Soccer
New Canaan Boys 08 White Hold Off Monroe in 7-6 Nailbiter
—submitted by Sheryl Kilkenny
After a slow start to the season, New Canaan Boys 08 White brought home a fantastic win on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
With no substitutes and one less player on the field, New Canaan played a remarkable game. The team held control of the field and the ball for most of the first half. After one of many great saves by first half goalkeeper Cooper Fox, the ball was punted up the field, where Hayden Shoemaker was waiting for it. Hayden controlled the ball well, beat the defenders and scored into the upper back of the net. Shoemaker’s goal was the first of the game and gave New Canaan an early lead.
Monroe rushed back to make several attempts to score. They were denied repeatedly by New Canaan’s Fox and by the defenders before the ball could even get near the net. At the end of the first half, New Canaan led 1-0.
Playing with one less player, the team was forced to rely on its strong passing game throughout the second half. Alexander Sillo and Julian Doshi never wavered. Their skillful play gave New Canaan control the ball. They repeatedly moved the ball up the field into striking distance. Then, Chase George, on one of several breakaway attempts, scored the Rams second goal, giving New Canaan the lead 2-0.
Nearing the end of the second half, as the boys started to show some fatigue, Monroe was on attack, and scored on a well-placed high goal just out of reach of our second half goalie, closing the gap to 2-1.
Monroe continued to attack at the net. Defender Quinn Kilkenny was fearless and relentless. His strong defensive efforts throughout the game, and especially in the final minutes, helped secure the win. Second half goalkeeper Hayden Shoemaker made the final save in the last minutes of the game holding Monroe to just one goal.
New Canaan Boys 08 White played as a true team and earned the win!
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New Canaan Girls 09 Red Shuts Out NJSA Girls 09 3 to 0
—submitted by Anne Walker
Niamh Cooney throw the ball in as defenders Kathleen Langford and Maggie Greiner defend NC’s side. Credit: Anne Walker
Sunday’s game at Cranberry Field in Norwalk got off to slow start but ended in a shut out as the girls amped up their game. During the first half, nobody scored despite several NC attempts. With the ball mostly on Norwalk’s side, Maggie Newport had several great runs on goal and Maddie Kupchak, Sienna de Kanter and Niamh Cooney played good offense.
However, the Norwalk’s tiny field seemed to be playing against them and the girls were unable to capitalize on any of the opportunities they created. Mimi Matviak in goal had two good saves and defenders Maggie Greiner, Zanna Moor and Kathleen Langford and midfielder Madison Schulte continually pushed the ball forward. In the second half, however, the girls came alive. After several attempts on goal, Kathleen booted the first one in after scooting by several Norwalk defenders. Then, Mimi brought the tally to two after taking the ball forward and shooting in the far corner from outside the box.
The final goal came from Whitney Hoegstedt who shot the ball past the goalkeeper after receiving a pass from midfield. In goal, Zanna prevented Norwalk from scoring. Keep it going girls!
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2006 Red Clinches Big Wins & Advances in CT Cup
—submitted by Nadine Finnerty
Hadley Walker determined to get it to the goal. Credit: Brian Bennhoff
The 2006 Red Girls soccer team, coached by Luke Green, continued its winning streak on home turf by clinching a hard fought 2-1 overtime win against the Burlington Blaze on Saturday. It is the team’s second CT Cup win, which advances them to the next round. Hot off the big win, they went up against a tough Ridgefield team on Sunday and prevailed again, with an impressive 4-2 victory. This team is fierce, and one to watch as the season unfolds.
On Saturday, the competition came to play. New Canaan did too. After all, it was a CT Cup game on home turf. The fields were lined full of families and fans cheering them on. The team started strong, controlling the ball early and taking the first several shots on goal. Just a few minutes into the game, Emma Finnerty scored the first goal for New Canaan with a shot just left of the goalie’s reach, after receiving a great pass from Kailee See.
