Rocky Hill senior captain Hannah Conneely signed her commitment to play soccer for Saint Michael's College in Vermont

Due to COVID concerns, the final few weeks of the fall sports season at Rocky Hill High School were cut short. Despite various setback, the athletes navigated through the difficult circumstances of 2020 to finish most of the fall sports season. Here’s how it panned out for the cross country, girls’ soccer, and girls’ volleyball programs.

It was another successful season for both cross country teams, who combined to win 11 of 12 meets. The girls finished 6-0 behind captains Maren Valente, Michaela Creevy, and Amanda Walerysiak. Valente posted a team-best 21:06 5k, followed by juniors Maria Corcoran (22:10) and Jazzy Edmunds (22:28). Freshman Zara Bilal showed her potential by posting a season-best (22:45). The boys finished 5-1 behind captains Trevor Christensen, Jack Thurz, and Zach Mascaro. Christensen posted a team-best 17:20 5k, followed by sophomore Brayden Bayek (17:57), Thurz (18:02), junior Bryan Martinez (18:12), and Mascaro (18:20).

Head coach Austin Bobrow had this to say about the teams following the 2020 season, “The coaching staff is incredibly proud of all of the student-athletes on the XC team! The girls continued their success in the conference with another undefeated season and the guys had their best collective performance in a number of years. Had this been a normal year, both teams would have been extremely competitive at the class state meets. All of the success is credit to the approach that the student-athletes had this year. Even in the face of adversity, they were incredibly dedicated to their individual training and the success of the team as a whole. Even with all of the restrictions and ultimately having the season cut short, this will be a season that none of the athletes will ever forget!”

Girls Soccer had two shutout wins over Middletown and another impressive shutout of Maloney, finishing 3-7 this fall. The team had a baker’s dozen seniors, led by captains Hannah Conneely and Mia Valente. Conneely was described as “the engine in the middle” and Valente led the team in goals this season. Keeper Lillian Aube, defenders Jillian Chipkin, Madeline Guerrera, Jennifer Kimball, Caitlyn Kownacki, along with roles players Helena Florer, Molly Lang, Beverly Mastroianni, Amy Perna, and Franny Sessa round out the 13 seniors. The team will have a solid group retuning next season, headed by a talented group of sophomores, headed by Gabby Lafave, Gianna Nanci, Katie Oostendorp, and Sophia Scalise. Following the season, Conneely announced that she has committed to play college soccer at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. Rocky Hill head coach Annmarie Catania stated, “I’m excited for her and her family!!!” following Conneely’s announcement.    

​Girls volleyball finished 2-9 with a pair of wins over Bulkeley, including a four-set triumph in what turned out to be the final match for the Terriers. Senior Gracie Manushi led the team in kills and finished second on the team in aces. Fellow senior Bella Santos led the team in aces and tied for a team-high in digs, along with senior setter Sarah Bezdelovs, who also posted a team-high 57 assists. A great group of juniors will be returning to represent the class of 2022, led by Chineye Ozowalu, Emma Wilkinson, Sophia Pawlak, and Maiya Martin.  

The 2020 fall sports season was not your ordinary sports season. Due to the ongoing pandemic, there were many restrictions and safety precautions put into place to ensure safety throughout the season. Even with all of this, Cromwell High School still managed to have a successful fall season and provided these student athletes with the chance to play. Here’s how it all went.
 
Boys Soccer:
The boys soccer team finished the season with a 5-4-2 record. They were led by their outstanding defense, which produced four All-Shoreline players. Senior captain Tyler Neves received first team, senior Aiden Snyder and senior captain James Grodzicki received second team, and senior Nick Garafolo received third team. The defense posted five shutouts and was a focal point in the Panthers success. The offense was led by senior captain Zack Randazzo, who had eight goals, followed by senior Joseph Salafia with six goals, and junior Logan Fox with five goals. The Panthers fell short in the Shoreline tournament, losing to East Hampton in the first round by a score of 2-0. When asked about the season, senior captain James Grodzicki stated “Overall, we had a great season. There were some games where we struggled and others we did very well, but our effort was always there.” 
 
