New Canaan FC U9G Red Dominate Monroe Panthers 6-2 (this write-up from Jon Gizzie)
Mother’s Day Captain Lila Gizzie deflecting a Monroe advance. Contributed
Mother’s Day dawned dreary and damp, leaving many a mother fretting about field conditions and frizzy hair. Luckily, Mother Nature got the message loud and clear as some splashes of sun finally broke through the clouds at kickoff.
The New Canaan FC U9 Girls Red team took to the pitch with barely contained excitement but tempered with a touch of concern upon reflection of earlier bouts with the strong Monroe team. True to form, the Panthers scored within the first minute of play spawning fits of nervous chatter among the assembled matriarchal glitterati of the Big Red Wrecking Ball.
Undaunted, the NC Red girls quickly jumped back on the offensive and evened the score in the 4th minute as Sydney Patten blasted a shot off the far left post on a beautiful cross from Madeline “Maddie” Tully. Tied 1-1, both team renewed their attacks, advancing and retreating across the pitch, neither side gaining advantage, until the 23rd minute when Payton DeCamillo forcefully broke from a crowd of defenders on the right wing and found Reese Quinn who blasted the ball into the back of the net. Monroe answered in kind five minutes later bringing the score to 2-2 and ending the half on a cautiously hushed note.
Coach Luke must have worked his halftime magic once again because the Big Red Wrecking Ball literally came out swinging in full force for the second half. Dashing up and down the field as if lightning were flying from her shoes, Julia McPhillips drew an early foul in the Monroe penalty area which Patten hammered home to take the lead to 3-2. Several minutes later, Kallie Patterson bulldozed through several defenders in the middle of the pitch and dished an unselfish ball to Tully who deftly left-footed it to bring the score to 4-2. Falling behind, Monroe redoubled their efforts but several critical saves from NC Red keeper, Madison “Maddy” Hartnett, and all-around exceptional play of defenders, Parker Hanson and Cecilia Patterson, and wingers, Paige Place and Nikki “Ferrari” Ferraro, kept the Panthers on full lock down. Tully advanced the score to 5-2 late in the half with a shot that weaved through a wall of Monroe defenders like a Sidewinder missile. NC Red then cemented their 6-2 Mother’s Day domination with a late game “revenge” goal by Lila Gizzie following an uncalled, retribution tackle by a disgruntled Monroe defender. All in all, another solid victory for the BRWB.
***
New Canaan U14 Girls Travel Soccer Team Presented Victory and Flowers on Mother’s Day (this write-up from Robert Labadie)
For Mother’s Day, the New Canaan (NC) U14 girls travel soccer team delivered their third consecutive win of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Fairfield Red Wildcats. At two minutes into the game, NC striker Taylor Frame made her presence known to the Fairfield goal keeper as they collided within the 6 yard box on Frame’s first scoring attempt. At the 12-minute mark, Fairfield scored first when they linked up a couple of passes in the box and beat the diving NC goal keeper (Michelle LaBadie) with a shot just inside the far left post putting Fairfield up 1-0. The remainder of the half seemed to be battled out in the middle third of the field with no other real scoring opportunities.
During the second half however, NC stepped up the tempo, which paid off brilliantly. At the 46-minute mark, NC’s Jane Charlton sent in a great lofting corner kick which found NC midfielder Kearney McKiernan waiting at the back post where she easily finished it off to level the game, 1-1. Nine minutes later, NC’s Sophie Potter chipped up a lob pass to an awaiting Taylor Frame who took one touch to settle the pass out of the air before she buried it into the back of goal putting NC up 2-1. At the 59 minute mark, NC’s Charlton again lofted up a juicy corner kick which found Potter for NC who flicked it with her head squarely into the crossbar.
For the second week in a row, NC was called for a hand ball at the 66-minute mark which was again luckily just outside the box but still in a very dangerous location. The Fairfield striker got it over the NC wall but couldn’t make the ball drop as it went over the crossbar but the leaping NC goalie had it covered had the ball dropped. Fairfield had another great scoring opportunity around the 80-minute mark but the NC goalkeeper smothered the Fairfield striker’s run when they collided in the 6 yard box. After the final whistle and team handshakes, the NC girls collectively raced across the field and presented their respective moms with beautiful pink roses.
***
NC U11 Girls White Defeats Stamford Hurricanes Gold 7-1
On a gray wet afternoon at the Waveny soccer fields, the New Canaan U-11 Girls White team defeated The Stamford Hurricanes Gold Saturday, 7-1. The game’s first half was played largely in Stamford’s half of the field, and New Canaan had a number of good shots on goal by Kate Dickinson and Abby Holmstead. Jocelyn Riley broke the ice at the 8:00 mark scoring with an assist from Kelly Marchiony to put the White team up 1-0. Newcomer Paxton Beladoni showed strong footwork in the offensive zone and is a welcome addition to the team and Amanda Benson and Natalie Plosker kept the ball out of New Canaan’s half with strong defensive play. The ball stayed in Stamford’s zone for the remainder of the half, giving pinch-goalkeeper KK Mottolese few chances. Holmstead scored her first, dribbling in and finding shooting space inside the goal box and driving it home to make it 2-0 at the half.
Early in the second half, Plosker put NC up 3-0 with a power kick usually reserved for her defensive clears. New Canaan kept the pressure on Stamford’s goalkeeper and Ava Dunn found Peyton Franz near the goal and Franz found the back of the net to make it 4-0 NC. New Canaan made it 5-0 after a Mottolese throw in that led Franz who then hit Plosker with a pass in front of the goal for her second score. Stamford got on the board getting the ball past second half goalkeeper Beladoni who had already made a number of great saves. Holmstead continued her strong offensive play with a goal strike at around 32:00 to make it 6-1. After some nice saves by the Stamford keeper under heavy New Canaan pressure, Abby Richardson made her trademark score, following her own shot and kicking the rebound in right out of the goalie’s hands to make it 7-1.