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10/17/2016 12:00 AMEven though the Hand boys’ soccer squad recently saw a monumental win streak come to a close, Head Coach Stan Latkowski and the Tigers see the silver lining with how the recent loss took some heat off the Tigers, so they can now focus on getting over a big postseason hump.
In 2015, Hand finished the regular season at 15-0-1 to win its fourth-straight SCC Hammonasset Division title. Following a first round SCC Tournament loss to Hamden on penalty kicks, Hand edged New Fairfield 2-1 in the second round of the Class L State Tournament and then took out fellow SCC school Lyman Hall, 4-0, in the quarters. The win sent the Tigers to their third state semifinal in four years, where they were eliminated by Avon by getting outscored 3-1 on penalty kicks.
Hand carried its regular season unbeaten streak into the current campaign, but saw it come to a close at 49-straight games with a 3-1 loss to Hamden on Oct. 4. Last week, however, the Tigers got back on track by defeating Amity 2-1 and Law 4-0 to improve to 7-1-4 overall. Hand also secured a fifth-consecutive division crown—this one coming in the newly formed Housatonic—behind a divisional mark of 4-0-2.
“Winning the division is always the first of three goals, the other two being SCC champs and state champs. Everyone else saw the story of our streak and wanted to be the one to knock us off and it can be hard to bring that A-game every night. We could’ve had a loss or two earlier in the year, but we just found ways to win,” said Coach Latkowski. “We got caught against Hamden, but it took the monkey off our backs. It’s the status quo here. We don’t rebuild. We reload. The kids know the system and what is expected. I’m not happy with our record. Three of the four ties, we should’ve won. Overall, these are good kids that work hard.”
The Tigers feature a decade of varsity experience between their senior captains behind four-year starter and center back Johnie Gulcicek, plus a tandem of three-year starters in the midfield with Jake Brown and Drew Montgomery.
“These three guys bring a lot of leadership and they know the system because they’ve been a part of it for so long,” Coach Latkowski said. “They are good captains and they faced a lot of pressure coming into this year with the streak. It was a big story that put a target on our backs, but they helped to get things going and know what’s expected of them.”
The Tigers receive further senior leadership in goal from Matt Parker, who’s continuing the recent tradition of Hand’s stellar stoppers; plus defender John Hartmann.
“Matt has done very well at goalkeeper and we’ve had some top-in-the-state goalkeepers in the past. He’s worked hard and done a great job,” said Latkowski. “John has stepped up and done a nice job in the back. The bottom line is that we want to be playing our best soccer come tournament time.”
Hand also has some other talented youngsters in its varsity lineup with sophomore Brendan Wray, as well as juniors Tyler Bennard, Liam Akers, and Owen McShane. Wray had a goal with an assist in the recent Law victory, as did fellow sophomore Lee Wildermann. Junior John Ruggiero and Brown netted the Tigers’ two other tallies. Parker made two saves in net with Hand firing 11 shots on Law.
With the Housatonic Division title now in the bag, Hand is now focusing on rematches against Fairfield Prep and Guilford for the remainder of the regular season. The Tigers played to draws with both of those clubs earlier this year.
“We face Fairfield Prep again, which is a good barometer game to see where we are at. We then close the regular season with Guilford and it is what it is with them. You can throw the records out when we face them. They also might need that game to help them get into states,” said Latkowski. “Our goal now is to get to 10 wins, which will hopefully put as at home through the state quarterfinals. Every game is important because we want to be seeded as high as we can be.”
In terms of his team’s goals away from the pitch, Latkowski is always about his players putting their priorities first. On the field, the coach feels that the Tigers are ready to get past the Final Four in the state tourney.
“Off the field, we are always checking up on their grades to see how they are doing. Family and school come before soccer and most of our guys are right up there in the top of their classes in terms of grades,” said Latkowski. “Our goal every year is to win the state title. It’s nice to win a SCC title, as well. We also want the kids to grow individually and as a team also. We’ve been to the state semis three of the last four years, so we are determined to knock the door in this year.”
This is Stan Latkowski’s ninth year as Hand boys’ soccer head coach.
The Tigers’ assistant coaches this fall are Bob Faulkner, Anthony Mancini, and Dave Yerby.
The Tigers’ 49-game, regular season unbeaten streak dated all the way back to September of 2013.
Hand is currently ranked eighth in the Class L State Tournament standings.