Girls Soccer:
The girls soccer team finished the season with a 4-4-4 record. The team was led by senior captains Anna Sbriglio, Sarah Gostowski, and Jenna Lattanzio, who paved the way for the future of the program. Sophomore goalkeeper Lily Kenney, and freshman Cam Hickey and Katie Barber set the tone for what the future has to offer for the Cromwell High School Girls Soccer program. When asked about the season, senior captain Anna Sbriglio said “Despite the challenges we faced this year with COVID-19, we were all so fortunate to be able to have a season. Although we didn’t end the season the way we all would have liked, every second spent with my team has been so memorable and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
 
Cheer:
The cheer team had a big change this year due to COVID-19. Instead of cheering for the football team, they cheered for the boys and girls soccer teams. When asked about this, senior Lillian Stermer said, “Cheer has changed so much this year. We were no longer cheering for football and no longer were allowed to stunt. We only were able to cheer for both soccer teams and be on the sidelines. We made the best of it and were very grateful we had somewhat of a season.” The cheer team brought energy to the soccer games and made up for the lack of fans to give everyone a feeling of normalcy. 
 
Boys Cross Country:
Over the last few years Cromwell boys Cross Country was led majorly by the two-time all state runner, Mark Rodriguez, and one-time all state runner Connor Daly. This year though, a new star was formed into the powerhouse team, and that was senior captain Michael Zocco. When asked about the tremendous improvements, Zocco stated, “From March until the day of the Shoreline Championship, there were no off days. I ran throughout quarantine and the summer and I feel that if I didn’t do that I wouldn’t have been as successful as I was. Many teammates were also running throughout quarantine and we even did some friendly competitions to see who could clock the most miles. That kept a lot of people motivated.” Zocco received all-state, and first team all regional. Rodriguez received all-state, and first team all regional as well, and Daly received second team all regional along with Felipe Patinha. 
 
Girls Cross Country
The girls Cross Country team had a strong season led by senior captain Sadie Sullivan and sophomore Grace Mikan, who propelled the team to place third in the Shoreline Championship. Mikan received first team all-state and first team all-regional for her performances throughout the season. This shows the future is bright for the program, as along with Mikan, freshman Julia Baymuradova and sophomore Izzy Coite showed great progress throughout the season. 
 
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team found the season very challenging, but were just happy and thankful to be able to play. With many injuries and players out due to quarantine rules, the team learned that they could overcome any obstacle, and formed a greater team bond. When asked about the season, senior captain Alex Umelo said, “The season was very difficult from our regular volleyball season. We encountered many challenges, but I am grateful I was still able to compete for my last year.” Umelo received second team all-conference, and Brynn Kovacs got honorable mention.
 
Swimming
Cromwell High School had three swimmers, who joined the team at Rocky Hill High School. The three were Victoria Barnat, Arianna Bishop, and Karissa Bishop. Barnat had strengths in fly and freestyle swimming, Arianna Bishop had strengths with back and freestyle swimming, and Karissa was an all-around swimmer. The swim season was cut short due to school shutdowns, but the team is thankful for the season that they were able to have.
 
Football (conditioning only)
As everyone knows, football was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. No games were allowed to be played, due to the sport being labeled as “high risk.” That did not stop Cromwell High School’s football program from working though. The team, following all COVID-19 safety guidelines, had conditioning after school for about an hour. The team was focused on footwork and getting in shape for the possible season in the spring.
 
About the author: Joseph Salafia was born and raised in Cromwell where he grew watching and following the high school soccer team at Cromwell High School. Salafia played soccer at CHS for all four years, also playing basketball for two seasons and was a part of the golf team as a freshman. Outside of school, he enjoys hanging out with family and friends, as well as watching professional sports and keeping up with the latest sports news. The soon-to-be graduate will study Communications and Journalism in college and his dream is to pursue a career in the sports field.

WHS swim & dive captains (L-R) Nadia Baroni, Haley Krawczyk, Olivia Thompson, and Libby Rich, with head coach Lee Schwartzman

Records are meant to be broken and Wethersfield girls swimming and diving took that to another level this fall, shattering seven pool records and two varsity marks during a season unlike any other.

