Pingry Rallies Past Westfield to Capture Third Straight Bristol Cup

photo & coverage by: Antonio Morales

Rivalry. Momentum swings. Fourth-quarter grit. Saturday’s Bristol Cup clash between Pingry and Westfield had all the makings of a midseason classic — and Pingry proved once again why they’ve become one of the most resilient teams in New Jersey.

In front of a packed crowd at Gary Kehler Stadium, Pingry surged late to a 8-5 victory, securing their third consecutive Bristol Cup title with a dominant fourth-quarter performance.

Westfield opened the afternoon with fire, jumping out to a 2-0 lead behind Ben Seward and Garrett Ferguson, the latter notching his 46th goal of the season. But Pingry quickly answered, led by Jonah Ziv, who scored twice in the first half and helped fuel a 5-3 advantage at the break.

“Yeah we knew the whole week that it was going to be a gritty game and we would have to play a complete four quarters in order to come out on top,” Ziv said.
“Our experience through overtime games and coming back from deficits in the second half led us to have the confidence which gave us the edge we needed to come out on top.”

The third quarter belonged to the Blue Devils, who evened things up at 5-5 after Billy Gerne ripped a game-tying goal in the opening minute of the fourth. Westfield appeared to seize momentum — until Pingry’s defense, and goalie Luke Burns, slammed the door shut.

Burns was a force in net, recording 12 saves, including two huge denials late in the game that turned the tide back in Pingry’s favor.

That’s when Dylan Blekicki went to work.

The junior midfielder delivered back-to-back goals — one a highlight-reel rocket, the other a patient, tough finish in traffic — to give the Big Blue a 7-5 lead. Blekicki led all scorers with 2 goals and 1 assist, while Freddy Field, Jack Goodwin, and Jesse Busch each added one apiece.

“I think we’ve done a great job so far this season with our mindset even through adversity,” Ziv added. “That’s accounted for a lot of our early success and hopefully will continue heading into the county and state playoffs. The Somerset County Tournament is always a huge couple games we look forward to and a highlight of our season.”

With the win, Pingry improves to 11-2, while Westfield drops to 10-4. Beyond the hardware, the Big Blue proved they can deliver in high-pressure moments — something that will matter greatly with championship season just around the corner.