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11/22/2015 11:00 PMThe Haddam-Killingworth and Thomaston field hockey teams had both won 12-straight games entering their matchup in the Class S State Tournament final on Nov. 21 and so the championship clash had all the makings of a five-star contest. The game definitely played out like that as it was tied up at halftime and stayed that way entering the final stages. With 9:18 remaining, Thomaston took the lead by netting a breakaway goal and then held on for a 2-1 win to claim the first state championship in program history at Wethersfield on Nov. 21.
“When I talked to them after this game, I told them to be proud of what they accomplished and what they had done this year,” said HK Head Coach Patsy Kamercia, whose 3rd-seeded squad finished 19-3 for the season. “I was really so proud of what they have done this year. It was a magical season. I don’t think, outside of the kids, that at the beginning of the year [anybody thought] we would get this far and get better every day.”
HK senior netminder Meghan Cerino, who was the Shoreline Conference’s Player of the Year, stopped five of Thomaston’s seven swipes at her in the cage, while her counterpart in junior Kelly Langevin made three saves. The top-seeded Golden Bears (18-1) took an early 1-0 lead on a penalty stroke, but then junior Julia Kostek found sophomore Isabella Cosenza with the equalizer for HK.
“It was tough for Meghan. She was upset with herself after the first goal,” said Kamercia. “But she knew there was a lot more time left. She was upset with herself because she knew she was so close to making the save.”
After 12 minutes of action in the first half, Thomaston was seeking the game’s first score and had a breakaway rush to the goal that forced Cerino out of the cage and resulted in a penalty stroke awarded to the Golden Bears. Sophomore Alexa Milius took it with 18:23 remaining in the opening period and was able to beat Cerino—who did make contact with the ball on her save attempt—to the left for a 1-0 edge.
“We had a similar play [to the one that led to the penalty shot] later on a shot to the upper-left hand corner that wasn’t called. I also questioned the play that they called for a stroke, yet those kinds of things are judgment calls,” Kamercia said. “Games can be changed on calls like that. Thomaston is a great team, but that’s the luck. Sometimes you have it and sometimes you don’t.”
The Cougars returned the favor 6:23 later during a scrum for possession. Kostek gained possession of the ball in the fracas and connected with Cosenza, who rifled a quick shot home to knot the game 1-1. Unfortunately, that was the last goal HK would score.
“We had a lot of trouble getting by their defense. They went tight on our players and, because of that, we started to play hesitant offensively,” said Coach Kamercia. “I think their defense was in our attackers’ heads and our attack wasn’t as strong as it usually is.”
Both teams had chances to pull ahead in the first 20 minutes of the second half, yet neither could convert. Then with just under 10 minutes to go, Thomaston sophomore Alexa Sanson raced down the turf from midfield, worked through a pair of HK defenders, and sent the ball past Cerino’s right for a 2-1 advantage. From there, the Golden Bears locked things down on the defensive end and secured their first state title.
“[Sanson] just powered through and made a terrific play. Our defense didn’t react fast enough to get behind Meghan,” Kamercia said. “They really capitalized on that and also the penalty stroke and a real credit to them for that.”
Reaching the postseason has become standard for HK in each fall season, although Coach Kamercia felt the 2015 campaign has stood out among others as a result of her athletes’ collective effort to improve every day, while building quite a lot of camaraderie.
“I mean, we are always successful in making state tournaments each year, but this season, there was just no lull. We never went backwards. They kept getting better. It was special and unusual,” said Kamercia, whose team won the Shoreline Conference Tournament crown. “We played 22 games and to win five out of six postseason games is great. They played with a lot of confidence and it was a total team commitment at every position. They also loved each other and cared for one another so much.”
Earlier in the week, Haddam-Killingworth earned the right to play in its second state final in four years by posting a 2-1 win versus No. 2 Immaculate in a Class S semifinal at Cheshire on Nov. 17. The Cougars grabbed a 2-0 edge with just under 11 minutes remaining in regulation, but then the Mustangs cut the deficit in half three minutes later by scoring off a corner. However, just as it had done all season, HK’s defense held firm and closed out the victory for the Cougars. Against Immaculate, which went undefeated during the regular season, the game was scoreless through the opening half before Hannah Theriault gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead by scoring from Julie Hausherr with 20:18 left in the game. Brinley Anderson then gave HK some added insurance with 10:45 to play when she scored off a feed from Theriault for what amounted to the game-winning goal. Although Nicole Rossman got Immaculate (17-2-3) on the board as 5:37 remained following a dish from Caroline Wax to make it 2-1, HK held true to make its way to the title contest. Cerino nabbed seven saves for the Cougars, who were outshot by a slim 9-8 margin. Anderson, a junior, set HK’s single-season school record for goals by netting her 30th of the campaign in the victory.
• Previously in the Class S State Tournament, HK blanked No. 14 seed and conference rival Old Saybrook (7-10) by a 6-0 final on Nov. 14 in the first round before edging No. 6 Granby Memorial (13-4-1) with a 1-0 score in the quarterfinals three days later.
• In terms of Thomaston’s road to the Class S final, the Golden Bears earned a first round bye prior to a 2-1 triple overtime victory against No. 8 Lewis Mills on Nov. 13 and then a 3-2 triumph against No. 12 Canton in the semifinals on Nov. 17.
• As far as their championship history goes, the Cougars are 2-6-1 in finals. They won Class S crowns in 1994, 2005 (sharing the crown with Lewis Mills after a 1-1 draw), and 2012. Conversely, Thomaston was making its first state final appearance.
• Meghan Cerino surrendered only five postseason goals in six contests, while posting three shutouts.