Veteran head coach Lee Schwartzman notoriously preps for every scenario and had to work overtime to prepare for a season without conference or state finals.

“I like to plan the whole season, but we started this season without a schedule. We didn’t even know when our first meet was going to be until week three or four and that was the difficult part,” recalled Schwartzman, who modified his strategy, “But one of the things we discussed in the very beginning was that we’ve never been able to have the whole team peaked on the same day together. This year, one of the things that I didn’t anticipate was how nice it was to have the whole team competing until the last day.”

The final day ended up being a home meet against Hall, featuring the two top teams in the conference. Schwartzman previously watched as Hall beat Conard in the season’s opener and knew his girls would need to be in tiptop shape heading into the finale.

Good thing for Schwartzman he had an experienced and deep team, featuring 10 seniors---led by captains Olivia Thompson, Libby Rich, Haley Krawczyk, and Nadia Baroni.

“We definitely approach [this season] with the mindset that we knew it was going to be different. We made the best of it and it was pretty much as normal as we could make it,” said Thompson,  “We knew we wouldn’t have the competition that we would normally have, so having the goal of swimming fast to get those records helped us get that motivation and adrenaline going. It’s just another accomplishment that made this season great for us. We went into every practice and every meet like it was going to be our last.”

Thompson teamed with Sabrina Schuster, Julia Pitchell, and Alanna DePinto to twice break varsity and pool records in the 400 Freestyle Relay (3:37.28). She also holds the varsity record in the 50 Freestyle, which she set last season.

Rich, who is a distance specialist, adapted to the uncertain season, “It made it easier to stay present because the next day wasn’t guaranteed. Swimming is easier in that sense because it’s more of an individual sport, so you’re kind of competing against yourself in a sense and going for your best time. We wanted to get the most out of every single day.”

Team bonding also looked different and Krawczyk, who would normally have all the girls to her house for dinners, missed those close interactions, “There was a lot more bonding at practices because we had to make the most of every day. Any practice could be our last practice.
The records are just a bonus, I was just so thankful that we had a season.”

Nadia Baroni added the lack of team bonding out of the pool made mentoring the younger girls more difficult, “We’d normally have team gatherings when we would get to know them on a more personal level, but during captain’s practices in the beginning we got to know them more and it ended up working out in the end.”

Baroni added that her favorite high school moment occurred when the current seniors were freshmen, following a win over Glastonbury. At the time it was the Eagles first victory over the Tomahawks in 18 years and led to an undefeated 2017 season.

Entering the 2020 finale against Hall, the Eagles had a chance to duplicate that perfect season, which they did with a resounding with over the Warriors.

“As freshman they went undefeated and we thought it would be really cool if they could leave undefeated,” said Schwartzman, who increased the training each week to prepare for the final meet, “Hall was circled on calendar. That was our state championship, we put everything into that meet. The Hall meet was unbelievable.”

In preparation for Hall, Schwartzman used his white board to diagram a path to victory for his team. Krawczyk loved it, calling the strategy “super encouraging.”

“That’s one of my favorite memories,” recalled Schwartzman, who planned out exactly who needed to swim best times to win the meet, “After that they knew they were going to win, the meet was over. It was time drop after time drop after time drop.”

Thompson, Krawczyk, Pitchell, and DePinto kicked off the final meet by winning in the 200MR. Thompson later won the 50 and 500 Free (by 15 seconds), Pitchell won the 100 Fly, and DePinto breezed to victories in the 100 Free and 100 Breaststroke.

Once the waves had settled, the Eagles were again undefeated and atop the conference for a 12th time.

All told, the 2020 squad broke pool records in the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free, 100 Fly, 100 Free, 200 Free Relay, and 400 Free Relay (twice in a week).

Pitchell, a senior, now holds the pool record in the 100 Fly (58.66).

DePinto, a junior, holds the pool record in the 200 Free and both the pool and varsity records in the 100 Free (53.07 / 52.66).

