A Good Week for Coginchaug Soccer

Coginchaug Boys Soccer Coach Chris Cap is “very happy with the results so far," and he has every right to be.  The boys team was looking to rebound from last year’s result, and in the first four games of this young season, they’ve already matched their win total.

Coach was quick to add that, the team is not quite where he wants them to be, but “we’ve been doing what it takes to win, and it’s been a nice all around team effort.”   He cites contributions from many different players.  “Alan Haberern had a very nice game against Morgan, controlling the middle, and today [yesterday - against Portland] it was Connor Brennan doing a great job winning balls and creating scoring chances.”

After a rainout on Tuesday, the Devils traveled to Clinton for Girls/Boys double header.  The girls played first and defeated Morgan 2-0 on goals from Juniors Victoria Buonanni and Kim Romanoff.  As one Clinton parent commented after the match, “we were totally outplayed.”

The boys were more evenly matched, but played well.  They limited Morgan’s attack by holding possession for the better part of the contest.  The game started at a very brisk pace, but Coginchaug adjusted nicely with quick, crisp passing.

Despite their composure, the score at the half was a thin 1-0 in favor of Coginchaug.  On Coach’s sideline instruction, Senior Co-captain Ben Taber sent a mid-field free kick into the goal mouth to Junior Forward Tyler Kovacs.  Making a run from outside the 18 yard box, he bounced the ball off the turf, straight up to his head and knocked it over the outstretched keepers hand and into the net.

The real drama and excitement of this match came in the last 6 minutes when Clinton evened the score.  But CRHS showed it’s meddle by stepping up their game when it counted.  With just two and a half minutes to play, Alan Haberern found outside Mid Dylan Slomkowski in space along the sideline.  Slomkowski carried the ball into the box and fired a shot that the keeper could not field cleanly.  Senior Co-captain Kyle Dupre was there to capitalize and pounded the ball inside the post for the game winner.

The boys found themselves in another evenly matched game on Thursday at home against Portland.  The teams went into the half with a scoreless tie.  That didn’t last long though.  Barely seven minutes into the second, Portland struggled to clear a corner kick and Senior Midfielder Connor Brennan made them pay by punching home the loose ball in front of the net for game’s first goal.

Within a minute of the restart, the ball came back to Junior Defender Alex Preneta, he played it long to Kyle Dupre who laid a perfectly placed header into the open space for Tyler Kovacs.  Tyler out ran the defender and rifled the shot passed the diving keeper for the insurance goal.  “Two goals in two games is very big,” commented Coach Cap, “someone’s got to pick up our scoring and Tyler seems to want to take that position on the team and run with it.”

Offense usually gets all the glory, but the defense, anchored by Senior Ben Taber, is not going unnoticed by this observer, nor by the Coach; “Our defense has been holding up.  Allowing two goals in four games is not too bad.

The challenges won’t get any easier next week.  They’ll face class L Foran, Old Lyme and currently undefeated Old Saybrook.  Click here for schedule details.

Other Teams

Boys JV (2-0)

Today at Portland   3:45 PM

Girls Varsity (2-1)

Saturday at CRHS vs Portland 10:15 AM

Girls JV (2-0)

Defeated Portland 2-1 on the road Thursday.  Goals from Gabby Diaz and Larissa Cade

Next: Tuesday at CRHS at 3:00 PM

Coginchaug Soccer Club

Boys U11 plays a home game in the first round of the Connecticut Cup, a state wide single elimination tournament.  The game will be Saturday at 4:30 PM at Memorial Middle School against perennial powerhouse Simsbury.

Boys U12 has a CT Tournament first round bye and will play next week in Ellington at 3 PM on Saturday.

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