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10/30/2016 12:00 AMThe Westbrook boys’ soccer team made its Senior Night extra special by posting a 1-0 win over Whitney Tech to clinch a spot in the Class S State Tournament. Like many teams, Head Coach Gerald Carlone’s Knights had a goal of making states and so clinching their spot with a game to spare in the regular season provided a nice feeling for everyone on the squad.
“Last year, we went into the final game needing a win to get in and we lost a tough one at Valley, so we knew this year we wanted to get in before the last game, so we didn’t leave something to chance,” Carlone said. “Last year, we felt we were a team that was good enough and competitive enough, but we finished with a loss to Valley, so we were snake-bitten. That was something we talked about early and often, especially heading into the last week of the season. We needed to take care of business because we know on any given day in high school, any team can win, so we wanted to make sure we came out with a competitive attitude, energy, and effort against Whitney Tech, and we did that.”
Two days after earning its berth in states, Westbrook prevailed at Two Rivers with a final score of 3-0. By winning their final three games on the schedule, the Knights finished the regular season with a record of 5-5-6.
“We felt a lot of those games we finished with ties were winnable. A lot of them came when we were banged up and guys were playing more significant minutes than they’re used to,” Carlone said. “Six ties is an insane amount, but if we didn’t have enough senior leadership, they could’ve lost focus and heart. Then we would not have been able to achieve our goals. We certainly stole a few ties, but we gave up a couple.”
Westbrook’s veteran-laden roster has been a huge key for the team this season. The Knights only have one captain in senior Jason Raunikar, but with a total of eight seniors on the squad, Westbrook has displayed plenty of poise on the pitch. The Knights’ other seniors are Sebastian Mejia, Eric Knudsen, Hayden Richardson, Zachary Jacobs, Jay Donlan, Griffin Drum, and Phillip Hartzell.
“It’s important to emphasize making the tournament to build our reputation as a competitive team. The Shoreline Conference is a competitive league in Class S and we had a lot of seniors, but two or three of them were brand new this year,” Carlone said. “Credit to them. They understood their roles with the team and didn’t complain about playing time. They just continued to work hard at practice, while our captain Jason Raunikar led by example.”
On Oct. 24, Westbrook hosted non-conference opponent Whitney Tech and emerged with a 1-0 victory. Junior Yeison Gomez scored the lone goal on an assist from Raunikar, while junior goalie Jake Marciniec made six saves to record the shutout.
“Raunikar had the ball and beat three defenders to set up Gomez for the tap-in finish,” Carlone said. “Jake faced a few 1-on-1 breaks where he had to come up big. They were a good counter team, so we were pushing to get goals early and stretched ourselves out a little thin. They had some speed and countered on us and Jake had to step up and made some really quality saves.”
After the win, Westbrook celebrated the states berth, while enjoying its Senior Night festivities.
“Usually, we do it before the game because I get pretty amped during the game, but this year, we did it after for the first time because it is tough for some parents to get there before the game,” Carlone said. “We felt we were going to be the better team against Whitney. We knew if we played our game, we’d come through, so I was comfortable doing it after. It was fun, the kids had a good time, the parents enjoyed themselves, and we all had a nice time bonding together. During the game, all the seniors got to play and after we had some snacks and cupcakes provided by the parents. It was a really nice atmosphere.”
On Oct. 26, Westbrook took a long ride up to Hartford to compete against another non-conference foe, Two Rivers, in its final tilt of the regular season. It was a traffic-filled ride, according to Coach Carlone, but his team came out fast by putting shot after shot on goal. The Knights were unable to get a goal in the first half, but they broke through for three in the second, as Marciniec recorded another shutout.
“That game we knew was to better our seeding,” Carlone said. “They came out really quick and on fire, but weren’t able to put anything in the back of the net. They continued to push and broke through by rattling a few in after the break.”
Gomez scored the first goal, junior Jack Hayes netted the second on a penalty kick after Gomez was taken down in the box, and then sophomore Sam Beebe buried a header to give Westbrook the 3-0 win. Carlone said everyone got into the game as once the Knights took a 2-0 lead as he wanted to give some of his regulars a rest in preparation for states. The tournament doesn’t start until next week and so Westbrook has some time to prepare to make a run through the Class S bracket.
“Everyone had a chance to get their legs underneath them, so we got to rest some of our guys. We have almost like another preseason before our first state game, so I wasn’t overly concerned with playing guys significant minutes, but we were playing well. Once we went up, I decided to rest everybody,” Carlone said. “We’re not the largest team size wise, but our team overall is big and mature since we have a lot of seniors. We know that we can play with anybody and we’re looking forward to the tournament.”