“She’s always been dominant but her practicing this year she was very consistent,” Schwartzman said of DePinto “She’s very competitive at practice all the time. Some kids are gameday, but she’s every day.”

The ten seniors, who swam all four years, will now leave WHS with perfect seasons to bookend their high school careers.

Schwartzman praised the seniors for pushing through this COVID-crazy season, “I can only imagine what it’s like. They did a phenomenal job. They saw what last year’s class missed and they realize they might miss out on that stuff too, like prom. It’s a whole year of loss, but at least they got this fall and I never got the feeling that we weren’t working for the end of season result.“

The win over Hall was the last at WHS for Thompson, Rich, Krawczyk, Baroni, Pitchell, Mia Destfefani, Madison King, Lindsay Pia, Riley Wilhelm, and Emily Wolf.

Thompson, who will swim at Fairfield University, said the team has grown close over the four years, “I remember my freshman year, I knew one or two girls coming in and now I can say I’m like best friends with every single one of them. We’ve grown a lot as teammates and as friends outside of the pool.”

“We’re super close. We all love each other,” added Krawczyk, “I’ve met some of my best friends through swimming.”

It was an unconventional year, without a true conference or state finals, and the girls asked Schwartzman if a conference championship banner would be hung along side the previous banners lining the walls around the pool.

​His reply, “yes, it will say ‘Undefeated’.”

​

Newington captain Christian Amaral competes with Wethersfield captain Owen Ahmetovic during a 1-1 tie on Nov 5.  Photo- Jo-Ann Campbell

Rob Jachym has been a beacon of success since taking over the boys’ soccer program at Wethersfield.
Since 2000, the Eagles have four state titles under Jachym and last week the team accomplished something for the first time---an undefeated season.

2020’s COVID-shortened season culminated with a conference championship win over Newington.

“This is a year they’ll never forgot for obviously a lot of different reasons, but to go an entire high school season without losing is pretty special,” stated Jachym, “We’ve had some pretty good teams here but we’ve always stumbled to get through an entire season without losing. This is something that they did together.”

Wethersfield completed the unbeaten campaign with a 4-2 victory over their rivals last Tuesday night at Cottone Field, giving the Eagles (11-0-1) the CCC Region D championship and local bragging rights.

“We came out a little slow and we didn’t have the start we wanted to tonight, but we never doubted their effort. Wethersfield came at us, they are very skillful, but our fight was special,” said Newington head coach Jeff Brunetti, “There’s something about this team. We’re not going to give up, we’ll keep coming at you and give ourselves a chance. I love that fight in them.”

The Eagles came soaring out the gates, constantly attacking Newington’s end and firing shots at Newington’s steady keeper Xander Ford.
Ford blocked the first six attempts, but Wethersfield drew first blood on the seventh shot. Senior captain Anis Kurkic fired a missile by Ford with an assist from Joseph Tata.

Less than a minute later Sam Johnson blasted a shot from straight away, making it 2-0 at the 24-minute mark of the first half.

“We were losing the mark and we weren’t ready for the speed,” recalled Brunetti, “We knew what was coming but we were mismarking. That’s what happens when you come out slow.”

Newington captain Christian Amaral countered with a goal of his own, cutting the margin in half.

Kurkic added his second after receiving a perfect lead pass from Will McCarter.

“We attacked on all thirds,” said Kurkic, “I wanted the ball more this game and I told them before the game to feed me more. We played new players at different poisons and they got me the ball and I was able to finish.”

With a dozen minute left in an entertaining first half, Newington’s Mannasah Dalomba scored from point blank range to again narrow the deficit to a single goal.

“Credit to {Newington} they worked their butt off. We did get rattled a little bit when they got that second goal, but they composed themselves quickly and we got through that little stretch when it was uncomfortable,” stated Jachym, “It’s two contrasting styles. They play a little more counter attack and we possess the ball a lot more. Today our goals came through the run of play. It was a great effort by them to get themselves back in the game with that first goal. I told coach Brunetti that he should be very proud of his group and I mentioned their will to get back into the game. When you go up one or two goals it’s never over, especially when you’re playing a team like this.”

