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. The Green Dragons never looked back, scoring four unanswered goals.
Tamir March used his 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame to head a Fontes free kick past the goalkeeper. Fontes got a goal of his own on the next play. March and Fontes don’t usually play on the offensive together, but it was clear that the two have an unspoken chemistry. “I have known (March) since we’ve been in elementary school and he’s been my best friend ever since then so it was pretty awesome to play with him,” Fontes said. “I’ve been begging coach to put me up there all season… it was hard at first but I got used to it.” Pereira noticed the play of the pairing, but pulled March shortly after the second goal. “The two of them together are a dynamic duo, but obviously I need them rested for the games on Friday and Monday, which are important conference games,” he said. Fontes was the player from the Hamden side who scored more than once. He also added two assists. “ (Fontes) is one of our more versatile players… so, I put him up top today to put more pressure on them,” Pereira said. Despite the strong game Pereira looks to challenge his captain “He’s hitting the ground running the past couple of games and hopefully with in the next two games he continues to improve and be get even better.” Fontes, though, is quick to share his success with his teammates. “It’s good to score and get assists, but it was a good team win. Everyone got the chance to play and it feels good to get the younger guys involved,” he said. Having seven different players on the score sheet means more to Pereira than just another win. “Its definitely a plus, especially in games like today where I can rest some of the guys but still score a lot of goals,” he said. Pereira still sees room to improve his team, though. “We let up two goals today, so I still think we have to work on that [defense].” The Green Dragons are in third place in the Southern Connecticut Quinnipiac Conference. They look to improve on their 2-2-2 conference record with a matchup against conference leader Fairfield Prep Friday at home.
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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 James Anderson
@jaanderson02 CHESHIRE--A fast paced, creative offensive attack, a strong defensive system and chemistry carried the Cheshire High School boys soccer team this season. With a 2-0 win over Sheehan, Cheshire (11-1-2) clinched the Housatonic Division title of the Southern Connecticut Conference for the first time since 2011 with a 5-1-1 record. The Rams also won the division as the outright champions for the first time since 2006 after sharing in 2007 and '11. The division-clinching win came at home against the Titans (5-5-4, 3-2-2 SCC Housatonic). To do it, the Rams paid extra attention to sticking to their defensive formation. The Rams were disciplined and only left their 4-4-2 setup in obvious offensive situations. Cheshire head coach Artur Branco said that this was all a part of shutting down one particular Sheehan forward – Alex Ramirez “Today we really focused more on our defensive shape because they are a very good team… (Ramirez) No brackets, use parentheses for them is a really good player,” Branco said. “Our focus was really to neutralize him. We felt if we did that the game would take care of itself. ” Ramirez produced three strong early opportunities for the Titans, but the Rams defense shut him and the Titans offense down only allowing three shots on goal for the entire game. All-conference forward Jacob Goldstein paced the Rams' fast-paced offense as he continued to add to his strong senior year performance with two goals. Goldstein’s first goal came 10 minutes into the game. Off a broken play, the ball was lobbed to junior Mitch Manware. Manware crossed the ball in with pace to Goldstein for a beautiful heel flick deflection into the side netting. The second goal came seven minutes into the second half. A long through-ball pass from junior Dante Rubano led Goldstein. Beating out a defender, Goldstein went to the net on a breakaway and poked it under the arms of charging sophomore goaltender Nicolas Trivino Martinez. That was all the offense needed to clinch the win. Eighteen of the 23 roster members of the Rams are upperclassmen, many of whom made up last years’ four-win team. (AP style dictates we spell out numbers if they start a sentence) Goldstein believes that the familiarity in the roster has attributed to the team’s success. “Over the years, we’ve played together a lot,” Goldstein said. “Even the incoming freshmen, we’ve played with them before. It also helps coming into the season, everybody knew (the freshmen). It certainly helps for team chemistry.” Two of the three freshmen on the roster are brothers of upperclassmen on the team – Goldstein’s younger brother Toby is on the squad, as are the Mayano brothers, Andrew a junior, and freshman Matthew. While proud of the teams’ accomplishment, Branco knows there is the tougher test of the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament to prepare for. “We’re going to try and enjoy it tonight,” Branco said. “We have another game Wednesday. We’re going to look at it as a learning opportunity to prepare for the games ahead.” The Rams finish up the regular season at home Wednesday as they host Wilbur Cross. The SCC Tournament starts Saturday. 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. Students enrolled in JRN361 must complete three game stories. At least two of them must be high school sports stories.
Before attending games, students must: * Contact the school's athletics director and coach (or QU's SID) at least 48 hours before the competition begins to receive permission, credentials and any pertinent information. * Email Professor Yanity with the dates/times of the game you choose to cover at least 48 hours before the competition begins. (This email commits you to this assignment and your story is expected in my inbox by 11:59 p.m. the same evening as the contest.) * Prepare for the event by researching the teams and people involved, collecting up-to-date and accurate rosters and gathering any other pertinent information such as rosters, records, statistics, etc. * Ensure that you can interview coaches and athletes after the game. * BE EARLY TO THE GAME. While attending games, students must: * Dress and act as a professional journalist would. Remember, you are representing the profession, Quinnipiac University, your professor and your self. * Take statistics, or find a person assigned to do this and ensure you can share that information. * Take notes. * Listen and observe. * Take photos and provide multimedia to enhance your coverage. After attending games, students must: * Compile key statistics. * Interview coaches and athletes (no fewer than two sources must be quoted). Thank them for their time. * Complete a 600- to 800-word game story that uses AP Style, is well-edited and avoids cliches. * Email a completed game story and any multimedia to Professor Yanity by 11:59 p.m. that same night. * Professor Yanity will post your edited game story and multimedia (photos, videos, etc) to this page after your article has been submitted. You are then expected to TWEET THE LINK with keywords, handles and hashtags. NOTES ON ETHICS: * Under no circumstance should you ask for the phone number, or other contact information (including social media handles/addresses) of a high school athlete. * Remember the Gisondi reading on covering high school athletes. * No cheering -- you will feel emotions of the game, but you must maintain your professionalism. General notes: 1.) All games stories must be completed by Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. 2.) You must have more than two days between contests. In other words, you can not cover two contests in three days. Give Professor Yanity time to grade your first game story and learn from it. |
Our WorkStudents in Quinnipiac University's JRN361: Sports Reporting course cover local high school sports competitions. Their work is showcased here. Categories
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