Delaney Bennhoff dribbling through defenders and speeding up for a breakaway shot. Credit: Brian Bennhoff
Burlington wanted it back badly and turned up the heat quick. As they kept the pressure on, standout defense from New Canaan came from all angles – including Katie Quill, Lila Gizzie, Kathryn Norton, Devon Russell, Amanda Vigano and Grace Driscoll. Then Burlington got a breakaway and evened the score 1-1 with a shot to the top of the net. The pressure only mounted from there. Both teams were vying for the lead. New Canaan kept passing well, setting up great shots by Summer Achille, Delaney Bennhoff, Finnerty, Russell and See. Maeve Hibbert was strong in goal, making several key saves versus a strong Burlington offense. The half ended tied 1-1.
Kailee See making a great clearing pass in overtime. Credit: Brian Bennhoff
In the second half, the intensity continued as both teams fought hard offensively and defensively. New Canaan powered to the goal early thanks to notable plays by Quill and Norton, and strong mid-field play by See and Hadley Walker. But Burlington kept blocking shots. Finnerty, Achille and Quill were relentless, but scoring seemed elusive. Burlington then got a penalty kick which could have given them the lead, but Gizzie saved it and blocked three more to end the game tied 1-1.
A 20-minute overtime began with both teams determined to win. A few minutes in, Finnerty’s corner kick centered the ball in front of Burlington’s goal. Both teams fought for it and then Walker scored with an amazing shot over the goalie’s head. New Canaan gained the lead 2-1 and kept up strong defense. Burlington got a corner kick in the last minute, but Gizzie had an incredible jump save to lock in the win! The game ended as 2-1 New Canaan victory.
Nikki Ferraro winding up and ready to strike the ball into the net for her first goal of the game. Credit: Darleen Ferraro
On Sunday, the team came out blazing again. In the first five minutes, Lila Gizzie scored the first goal against Ridgefield after a beautiful pass from Kailee See. The early 1-0 score got their attention and Ridgefield stepped up the pressure fast. Maeve Hibbert, Kathryn Norton, Katie Quill and Amanda Vigano held strong on defense. The offense responded with several more shots and Nikki Ferraro scored the second goal after a great pass from Devon Russell. In goal, Emma Finnerty had several good saves to keep the score to 2-0 at the half.
Devon Russell doing what it takes to stop the ball from getting to her opponents. Credit: Darleen Ferraro
Early into the second half, Ridgefield got a penalty kick in the box off a hand ball and scored, bringing it to 2-1. Shortly after, New Canaan got the same and Ferraro scored her second goal and the team’s third. Now it was a 3-1 lead. After aggressive back and forth play, Ridgefield scored late in the half with an unstoppable shot. This brought the score to 3-2. It was an intense last few minutes as both teams dug deep. Norton had four great saves in goal to protect the lead. Then Russell delivered a perfect shot to the far right of the net, bringing New Canaan up to a 4-2 lead. This was the final score for the ultimate win!
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NCFC Girls ’09 White Beats Old Greenwich 1-0
—submitted by Jessica Havens
Courtney Marchiony in control of the ball and looking to pass to Catherine Havens
It was a close match for NCFC Girls ’09 White against Old Greenwich on Sunday. The first half was split with time spent down on both goals. Courtney Marchiony played great defense keeping Old Greenwich at bay. The girls were communicating well and determined to not let OGR score which proved to be true with the first half ending 0-0. Highlights included Olive Miller hustling down the field to save out of bound balls and Emilia Veroude making some great passes.
With renewed focus for the second half, Girls White were effectively passing the ball and finding openings. Lizzie Havens was able to bring the ball down the field and score the only goal of the game for a 1-0 win. Molly Wolter, in goal, had some great saves as OGR tried to tie up the game. This combined with Maryn Plumb’s defenseand the constant pressure of NCFC ’09 Girls White gave them their 3rd win in a row.
Great job NCFC ’09 Girls White and best of luck in the SCOR Columbus Day Tournament this weekend!