Dalomba’s goal highlighted an incredible 15-minute stretch for the junior, who came off the bench to change the completion of the game with his relentless motor and endless energy.

“He’s a lightning rod, lightning in a bottle as they say. You just have to let him go, turn him loose,” Brunetti said of Dalomba, “When you see him work on the field it’s hard not to match his effort because he gives everything he has and he’s that spark off the bench. He did it in the last game too when we tied Wethersfield. He’s fantastic and he’s just going to grow as a player. I’m excited to continue to watch him grow.”

The second half featured a strong defensive effort by both teams. Newington threatened a couple of times following long cleaning kicks, but goalie Matt Patkoske and his defensive unit stiffened on each approach.

In the closing minutes, seniors Gino Santilli and R.J. Darrell rejected kicks near midfield allowing Wethersfield to maintain possession and add an insurance goal when McCarter again made a dazzling assists, saving a ball from going out of bounds and setting up Charlie Hayes for the fourth and final goal.

“I was trying to get all the seniors in, which we were able to do,” said Jachym, “Gino made an impact, R.J. has been great for us all season, and Matty got it done in goal. Everybody contributed today. The boys got it done tonight.”

Both teams played the conference championship game shorthanded. Newington lost starting fullback Beckham Alderucci early in the game with an injury and Wethersfield was down three players, due to quarantine protocol.

Senior Eron Rexhepi, along with juniors Marco Capasso and Tomas Santos, were unable to play or celebrate the conference championship but the other players honored the trio by wearing the missing player’s pink jerseys, used during breast cancer awareness month in October, during warmups and then again at midfield to celebrate the victory.

“Every class is special. We’ve had state title teams, we’ve had teams that were very good for different reason, and this is another good one during this COVID year. Half the time I’m watching these guys, enjoying it, and I’m just rotating guys in and the guys coming off the bench are getting the job done. This year has been a special one,” said Jachym, who earned career win #250 earlier this year following a win over Maloney, his high school alma matter, “250 is 250. I’ve been here long enough, I’ve had some really good teams so the 250 is not really about me, it’s about the program at Wethersfield and hopefully that tradition continues. These guys had a big part in that.” 

It marked the third time this season the neighboring teams had played. Wethersfield won the first meeting 5-2 on Oct 3 and the teams tied 1-1 on Nov 5.

Following the tie during the regular season finale, the Eagles knew they would be in for a fight in the conference championship game.

“Last time was a hard game,” recalled Kurkic, who added that the team had a couple of good film session prior to the rematch, “We just had to make sure we beat them this time.  We were playing at home, so we came in with the mentality that we’d be more aggressive than them. The whole team’s mentality was great.”

Newington finished 7-2-3, with their only losses coming to the Eagles. It was the final game for seven seniors---Ford, Reed Campbell, Davis Basha, Duarte Cordeiro, Diogo Caetano, Sam Davies, and Daniel Ellis.   

“This group of seniors was very skillful, but I think their legacy was the great effort every day and the work they did in the offseason,” stated Brunetti, “They’re an incredible group of young men and they pushed every day. Their work ethic was incredible and I’m happy that they left that behind for us.” 

Wethersfield boys soccer following 4-2 conference championship win over Newington. Photo credit- David Gustafson

Cromwell's Michael Zocco, Mark Rodriguez, Connor Daly, and Felipe Patinha earned cross country All-Regional at the Shoreline Championships 

Wethersfield Girls Soccer Remain Undefeated: Wethersfield girls soccer finished the regular season undefeated (10-0-1) with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Newington last Thursday. Goals by Olivia Mullins and Grace Canepari (penalty kick) provided Newington a 2-0 lead within the first ten minutes of the game. Emma Klementon countered for Wethersfield, scoring a goal assisted by Kathleen Bush. Klementon then set up the equalizer when she fed Madi Righi, who scored to tie things up at the half. Sierra Judson scored the game-winner on an assist from Cameron Wilkinson in the second half. Newington finished the regular season 8-3-1.

