By Tanner Harding
@tanner_harding

CHESHIRE—For the Cheshire High School girls volleyball team, wins are coming from every direction.
 
Primarily, though, they’re being delivered from Italy.
 
Senior exchange student Eleanora Ascheri again led the Rams (14-2) to a 25-20, 20-10, 20-11 sweep over Lyman Hall here Wednesday night.
 
Ascheri led Cheshire with 23 assists, two aces, four digs, three blocks and three kills.
 
“If we ever hit the jackpot with an exchange student, it’s this year with her,” head coach Sue Bavone said. “She really stands out.”
 
Exchange students are something Bavone has a lot of experience with.
 
A former player of hers hosts an exchange student every year—always requesting a volleyball player because she loves to go to the matches.
 
Ascheri, who is from Italy, brings maturity and a calm presence to the team that Bavone said helps the girls when they get off to a slow start, like they did against Lyman Hall (5-13). Great transition
 
“Our passing is shaky at times, so you can see -- because she’s experienced -- she settles that second ball for us when other player couldn’t,” Bavone said.
 
The Trojans started off strong, grabbing the first two points. They held the lead for the first half of the set, taking advantage of some bad blocks, missed spikes and bad serves from Cheshire. Lose the oxford comma – ap style
 
However, it was a miscommunication between teammates on Lyman Hall’s end that turned things around for the Rams. The hosts capitalized on that mistake, and gained momentum. A double-touch by the Trojans allowed Cheshire to take the lead for the first time in the set, making the score 16-15.
 
They would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the match.
 
The Rams finished the first set 25-20, and came out strong in the second set, jumping out 5-0.
 
Despite Lyman Hall’s best efforts, they could not recover against the dominant Rams, who won the second set with a convincing score of 25-10.
 
It was more of the same in the third set, and Ascheri scored the match point.
 
Wins like this have come often for the Rams.
 
“The bottom line is this is what the team has been like this entire year,” Bavone said about the Rams starting off slow in the first match. “It’s really aggravated me. We don’t come out as fired up as I’d like us to be.”
 
Senior captain Marli Green agreed, emphasizing that the team needs to come out with a higher energy.
 
“In the past two games we’ve come out flat, and then in the second set we’re a little more warmed up,” Green said. “That’s when we’re trying to limit our errors and be the better team.”
 
The Rams only have four returning players this year, so the inexperience and shakiness of the team has been a problem all year.  And, despite being only 16, Ascheri is a player Bavone relies on.  
 
Ascheri has been playing volleyball since she was 8, and has “touched a million more balls than any of these girls ever will,” Bavone said.
 
 “To be honest with you, if we didn’t get (Ascheri), our record would look nothing like it does,” Bavone said.

By Christine Smaltz
@smaltzy16

CHESHIRE— Eleanora Ascheri has proven to be a huge asset to the Cheshire High School girls volleyball team this season as it improves to 14-2 after a three-set win against the Lyman Hall Trojans Wednesday night.  

Despite a slow start in the first game, the Rams found their rhythm of offense with the help of Ascheri, a senior setter, and dominated the next two games in the match 25-20, 25-10, 25-14.  

Ascheri, the 16-year-old foreign-exchange student from Italy, had 23 assists, two aces and three kills in the match, while senior captain Marli Green had with 14 kills and three aces.  

The Lyman Hall Trojans (5-13) put up a fight against the tough Rams’ offense throughout the first game, but their defense proved no match for Ascheri-Green duo in the following games.  

“Our energy definitely increased from the first game to the second. During the second game, we came out stronger and tried to limit our errors,” Green said.  

Head coach Sue Bavone attributed the team’s success this season to Ascheri’s versatility and ability to control the offense.  

“Ele is a skilled and mature setter so that helps us a lot because we have so many inexperienced players and the pace of the game is so much faster than they are used to,” Bavone said. “Our passing is shaky at times and because she’s experienced, she settles that second ball for us.”  

After the Rams began to control their passes following the first game of the match, their offense was unstoppable.  

Green noted that her team relies on working as a unit and feeding off each others’ energy, as opposed to the previous season highly skill players got the job done.  

After losing six seniors following the 2014 season, the Rams have had to focus on creating this unit.  

“Even though these players are upperclassmen, this is really the first year they have gained a lot of experience on a varsity level following a mainly senior based team in 2014,” Bavone said.  

Practices have been aimed towards building intensity and confidence in ability during each play and strengthening communication, she added.  

With the loss of starting seniors and the gain of Ascheri, the Rams have proven that they still are a force to be reckoned with this season.  

Going into the postseason, Bavone said their main focus will be to improve their passing and increase intensity to ensure stronger first game start in the future. The Rams hope to clinch the second spot in their division with a win against Guilford this Friday night at Guilford High School and bring the first playoff match to their home court.

By Vincent Yancigay
@Vin_Yance 

At 14-2, the Cheshire High girls volleyball team is used to winning. However, slow starts are causing a little concern. 

