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11/20/2016 11:00 PMThe Hand boys’ soccer team has been knocking at the door of a state championship game for the past several seasons. This fall, the Tigers kicked down the door by reaching the Class L State Tournament final and came away from the game with the program’s first state title in 19 years.
The 2nd-seeded Tigers hadn’t made a state final since 1999 and they’d lost in their three prior state semifinal appearances since 2012. After getting over that hurdle by beating Guilford in this year’s Class L semis, Hand met a familiar foe when it faced No. 13 Barlow for the championship at Middletown High School on Nov. 19. Hand eliminated Barlow from the tournament in 2012, after which Barlow did the same to the Tigers in the two subsequent seasons. This time, the two teams were scoreless through regulation and thus had to settle things in overtime, where Liam Akers headed home a goal from fellow junior Owen McShane off a corner kick with 5:06 to play in the first OT. Head Coach Stan Latkowski’s squad held Barlow at bay through the rest of the period, as well as the second 15-minute overtime, to walk off with its first state title since 1997 and its first outright crown since 1995 behind a 1-0 victory. It was a grueling, yet rewarding 110 minutes of soccer for the Tigers.
“We struggled early on in the game, but we found a rhythm and kept pressing them. Owen deserves a lot of credit because he placed the ball perfectly. It was a solid win and great way to end the year,” said Akers. “After the loss in states last year, we never wanted to experience that feeling again. We bought into the goal and made it our mission to knock the door down this year.”
Hand’s senior goalie Matt Parker made two saves for the shutout as the Tigers put together an excellent defensive effort. Hand finished the season with a record of 15-2-4, while Barlow went 10-5-5.
“We always practice that play and I’ve played with Liam a long time and knew he could make that run to the ball and then he had a helluva finish,” said McShane on the winning goal. “This last game was for the seniors and we hope to keep it rolling.”
The state final began as a back-and-forth contest, but the Tigers started gaining some offensive steam in the opening half’s last 10 minutes. Hand appeared to score the game’s first goal with 40 seconds to play, yet it was nullified because of offsides, and so the game went to halftime tied 0-0.
Following a scoreless second half, the Tigers had some chances on corner kicks in the first overtime session, including one when senior Johnie Gulcicek launched a laser from about three yards out that hit off the crossbar. Hand went on to earn another corner opportunity and made it count as McShane found Akers for the score that ultimately brought the state title back to Madison. Coach Latkowski felt it was Hand’s destiny to take home the championship this year, especially after his Tigers pulled off a crazy 4-3 double overtime win versus Wethersfield in the Class L quarterfinals.
“Matt Parker was excellent in goal. He was very confident and played well. John Hartmann was fantastic and our most improved player this year. John Ruggiero was excellent, as well. On the corner kick, Liam just timed it perfectly and it was a great goal. It was a good game. Barlow is well-coached and, for some reason, we always end up playing them. They know us and we knew they would make it hard for us,” said Latkowski. “This group was destined. I’ve been around this sport for 28 years and I’ve made comebacks in this sport, but the Wethersfield game was a game of destiny. We were down 1-0 and 2-1 before we tied it and then they went ahead 3-2 with 10 minutes left. We then scored to tie it with about a minute to go. Sometimes you need moments like that in state tournaments. They boys worked hard all year and weren’t going to be denied and walk off as co-champions.”
Following the victory, Coach Latkowski also sent out praise and thanks to his senior class that consists of captains Jake Brown, Drew Montgomery, and Gulcicek, along with Parker, Mathiew Broquet, Jackson Guay, Brian Lynch, Michael Quain, Bowman Rathe, and John Hartmann.
“This team has no superstar on it. They all get along very well and this group has a great foundation. This really was a team win,” said Latkowski. “They really deserved it and I’m so happy for them. We got the monkey off our backs. We had our ups and downs, but we stayed away from injuries and played our best soccer at the end of the year.”
In the Class L semifinal round, Hand took on No. 14 Guilford at Willow Brook Park in New Britain on Nov. 16. It was the fourth meeting between the two schools this fall and the Tigers were victorious by a 3-0 score to advance to the final. Brendan Wray assisted Brown for the first goal on Hand’s first shot on goal of the game with 22:18 before halftime. The Tigers increased their lead to two when Wray assisted Lee Wildermann’s goal about eight minutes into the second half. Wildermann added another with 10:50 to play to complete the victory. Guilford outshot Hand by a 10-8 margin with Parker making four saves.
From the Sidelines
Hand’s roster for the Class L State Tournament consisted of seniors Matt Parker, Mathiew Broquet, Jackson Guay, Jake Brown, Brian Lynch, Michael Quain, Johnie Gulcicek, Bowman Rathe, John Hartmann, and Drew Montgomery; juniors Liam Akers, Tyler Bennard, John Ruggerio, Nicholas Porte, Owen McShane, and Aidan Burke; and sophomores Clayton Knibbs, Thomas LaTorre, Trey Doktorski, Charles Sullivan, Ethan Gulcicek, Brendan Wray, and Lee Wildermann.
This was Hand’s fourth state championship and its fifth appearance in a state final. Hand lost to Wethersfield 4-0 in the Class L final in 1999, shared the Class L title with Woodstock Academy following a 0-0 tie in 1997, beat Farmington 5-1 to take the crown in 1995, and defeated Newtown 4-1 for the Class L championship in 1993.
The Tigers went 11-1-4 for the regular season and won their fifth-straight division title by taking SCC Housatonic Division crown. In the SCC Tournament, Hand took a 2-1 loss (3-2 in penalty kicks) to Guilford. As the No. 2 seed in the Class L State Tournament, the Tigers received a first round bye and then beat No. 15 Weston by a 4-2 final at home in second round action, defeated No. 10 Wethersfield 4-3 in double overtime in a home quarterfinal contest, and blanked No. 10 Guilford 3-0 in the semifinals at Willow Brook Park in New Britain. Hand finished with an overall record of 15-2-4