Zocco’s Breakout Season Lifts Cromwell XC: Senior Michael Zocco was a contributor to the Panthers Class S runner up finish a season ago and has took his running to a new level this fall.  Zocco recently finished fourth overall at the Shoreline/Regional Championship, earning first-team All-State and All-Region, and earlier this season he broke the 17-minute barrier by running a personal-best 16:58 on Cromwell’s Senior Night. Coaches Josh LaMay and Doug McGough praised Zocco for his maturity and growth over, calling him a “vocal leader” and naming him a captain for the 2020 season. He’s one of ten seniors, which includes all-state runner Mark Rodriguez, who placed third at the Shoreline Championship, earning his third All-State honor. Connor Daly and Felipe Patinha earned second team All-Region. 

Middletown Cancels Final Few Weeks of Fall Sports: Middletown High School’s Director of Athletics, Elisha De Jesus announced that the school has cancelled the remaining fall sports activities. In a statement De Jesus said, “Due to Middletown High School operating remotely effective…November 2, 2020 until November 16, 2020, I regret to inform you that the Fall Sports Season has come to an end and Fall Sports Postseason has been cancelled for our student-athletes…We understand how heartbreaking this news is, but the health and safety of our students, teachers, administrators, and families will always be our highest priority.”

Doom and Gloom Winning Again, Winter Sports Season Delayed: The CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference) announced that the winter sports season has been put on hold until further notice. In a statement on Twitter last Wednesday, the state’s governing body on athletics announced, ‘The CIAC notified member schools this afternoon that the scheduled November 21st start to the winter season has been postponed pending the review of the forthcoming guidance from the CT Department of Public Health. The DPH guidance will be reviewed and serve to inform the CIAC winter sports plan including any possible modifications to allow for safe participation. On November 17th the CIAC Board of Control is expected to consider a new start date for winter sports.’  

Newington siblings Mike and Katie Bohlke are breaking records on the cross country trails this fall

Mike and Katie Bohlke- Newington (Cross Country): The name Bohlke has become synonomous with Newington running. The brother-sister combo of Mike (junior) and Katie (freshman) Bohlke have already broken the home course record this season, each running a course-best in a meet verse Wethersfield. The previous boy’s record was held by older brother, Joe Bohlke.

Bella Santos- Rocky Hill (Volleyball): Santos had a monster match last Thursday, serving up 12 aces, 8 digs, and a pair of kills in a four set win over Bulkeley. The senior is leading the team in aces and is tied for a team-high in digs.

Meghan Gregorski- Wethersfield (Cross Country): Gregorski has been a consistent first or second place finisher in every meet this season. The senior captain placed first during an away meet against Berlin on Oct 21, running a 21:23 5K, and then ran a season-best (18:26) 2.8-mile in a win against Middletown last Wedneday.

Christian Amaral- Newington (Soccer): Amaral has been an offensive force through the first nine games, scoring 7 goals and dishing out 10 assists. The junior has been a major reason why Newington is avergaing 4+ per game during a 6-1-2 start to the season.

Zack Randazzo- Cromwell (Soccer): Randazzo scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Valley Regional last Tuesday, improving the Panthers to 5-0-2. The senior has been the engine behind the Panthers offensive this fall.  

Twin sisters Gabi & Tori Vallagra (left) and Emma & Annie Klementon (right) are helping lead Eagles soccer this fall

Back in 1992 the movie Sister Act was competing with Encino Man for box office sales. The 2020 version of Sister Act is presently competing on the local soccer fields. 

Wethersfield girls’ soccer has six sisters, including two sets of twins, playing and sharing the same field together.

Twin’s Emma and Annie Klementon, Tori and Gabi Villagra, and sisters Sierra and Brooke Judson are starring for an Eagles team that entered the week undefeated.

“It’s pretty cool that they get to play with their siblings and in our case, sets of twins. There is a comfort level between them,” stated Wethersfield coach Tony Leone, “Emma and Annie look to play off one another and with Gabi and Tori you can definitely see that connection even though they play different positions.”

