It was a hot weekend as the players of the West Haven Youth Soccer League continued their seasons, and there was a lot of great action. A number of the girls travel teams took part in the annual Cheshire Quinnipiac Valley Invitational Tournament. The Elite Soccer Camps U-11 Lightning went 1-3 in the tournament, but it was not a bad showing as they were forced to play up an age group against some very strong competition.
The girls opened the tournament with a 2-0 loss against Shelton Premier. Kayla Burt was solid in goal, and the defense worked well to limit the Premier team’s chances under the guidance of Camryn Flaherty, Chloe Whelan, Niamh Chesson, and Annabelle Pasacreta.
The girls bounced back in the second game on Saturday, beating Southington, 4-1. Brooke Flaherty, Alexandria Nunes and Aylin Soto all scored, while Jaylyn Powell was instrumental in the win as she dominated the midfield. On Sunday, the girls lost, 3-0, to North Haven’s U-12 team, giving up all three goals in the first half. The girls battled and played great in the second half, forcing North Haven’s goalie to make some great saves to keep the Westies off the scoresheet. Ashlynn Trenchard and Sophie Mazuroski showed a lot of grit, matching the aggressiveness of their older opponents, as well as both remaining calm on the ball and connecting some nice passes.
In the final game of the tournament, they lost to eventual tournament champions Prospect. Again going up against a U-12 team, the girls showed what they are made of even though they lost, 4-0. Molly Gunning, Llyanna Griffith-Waite, and Etta Funke all fought hard for every ball and worked to the very end.
The Oyster River Energy U-14 girls were runners up at the tournament, going 2-0-2, and only conceding one goal the whole weekend. Nevaeh Swanson, Cori Severino, Cecilia Yanez, Grace Nowak and Celia Williams all played well throughout the weekend.
Rounding out the teams taking part in the tournament were the Top Hat Dance Academy U-19 girls. The girls faced some stiff competition, falling to Killingly, 4-0, Cheshire, 3-1, Branford, 3-0 and tying Southington, 1-1. Mackenzie Gardner, Selena Izzo, Amanda Tsankos, Riley Collins and Angela Borelli all put in a solid effort for the Westies.
The Seacrest Retirement Center U-11 boys saw their impressive CT Cup run come to an end, playing their third away game in a row, this time in East Hampton for a quarter-final matchup. The Westies came out a little flat as they tried to adjust to a small field, allowing three goals in the first half. Down 3-0, the boys dug in and fought back. The boys dominated the second half with outstanding play from Malik Ouri, Bobby Severino and Tom Williams. Keifer Tandazo and Ethan Masoperh led the midfield, creating some solid chances on goal. Brian Cruz and Matt Hunter both found the back of the net, making the score 3-2. The boys pushed for the tying goal, but came up short.
The Lions Club of West Haven U-16 boys team also played in the CT Cup quarterfinals, winning against Newington, 5-3. The Westies are making their third trip to the semifinals of the competition.
In other travel team action, the Cornell Scott-Hill Health U-9/U-10 Girls Travel team earned a 1-0 win against Madison this week in an important league game. Camilla Murphy was able to dribble through the midfield and defense and lace a goal into the bottom right corner. Kayci Gayle and Aarya Mulmi held off the Madison attack on defense. Sarahi Cruz and Melissa Valtierra provided solid minutes off the bench at forward for the team, while Cristel Miguel earned the shut out in goal in her first appearance of the season.
The Porto Funeral Homes U-9 boys team hosted Naugatuck and after going down 1-0, battled back for the 2-1 win. Jackson Murphy had a shutout in goal in the second half, which helped give the boys a chance to earn the win. Santiago Morales scored two amazing goals in the second half to help solidify the win. Chase Agvent was solid on defense under a relenting Naugatuck attack. Eddie Fagnani provided good minutes on the offensive attack.
The West Shure Family Dental U-10 boys developmental team played Naugatuck this Saturday winning, 2-1. The end of the first half saw the Westies up 1-0 thanks to a left-footed volley from Sean Studley off a throw-in from Jovan Lakaj that bounced over a Naugatuck defender. Early on in the second half Naugatuck tied the game, 1-1. West Haven’s strong defense provided the game winning assist with a high bouncing clearance from Jovan Lakaj. Lakaj’s clearance found Sean Studley who won the 50-50 ball from the Naugy defender and slotted the ball in the bottom right corner to win the game for the Westies. Rafi Treat played the entire game in goal and had multiple saves throughout the game.
The Elsie Encarnation State Farm Insurance U-12 boys played two games last weekend, and finally got back to their winning ways. On Saturday the Westies hosted Prospect for a league match. Prospect came out and scored an early goal. The Westies countered with a goal from Munib Kassem. The pattern continued another round as Prospect scored and West Haven countered with a second goal by Kassem and then he finished out the game with a hat trick and game winner. Michael Cardoso and Edgar Lopez played well and provided a strong midfield presence that supplied Kassem with all three goals. Sebastian Treat and Cameron Cruz-Sharog played well throughout the game. Mikey Luth played the entire game in goal providing some key saves to keep the Westies ahead until the final whistle with a 3-2 win.