The Rams trudged to a 5-0 deficit against the 5-13 Lyman Hall Trojans Wednesday night before turning it on for a three-set sweep.

“Our energy changed a lot more for some reason. The past two games we have come out low and with not a lot of energy, and then the second [set] we are a little bit more warmed up and that’s when we come out strong,” senior captain Marli Green said.
 
The starts aren't indicative of the results, as Cheshire won 25-20, 25-10, 25-13.

Senior captains Katelyn Morley, Lauren Carbone, and Green came into this season with a huge reputation to live up to up since they only lost three matches in the program’s previous three seasons.
 
“It was so much pressure." coach Sue Bavone said. "They didn’t know how to lose and they had never seen losing, so when they did lose, they were devastated. They felt like they let the whole program down."

The learning continues, however. 

Lyman Hall came out strong Wednesday jumping to an 11-6 lead, but the Rams did not back down.

Led by the serving of senior setter, Eleanora Ascheri, the Rams surged back to tie the game 12-12. From this point on, the Rams stayed in control to take the first set 25-20.
 
“The bottom line is this is what this team has been like all year, which has really aggravated me. We don’t come out as fired up as I would like us to. We always come out feeling out the other team,” Bavone said.
 
After some quick adjustments from the first set, the Rams brought the intensity, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead in the second set. Behind the dominant play of Green, who had 14 kills in the match, the Rams continued to pile on the points..
 
The Rams have a lot of weapons this year, but the not-so-secret weapon is Eleanora Ascheri, an exchange student from Italy who has been playing since she was 8. 

​Her experience shows, Bavone said.
 
“She’s just a skilled setter and a mature setter, so that helped us a lot since we had so much inexperience back there," Bavone said. 
 
Even though Ascheri has only joined the team for this season, she is a key piece for the Rams' success.
 
“To be honest with you, if we didn’t get Ella, our record would look nothing like it does. We would have dropped a lot more games, “ Bavone said. “She turned what could have been a really rough season into a really good season.”
 
Ascheri added 23 assists and three kills.
 
The Rams continue to grow and form their identity going into the playoffs, but Bavone believes they still have a few things to work on.
 
“The game of volleyball is a serving and passing game so if you can serve and you can pass well, you can win. So we need to get better at those two aspects before states rolls around,” Bavone said. 
 
The Rams will face Guilford in their next match on Wednesday, Oct. 23 before returning home for their regular season finale at home against Shelton. 

By Connor Fortier
@Connor_Fortier 

​HAMDEN—The more the merrier for the Hamden High School boys soccer team. Seven players personified the cliche as the Green Dragons defeated Career Magnet, 8-2, Wednesday at Hamden High.
 
“We have a very diverse group of boys that have a lot of attributes at different positions and I think today really panned out,” Hamden coach D.J. Pereira said.
           
After a dominant start by the Panthers (4-9-2), the Green Dragons (7-4-3) were able to calm things down and earn a free kick right after midfield.
 
Senior captain Walter Fontes put a free kick in right at the penalty marker, where junior defender Andrew Kirschenbaum powered it past the Panthers’ goalkeeper.

By Andrew Badillo
@andrewbadillo99

CHESHIRE--On a night when bitter cold temperatures stung those in the bleachers, the Shelton High School girls soccer team did the same to Cheshire in a 5-1 loss Monday night.
 
Shelton (7-2-3, 3-1-2 in the Housatonic League) dominated the Rams (4-6-2, 2-3-2) from the opening whistle as it outworked Cheshire in every facet of the game.
 
“We weren’t winning any 50-50 balls and the attitude was poor in that sense. And, they just ran all over us,” Rams head coach James Luis said.
 
The Gaels started fast, putting immediate pressure on the Rams defense and goalkeeper Samantha Mathews.
 
Shelton broke through with its first goal at 23:52 as junior Kylee Opper received a nice through ball and tucked it past Mathews. The Gaels closed out the half with two quick goals in the last four minutes.
 
Shelton exploited Cheshire’s backline repeatedly, sending balls over the top and in between defenders Lila McNamee and Abigail Abramson.
 
The Gaels capitalized on two instances in which balls were sent over the top of McNamee as she was unable to recover in time. Luis eventually subbed McNamee out midway through the first half trying to spark to his squad.
 
Senior defender Samantha Bellina said, “I think it was more we knew how they were going to come out. We’ve played them before and we’ve done well against them. I think coming off of an easy game against Lyman Hall and a loss before that. We just didn’t have the intensity that we needed to win."
 
That fire was something that Luis tried to instill in his team at halftime. The Rams were down 3-0 without any real goal scoring opportunities. Luis pleaded with his team in the huddle to be more aggressive and play with more effort.
 
The players didn’t get the message.
 
Shelton added two more goals as it increased the lead to 5-0, putting the game well out of reach for Cheshire.
 
“I think, in general, we talked about mentality being a huge thing for the team,” Luis said. “I think we have very talented players. I don’t think they’ve grasped the idea of every team is going to come out harder and hard to beat them.”
 