The Klementon and Villagra twins, along with the older Judson [Sierra] are pieces of a robust 2021 class, consisting of 14 seniors.
Emma Klementon missed a majority of her junior year due to an injury and has returned with a purpose this fall, scoring a team-high 10 goals, “I wanted to do this for myself because I didn’t do that well last year. Since it was my last year I wanted it to go be really good.”

“We had a lot of preseason this year which has really helped, and we’ve been playing together a lot, which has made me more comfortable.”
Annie Klementon shined a season ago and entered the 2020 season with high hopes for the sisters and her fellow seniors,  “We all made sure that we were training and being safe because we really didn’t want it to get cancelled, especially after the long preseason. So we came together, trained, and stayed safe.”

“It’s been a positive environment this season. I wasn’t as confident as a younger player but now I’m playing more and contributing more. Everyone has been positive and we’re actually doing good and we want to continue to do good.”

The Klementon twins have given Leone additional offensive firepower, “You could tell they put in work during the summer and they came in really fit from day one. You could see that [Emma] wanted to make up for last year, she came in with a great attitude. She started off hot and you know how that is for a goal scorer. It’s one goal, after another, after another.”

The Villagra twins are helping captain the team, balancing the field by doing all the little things.

Because of the unknown circumstances surrounding the season, Tori Villagra said she had to adjust her mindset, “I definitely approached it differently. I really wanted to try and win all of our games and it’s been amazing. It’s good too to see all of our hard work from since we were like nine years old paying off. But it’s not just soccer, it’s with the relationships that I have with everyone else. I’m trying to get close to all the younger girls just because I feel like I lost some time because of everything that happened.”

Gabi Villagra says the pandemic has brought the team closer together, “Wethersfield is a small town and we’ve played with each other a long, long time but honestly I think it has to do with COVID. You can see it on the field, we’re playing more for each other because we know it’s our last one together. We didn’t know what was going to happen, so we definitely want to play every game like it’s our last one.”

Last Tuesday, Wethersfield ousted Maloney 4-0 on a perfect fall night at Cottone Field.

Both Klementon sisters scored and Madi Righi added a goal and two assists.  [Sierra] Judson scored her first goal of the season and added an assist.

Early on the team had trouble finding the net until Judson found Righi with a pass, which Righi blasted with a lefty boot to the upper left corner of the net, 29 minutes into the game.

Righi returned the favor in the second half when she offered up a high-arching, pinpoint corner kick to the opposite side of the net, which Judson headed in.  

Judson and Righi have a noticeable chemistry on the field, which Leone credits with their time on the field together, “Those two have made varsity here all four years. Sierra hadn’t scored a goal this year and it was eating her up, but she has played at a high level all year. If she’s not on the field, we know that she’s not on the field. She doesn’t need to score goals to make a difference, but with that said she’s a competitor and she wants to score. Madi was on a mission to make sure she scored tonight. It was pretty fitting that she got her goal from Madi.”

Senior captain Ava Bielenda protected the net in the first half before turning over the duties to junior Riley Ford in the second half. Bielenda, Ford and Vanessa Venditti have rotated as the team’s keeper this season, keeping the net clean for a team that has allowed only two goals through the first nine games.  

Entering the week, the Eagles stood at 8-0-1.

For Leone and his 14 seniors, this fall has provided many reasons to celebrate, yet is bittersweet.

“It was pretty conflicting, at least for me, because we knew that there is no postseason and from a competitive standpoint that’s what everyone wants to play for. It hurt knowing that this is a group that could compete for a state championship and yet there is none,” stated Leone “So the focus was, let’s not worry about what we don’t have, let’s worry about what we do have, and that’s the opportunity to play soccer, the game we love.”

​Leone credits the players, particularly the seniors, with focusing on what they can control, “It’s been one day, one game at a time mentality and they have made it easy on me because their attitude has been amazing. Every day I walked down from the parking lot and I thank our lucky stars that we have another day. We are a state championship caliber team, and it doesn’t matter who we play, we have to show it every day. For them to come out and be motivated every game, I give them props. I think that’s the senior leadership part. No matter who the opponents is, they have come out to compete.”