On Sunday the Westies travelled to Madison for another league game. The Westies struggled early on defensively and an early foul inside the goal box set up Madison for a PK and the early 1-0 lead. After the early breakdown, the defense tightened up their coverage and played a strong game. The Westies defense was led by Collin Charron, Sean Callahan, David Smith, Miguel Torres, Darryl Appiah, and Maurizio Urriola. Charron provided a solid central defensive play throughout the game. Callahan was calm and confident throughout the game as he shut down many attacks. Smith and Urriola were strong defensively, but also provided offensive support moving the ball through the middle third into the final third. Mikey Luth moved into a midfield position for this game and provided the Westies the second goal and which ultimately proved to be the game winning goal. The Westies’ attack proved to be too much for Madison as they scored two more goals to win, 4-1. One of the best goals of the season came from the foot of Robert Foley as he released a cannon from the right side touch line outside the goal box that sailed to the far upper left corner of the net. LJ Laboy played a solid game in net saving several Madison scoring opportunities. Kassem provided another goal as the Westies moved to into second place with a 2-2-0 record in the U-12 A division league play.
The Elite Soccer Camps Red Dragons beat Dillman & Dillman Adjusters LLC, 6-2. Charlie Gunning, Julius Stokes and Colin Whelan led the way for the Dragons, backed up by Alessia Coletta, Aiden Slater and Ben Trenchard. Also working hard was Salvatore Castagnetto and Luca Decrescenzo.
The Bohemian Body Art Irish Green had a great game this week in hot conditions. The team was able to work the ball around the field with good passing and great footwork. Arianna Throm was able to stop all threats that came her way on defense. Marcy Funke provided the team with solid play in the midfield alongside Sophia Empiric and Kylie Gibbons. Finley Gunning and Kayci Gayle scored some amazing goals as they lead the team to the 6-1 win over the York Business Center Orange Crush. For the Crush, Navdaly Garndo played excellent defense and Katelyn Mondo played strong midfield throughout the game. Isabella Antonucci scored the team’s goal.
The Rock House School of Music Rockers rebounded this week after suffering a devastating loss the previous week. Pablo Feregrino started the game off with a nice chip over the goalies’ head. Quennel Nesmith played very well in the midfield and got the hat trick. Jason Resaleu worked hard at forward and Jovan Lakaj made some incredible assists to help lift the team to the 6-1 win over the WH Professional Firefighters Green Machine. For the Green Machine, Gabriel Greengas and Raymond Listorti scored. Great defense was played by Damon Presby, and Christopher Glynn had a great overall game.
The Gunning Law Firm Red Wolves fell, 3-2, against Cappetta’s Italian Imports Blue Birds. Angelina Torres showed great ball control throughout the game for the Wolves, while Hailey Dargon made some great passes during the game and provided the team with strength on the attack. Lulu Sebas played strong defense which helped spark the attack. For the Blue Birds, Charissa Ashong, Linete Castillo Mendoza, and Luciana Cappetta scored. Annabelle Fiorillo was fierce was aggressive on the field, taking control of the ball several times throughout the game.
The CT Pest Elimination Green Beans played Mulkerin School of Irish Dance, winning, 6-2. Adam Lennon led the way for the Green Beans with two goals. Angelina Frosolone played great overall, contributing a strong effort. Ethan Jacinto and Enoch Kehinde were exceptional on defense, consistently stopping their opponent’s onslaught. Enoch also chipped in a goal to add to the tally. The Baybrook Remodelers Blue Hawks continued their impressive season with a 3-0 victory over Cappetta’s Italian Imports red. Madden Evangeliste, Jada Fowler and Isabel Millard each scored goals. Natalie Reed and Katarina Oliveira played excellent at midfield. Melissa Valiterra and Sarahi Cruz supported with strong defense while Adriana Fabian provided stellar goaltending.
The WH Italian-American Civic Association Golden Phoenix faced Milano and Wanat Blue Thunder Saturday at Peterson Field. The Blue Thunder came out on top, 6-0. Joey Sperry and Mekayan Hernandez-Tlamintzi both played well and had several opportunities in the offensive half for the Golden Phoenix. Giovanni Ferrucci, Victor Magana Preciado, Urijah Silva all played various positions and did well throughout the game. The Blue Thunder came out strong with Matthew Panton scoring the first goal with a cross from Nathan Charron. Charron assisted on the second goal off a well placed corner kick that found the foot of Ryan Malone. Malone and Charrone each had 3 goals. Aaron Abraham and Guillermo Gonzaga both played well in goal for the Blue Thunder.
Stowe’s Seafood came out on top, 9-4, over Eli’s Orange in a well-played game. Jessie Jain netted six goals, while David Christensen, Ato Ofosu-Appiah and Dave Dougherty added one apiece. Aldair Saucedo was great in goal and Shawn Tarpeh was stellar on defense. In other action, Apple Rehab of West Haven fell to Lacistrong, 5-4, and Stars Ice Cream and Watson Foods Co LLC battled to a 3-3 tie.