The Rams are a young squad and certainly mental lapses come along with an inexperienced bunch, but for Bellina, she feels as if the burden falls on her and the rest of the senior’s shoulders to increase the team’s level of play.
 
“It’s hard this being my last season. I want it to be a really good one,” Bellina said. “I think it has been, but I’d really like to see improvement and I wish we all kind of worked harder.”
 
Despite being disappointed with his teams play, Luis believes the Rams are in good position with only three games left before postseason play.
 
“The ultimate goal is still within grasp, so we’re positive moving forward from here,” Luis said.
 
The loss drops Cheshire to 2-3-2 in the Housatonic Division.
 
 
 

By Paul Caricciolo
@windowtothepaul

CHESHIRE--The Cheshire High School girls soccer team, which has struggled this season get its shots on net, sank its troubles and had its way with Lyman Hall Friday, winning 6-0 on home turf.

The Rams (4-5-2) scored on more shots than they missed, converting six of 10.

“We definitely finished a lot,” sophomore forward Elizabeth Lurz said. “We were definitely more goal driven and attack the goal better than we usually do.”

In practice, the Rams primarily focused on taking good shots and getting them on net. Cheshire has struggled all season to get shots on target, so today’s matchup was a welcome for the Rams.

“Most of our shots actually went in goal this time, we usually we have a million shots and just can't finish,” senior defender Samantha Bellina said.

"Putting shots actually on frame, instead of everywhere but…,” coach James Luis said. :We struggled for most of the season in actually getting shots on target and they did a good job of that today.”

Luis yells from the sidelines “Connect!” at every game, he said, and also stresses the importance of good passing.

“Moving the ball is always important. It allows us to keep the ball and actually rest while the defending teams doing a lot more work than we are, so certainly it wears them down,” he said.

Lyman Hall (3-7-3) played strong defense very high the first half, and -- despite getting handled for four goals -- stuck to its game plan in the second half.

“They were great assists. They were definitely really good through balls and it was built up really well up to that point,” Lurz of her two goals.

Luis saw the potential for through-balls to become high percentage shots, so he put Bellina, a captain, in at forward to attempt and get her first career goal. She appeared to score one, but an offsides call negated the apparent goal.

“It was a blast,” Bellina said. “I may never get that opportunity. I kind of wish I really scored, but it was a lot of fun.”

The lopsided score allowed Luis to put in a number of the team’s young players.
“It’s always important for them to play. They want to represent their school regardless of what grade level they’re in,” Luis said.

With the young players seeing more time on the field, Bellina believes the team is starting to click and is ready to make a run.

“Everybody is starting to click as they play. We’re going to do better, I think, in the postseason and in years to come,” she said.

Still, the team needs to focus on more than just finishing shots, Bellina said.

​“I think we need to work on playing in every area of the field well, usually were are really good in one area and lacking in others, so we need to bring it all together,” she said. 

Cheshire High coach James Luis addressed the Rams after the team's 6-0 win over Lyman Hall Friday. Luis stressed converting offensive chances in the practices leading up to the game and the team delivered.  Photo by Andrew Badillo

By Andrew Badillo
@andrewbadillo99 

CHESHIRE--​Goals have been hard to come by for the Cheshire High School girls soccer team this season, but not in Friday afternoon’s 6-0 rout of Lyman Hall. The Rams came into the game having scored only six goals all season -- a mark they doubled against the Trojans.
 
“We were definitely more goal driven today and attacked the goal a lot better,” Cheshire forward Elizabeth Lurz said after the game.

​Lurz came in as a sub early in the first half and made a difference, scoring two of the team’s six goals.
 
“They were great assists. They were definitely really good through balls and it was built up really well to get to that point,” Lurz said about her goals.
 
The win boosts the Rams to 4-5-2 overall and 2-2-2 in the Housatonic League, while Lyman Hall (3-7-3) remains winless in six league games.
 
For Rams head coach James Luis, shooting on goal was the focal point of practice all week. It translated to the game Friday night.
 
“Putting shots actually on frame instead of everywhere but… We struggled for most part of the season in actually getting shots on target and they did a good job of that today,” Luis said.
 
Luis attributed his team’s 10 shots on goal to its ability to move the ball and switch the field.
 
“Moving the ball is always important. It allows us to the keep the ball and actually rest while the defending team is doing a lot more work than we are,” Luis said. “So certainly it wears them down and we were able to get a lot of goals, obviously.”
 
Cheshire jumped out to a 3-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game.
 
Sensing the game getting out of hand, Luis viewed it as an opportunity for his bench players to get some action.
 
“It’s always important, especially for them, to play. They want to represent their school regardless of what age or what grade level they’re in,” Luis said. “Getting on the field and getting that opportunity is important to them.”
 
Cheshire came into the season having lost 17 seniors to graduation. While it has taken a while for the team to mesh, this game was certainly a step in the right direction.