This past weekend saw several West Haven Youth Soccer League teams participate in the annual Clinton Invitational Soccer Tournament, with the Gunning Law Firm U11 girls winning their division. The girls played a series of great games in the torrential rain Saturday. In their first game against Guilford they lost, 1-0. This loss did not stop the girls from winning their second game against East Haven, 4-2. The goals were scored by Allyson Hernandez-Arce and Ariel Titus. Their last game against Madison the girls tied 2-2, with Alessia Coletta and Ariel Titus scoring. Great defensive work was on display by Phoebe DiNuzzo, Kendall Gilchrist, Amy Congacha and Klara Frost, while Valentina Massa defended the net. Sunday’s semifinal match against East Haven gave West Haven a 3-0 win, with the goals coming from Titus, Khalessi Veronesi-Noreiga and Emma Routh. The championship game brought another match against Guilford, with amazing saves in goal by Massa. Excellent passes and teamwork led the girls to a 4-1 win. Titus and Lehanna Philogene scored to help the Westies take home the championship.
The Vio’s SportsPlus U12 girls had an excellent weekend at the Clinton Tournament, winning all three of their games on Saturday. In the first match-up against Amity, the girls were aggressive on defense, with Josylyn DaVila and Annabelle Fiorillo taking the lead on the field. A goal from Stella Porto gave the girls a 1-0 win. The second game against Shelton brought great teamwork and a 3-0 victory with goals by Chelsea Frost, Porto, and Kylee McCoart. Olivia Petrie had a solid performance in goal. In the last game of the day against Haddam-Killingworth, Kiva Inahuazo worked hard on defense as Porto, Luciana Cappetta, and McCoart all scored for West Haven, giving the girls a 4-1 win. On Sunday, the girls battled Guilford, but fell short, 1-0. Celeste DiNallo worked hard to control the ball up the field while DaVila fought in defense to keep Guilford away.
The Elite Soccer Camps West Haven U10 boys travel team has had a busy two weeks. Last Saturday, the Westies traveled to Guilford and won, 2-1. The Westies were challenged early, but goalie Jaxon Cruz made several big saves to keep the score tied. The Westies went ahead on a Ryan Abekah goal, after Mason DaSilva released him into space and he slotted the ball past the Guilford keeper. Guilford fought back to tie the game at 1-1, but West Haven scored the winner, again from Abekah in the last minute of the game to pick up the win. Friday, the Westies were on the road again, this time facing Orange winning, 4-2. Cruz was again strong in net, and Matte D’Elia dominated the midfield, spraying passes for his teammates to run onto. Ben Trenchard, Colin Gibbons, Seth Empric, and Jax Guarino anchored the defense, and Joey Ruiz was aggressive in his play throughout the match. Sunday the boys participated in the Clinton Tournament, going 4-0 on the day. The first match of the day was against Haddam-Killingworth, and West Haven won 5-0. The first goal was a great team display, as Cruz played the ball out Trenchard, who hit a nice pass down the line for Roland Green, who saw Abekah making a diagonal run. Green played the ball for Abekah, who was through one on one with the goalie. Abekah drew the goalie out of position, and then laid the ball off for DaSilva to hammer home for the lead. Abekah picked up his first goal of the day minutes later when Green hit a cross for him to volley into the net. The second game saw the Westies take on rivals Guilford for the second time in two weeks, but the boys were up for the challenge and won, 3-1. Matteo D’Elia scored the insurance goal to put the game away, and Ethan Fonseca played hard on defense and in the midfield. Guarino was once again solid in the win. Game three put the Westies up against Wallingford. West Haven jumped out to an early lead after Luca DeCrescenzo hammered home a shot. Jacob Rader played a strong first half in goal and was instrumental in the field the second half. With the scored tied at 3-3 in the dying seconds of the game, Adam Lamkhantar scored in the upper-90 to put the Westies ahead for the 4-3 win. The last game of the tournament pitted West Haven against Shelton. West Haven jumped to an early lead behind an Abekah goal, and then Green quickly doubled it after he slotted a shot home from a DaSilva corner. D’Elia set up DeCrescenzo for a nice goal, and Guarino set-up Abekah for his second of the game. Lamkhantar scored an almost identical goal from his game-winner the previous game. Trenchard, Fonseca, Empric, and Gibbons were solid on defense, and made several strong passes out of the back to start attacks. Gavin Lenihan had his best game of the tournament, playing defense and midfield, making several key stops and making some nice passes as the Westies posted a 6-0 win. Rader and Cruz combined for the shut-out in net.
P&B Express showed strong performances the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, they took on Keenan Funeral Homes. Marc Philogene picked up three goals. Sergio Salinas Jara ended the game in a simple fashion with a hat trick as well. Mathews Reppetto Tobias, a soccer freshman was noticeably determined to maintain ball possession and could be found in the mix when on the field. Ryan Dos Santos demonstrated skills learned in practice drills offering the ball with numerous assists. As always Jude Charles and Logan Hodge performed strong with several goals and strong sportsmanship. This past weekend, the oncoming storm did not dampen spirits for thePB Express as they took on the West Haven Federation of Teachers. Ryan Dos Santos and Jayceon White played well together and passed the ball to teammates for scoring drives. Antonio Cotrina was as quick as a lightning bolt on offense and defense.
The RQ Pro Accounting & Tax Services Grey Cheetahs played against Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. Savannah Gilchrist was determined and succeeded in scoring her first goal of the season. Sharon Okedina scored two goals and played tough defense. Aneesa Kass and Avalyn Wilder scored, and never hesitated to take shots. Aaliyah Castillo blocked many attempts at a goal and turned the ball around throughout the game. Ophelia Schnaufer had a long run with the ball and attempted a goal. Ellie Cipriano and Chloe Collins were focused on taking control of the ball and almost scored many times. The Grey Cheetahs also took on Meledes Construction LLC. The Cheetahs played an enthusiastic game, even in the pouring rain. Savannah Gilchrist, Olivia Gomez and LilithBelle Warcholic all scored.
Taco Town fought to stay in the game, but fell 6-5 to the WH Professional Firefighters. Christopher Romero, Enes Sahin and Ibrahim Abudayya all scored for Taco Town. Jainam Patel played great defense and Ahmed Abdelrhaman Mohamed supported the team in midfield. Milano & Wanat defeated Elsie Encarnacion State Farm Insurance, 2-1. Some nice play was on display by both teams. For Milano & Wanat, Santino Amato scored two goals, assisted by Jake Moretti and Hamdaan Seyed. Mason Yahora played well in goal. Silent Sidelines was not enough to quiet the offense of the Professional Firefighters as they defeated Taco Town 6-0. Jayden Williams and Llandell Moreno were outstanding in the offensive midfield, while Justin Suchite-Henostroza and James Bazar played stellar defense. Guillermo Gonzaga and Joey Sperry Jr preserved the win as goalies.
The Elite Soccer Camps Greyhounds took on Baybrook Remodelers winning, 6-1. Angelo Mendieta hustled throughout the game and looked to pass to his teammates, and contributed to defense by playing goal. Liam Lima and Ethan Fonseca also spent time between the posts. Roland Green, Matteo D’Elia, and Abdul Rhman Akondo all scored. Jax Guarino, Emmett Hemming, and Ben Trenchard played strong defense and contributed in the midfield. Abigail Hemming and Dylan Fonseca picked up a few assists in the win for the Greyhounds.