appears to be outdoors under a cloudy sky, with stadium seating and city buildings blurred in the background. The player’s jersey features blue and gold trim, the Westchester SC crest, a Northwell sponsor logo, and a 914th Infantry sleeve patch.

A wise man once said, "Four or five moments - that's all it takes. To be a hero. Everyone thinks it's a full-time job. Wake up a hero. Brush your teeth a hero. Go to work a hero. Not true. Over a lifetime, there are only four or five moments that really matter.”  


The Moments That Matter


Throughout their now 412-minute streak without a goal away from Memorial Field, Westchester SC has played prolonged stretches of quality soccer, but those four or five moments of greatness have eluded them.


This was the case again on Saturday night in the Hoosier State as, once again, the Golden Apple outplayed an opponent on the stat sheet but went home empty-handed because of those four or five moments.


Cue The Slow Motion Sadness Montage


One of those moments came early for Kyle Evans, as he was presented with a glorious chance from 10 yards out in the 7th minute. The former Marist Red Fox slotted a shot destined for the top corner, but as it goes when you are going through a slump, the shot found the post instead and was cleared away to safety before Koen Blommestijn could get to the rebound.


Those kinds of bounces are quite common in the game of soccer, but when you are going through a dry spell, those bad breaks can cause a bit of the “here we go again” thinking to creep in.


To Westchester’s credit, they didn’t go to pieces. There were more moments that followed. The Blue and Gold kept the pressure on and created chance after chance, but none found the back of the net.


Then, in the 35th minute, one of those moments arrived.


On what looked like a harmless pass into the box, the Westchester defenders were caught flat-footed and perhaps doing a bit of ball-watching, which led to Taig Healy sending one into the back of the net over a diving Luca Marinelli, who turned in another quality performance since being brought in to fill in for our injured keeper corps.


That lone goal was the difference.


Maximum Effort… Minimum Goals


For the second week in a row, Westchester played the better game by most key metrics except the one that counts: the final score.


Westchester controlled possession, won duels, didn’t commit fouls, didn’t take silly bookings, and yet left empty-handed as the final whistle saw Ft. Wayne secure the three points with a 1-0 victory at home.


Nothing brings people together like failure.


A group of Westchester SC supporters wearing blue and gold team gear and clear rain ponchos pose for a selfie in the stands at Memorial Field during a rainy evening. Several fans make hand signs and smile toward the camera while the soccer pitch, track, and neighborhood homes sit in the background under cloudy skies.

As for the 914th Infantry, the defeat capped a fun but disappointing Saturday on two fronts.


A small contingent braved the rain to cheer on our local women’s rugby side, the New York Exiles, at Memorial Field. While it was an entertaining game in front of a soggy but excited crowd, the Bay Breakers proved to be too much for our girls, defeating the Exiles 46-12.


After the match, it was on to The Smokehouse Tailgate Grill in New Rochelle, where an even larger contingent cheered on the boys in blue and enjoyed some amazing BBQ.



While the score was disappointing, the vibes were not.


Westchester vs. The Variant Fanbase


So what do you do when you suffer a couple of tough losses on the road?


You come home and get angry.


Thanks to the schedule makers, we have the perfect outlet for that anger coming to Memorial Field this Friday for the USL Prinx Cup, as the New Jersey Cosmos and their army of hipster fans descend on Mt. Vernon.


This is the first time these two teams and fanbases, separated by only 18 miles (if you are a bird), will meet in any competition, and sparks are expected.


That’s Just Lazy Writing


Goalless droughts make for intriguing blog posts, but sometimes it’s just math.


If Westchester continues to play smart football, the goals will come in bunches, and hopefully against New Jersey on Friday.


As for the 914th, we’ll be out there Friday with a pregame tailgate and plenty of energy, so stay tuned to FTMTTW for details.


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