![]() 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
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AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
April 2024
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