Health & Fitness
Coginchaug Boys Soccer; Fortune Fades, But Not Heart and Hustle
A tie and 2 very close losses cuts Coginchaug's record to 3-3-1.
Barely six minutes into last Monday's match, the Coginchaug Blue Devils found themselves down by two goals. Even worse, they were playing against Class L’s Foran High, and many people at the game were thinking that our boys were out of their league. Luckily, Coach Chris Cap and the boys in uniform didn’t feel that way.
Mid-way through the first half, senior midfielder Matt Schock sent a long ball to junior forward Tyler Kovacs, he played to the corner then cut back towards the goal but he was fouled before he could shoot. He was awarded the penalty kick and converted. A short time later center midfielder Senior Alan Haberern placed a failed clear inside the far post, and the game was level at two.
The boys played hard but Foran kept attacking. They were repeatedly turned away by the defense and junior goalkeeper Jeff Cummings. He could only turn away so many, and just before the half ended Foran was back on top by a goal.
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Coginchaug came out in the second half with a sense of urgency and kept the ball in the offensive end for a majority of the period. For the second time in the match, Alan Haberern evened the score. On a direct kick from 20 yards, he artfully bent the ball around the six man wall and well inside the far post.
The game ended in a draw and it seemed that Coginchaug took some of that grit and determination on the road with them the next afternoon in Old Lyme.
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They held possession and made smart plays against a much bigger and quicker team. Coginchaug stunned the home crowd by taking a two-nil lead. Senior midfielder Mike Lisitano snuck the ball past the keeper, off the inside of the far post and into the back of the net for the game’s first goal.
Coginchaug held the wafer thin one goal lead at the half. About 10 minutes into the second, Tyler Kovacs was tackled from behind inside the penalty box and drew another PK which he converted.
Coginchaug held the lead until about 15 minutes to play when injuries and an undeserved yellow cautionary card was handed to junior defender Luke Fowler. This forced some line-up changes and turned the tide in Old Lyme’s favor. Jeff Cummings made a series of highlight reel worthy saves, but he could not stop the entire onslaught and Old Lyme pulled out the 3-2 win. The game winning goal came will less than 3 minutes left in the match.
The third game of the week brought the toughest opponent. Old Saybrook came to CRHS with a perfect record and an impressive +17 goal differential in just four games. It took them only nine minutes to score. Once again, to the player’s credit, they never gave up. The game was physical, but well played and the teams took the half-time break with the score 1-0.
Coginchaug came out in the second with the kind of heart and hustle that has become a very welcomed character trait. The Blue Devils tied the match on another penalty kick from Tyler Kovacs just three minutes into the second half. Old Saybrook was also up to the task and matched Coginchaug’s intensity. The difference being that theirs translated to their second and third goals.
The score was 3-2 with just 15 minutes to play. The match was being played at a fever pitch. The cheers and jeers from the sidelines drowned out both the JV match and the freshman football matches being played on either side. It got cranked up even louder when freshman forward Alec Bogen scored his first career CRHS goal. With time nearly expired senior midfielder Connor Brennan nearly tied it when he redirected a cross but missed the near post by inches.
Although disappointed with the final results in terms of the wins and losses, Coach Chris Cap thought, “There were a lot of bright spots. We showed a lot of tenacity and a lot of heart coming back from being down in two matches, and twice in the Foran match to draw.”
Every loss is tough, but the coach saw some positive signs in the loss to the talented side from Old Saybrook. "It was one of our stronger games of the season. We really came together as a unit and that was really nice to see. They kids put their heart into the game and they left it out on the field. You can’t really ask any more than that.
“Individually, Ben Taber has been very strong in the back. He’s showing us what a captain should be doing by his effort out there.”
Mike Lisitano, Tyler Kovacs and Alan Haberern are leading the team in scoring, but coach is “looking for some scoring from some other areas.”
The players and fans are looking forward to next week’s matches, and so is Coach Cap. "We could pick up the next two wins if we keep up with the work ethic we had today [Thursday].”
Next: Monday, Home vs East Hampton 3:45, Thursday Home vs Hale-Ray (East Haddam)
OTHER TEAMS
Girls Varsity (Record 3-3-0)
Lost to Portland in double overtime. Lost to Old Lyme 4-1. Beat Old Saybrook 3-1
Next: Monday, Home vs East Hampton 3:45, Thursday Home vs Hale-Ray (East Haddam)
Coginchaug Soccer club
2 teams from the soccer club are playing in the state wide single elimination Connecticut Cupp tournament.
Boys U11 CT CUP – defeated Simsbury 2-0 to move on to second round at Naugatuck on Saturday.
