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12/22/2016 11:00 PMThe 2016 fall season in North Branford featured two new head coaches for the Thunderbirds, while another coach reached postseason play for the first time in his tenure with the team. That coach was Pat Kozloski, whose girls’ soccer squad won 10 games and advanced to the Shoreline Conference final.
Girls’ Soccer
The process continued working for the Thunderbirds’ girls’ soccer squad as Head Coach Pat Kozloski guided North Branford to its first postseason appearance in his fourth year with the program.
North Branford finished the year at 10-4-6, reached the Shoreline Conference Tournament final, and never allowed more than two goals in a game. North Branford beat Old Saybrook 2-1 and Cromwell 2-1 in overtime on a goal by freshman Lexi Rosado to reach the Shoreline final, where the team took a 1-0 loss to Old Lyme. After that, the T-Birds hosted a first round game in the Class M State Tournament and saw their season end with a 2-0 loss to East Catholic. Sophomore Allie Augur had a great year in net as the team's goalkeeper and earned New Haven Register All-Area honors.
Boys’ Soccer
Brett Gagliardi stepped in as the new head coach for North Branford this fall and T-Birds finished with a 4-8-4 record.
The season marked a step in the right direction for the Thunderbirds, but unfortunately, a 1-0 loss to Montville in their final game put them one victory shy of making the Class S State Tournament.
Football
North Branford compiled a record of 6-4 in a rebuilding season this fall and played its best football down the home stretch.
It was a year that introduced a new tradition for the Thunderbirds as the team’s Thanksgiving opponent was changed from Hyde to Coginchaug. North Branford won the inaugural Battle of Rt. 17 by rallying for a 28-22 victory over the Blue Devils. Dillon Blake had the largest impact for North Head Coach Mark Basil’s squad as he played seven different positions and totaled eight touchdowns on the campaign.
Field Hockey
The T-Birds wrapped up their season with a record of 13-4-1, reaching both the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament.
In the Shoreline Tournament, North Branford was defeated in the semifinals, 3-2, by eventual winner Westbrook. Head Coach Babby Nuhn’s club then took a 5-1 defeat at Granby in the second round of states following a first round victory over conference foe Valley Regional. North Branford’s offense was led by Sydney Hogan, who scored 27 goals.
Volleyball
North Branford finished at 6-14 with new Head Coach Cera Orner this year.
The Thunderbirds enjoyed a nice stretch of games in the middle of the season by winning three out of four. North Branford finished the year with a 3-0 victory over Wilcox Tech on Senior Night.
Boys’ Cross Country
North Branford’s highlight came at the Shoreline Conference Championship, which the Thunderbirds hosted at Totoket Park.
At the conference meet, Michael Madoule claimed third place on the North Branford 5K Cross Country Course Top-Seven Record Plaque by running a time of 18:20.4.
Girls’ Cross Country
The T-Birds added a new athlete to the North Branford 5K Cross Country Course Top-Seven Record Plaque this fall.
Mackenzie Glenn attained that honor as she took the fourth-place spot behind a time of 23:30.9 when North Branford hosted the Shoreline Conference Championship.