Westwood ended their season by winning the Central Tennessee Soccer Conference (CTSC) Championship. Westwood hosted Community on Friday, April 28th, 2023, and Westwood won the championship 5-0. Goals were scored by Aiden Walker, who had two goals, Joan Deanda, Aaron Jaimes, and Freddy Rameriez, The Keeper for Community kept the game from being a mercy-ruled game as he had some great saves. Westwood was one on 1 with the Keeper a few times in which the Community keeper saved it, or Westwood hit the post. Coach Kevin Smith and Coach Pete DeWolfe stated Community came to play and fought to the end.
Coach Kevin Smith and Coach Pete DeWolfe stated they are very proud of how the season went, even though they felt a lot of goals were left on the field. They started this year, as in every year at Westwood, with many new players on the varsity squad. Westwood had five eighth graders, five seventh graders, and one sixth grader on the starting 11 for Westwood this year. Westwood Finished the season with 14 wins, one tie, and 0 losses. Westwood scored 70 goals and only gave up four goals all season.
The coaching staff stated that the 2023 Westwood schedule was the most difficult they have ever played. Westwood played Harris twice, Cumberland County, a school with over 2,000 students, and Algood which has almost 800. Westwood Middle School has less than 500 kids in it. All three of those schools have excellent middle school programs. Westwood won the Red Raider Invitational Soccer Tournament (first time), Regular Season Champs, and the Conference tournament championship.
This made the 4th year in a row that Westwood has won the CTSC regular season championship and 3rd tournament championship, as the tournament was not played in 2020.
2020 (Covid year) Westwood finished 7-0-0 before Covid shut the season down across the state. They scored 47 goals and only gave up 2.
2021 Westwood finished 10-0-1 while scoring 47 goals and only giving up 4.
2022 Westwood finished 12-1-1 while scoring 83 goals and only giving up 8.
2023 14-1-0 while scoring 70 goals and only giving up 4.
Total record in the last four years: 43 wins, one tie, and two losses. The team scored an incredible 247 goals and only gave up 18.
When asked how the team keeps doing so well every year, the coaching staff stated that it has an excellent school system that pushes kids to do well in the classroom, a good coaching staff that pushes players on the field, awesome kids who want to learn the game, and incredible parents who support the program year after year.
The coaching staff is excited for next year for the program as many players have started to grow each practice and have a lot of returning players who will only continue the program’s success. Coach Smith stated next year’s team is Championship or bust with the program at the stage it is in.
