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09/18/2017 12:00 AMBoys’ Soccer
The Hand boys’ soccer team took on SCC opponents Xavier and Amity last week and posted wins over both of them to stay undefeated early in the year. The Tigers took down Xavier 3-1 on Sept. 12 and then improved to 3-0 with a 3-1 victory over Amity on Sept. 14.
Facing Amity, Hand’s goals were scored by Jason Wallach, senior tri-captain John Ruggiero, and senior tri-captain Owen McShane. Senior goaltender Tommy Hobin only faced one shot in the second half. The Tigers were down 1-0 just 49 seconds into the game after a penalty kick by Amity, but the Tigers stormed back by scoring three unanswered goals.
“The boys showed a lot of character and heart today. Giving up a goal 49 seconds in on the road can be disastrous, but not to this team,” said Head Coach Stan Latkowski.
Girls’ Soccer
Hand took on Amity and East Haven last week and recorded two strong wins to stand at 2-1 overall with a record of 1-0 in SCC Quinnipiac Division. The Tigers scored their first win of the year by a 2-1 final over Amity on Sept. 12. Hand then routed East Haven 8-1 on Sept. 15.
Hand outshot Amity 11-8, while Morgan Lipford made seven saves in net for the Tigers. Hand’s first goal came from Taylor Scully on an assist by Riley Kokoruda of 34:40 of the second half. Scully found the back of the net again off an assist by Chloe Silva with 29:40 left in the game.
“It was a hard-played game and an all-around team effort. We played a very physical yet clean game, but the key to the game was our composure and ability to control the ball,” said Head Coach David Dikranian. “Even though it was a great team effort, I was very happy with how well Francesca Antoni played. She worked really hard and won a lot of balls for us in midfield. I was also impressed with defender Hannah Martin, who was switched from center back to outside back and was really solid for us. Probably one of the best games I’ve seen her play.”
Facing East Haven, Kayla Howard tallied two goals, and Kokoruda scored from just beyond 25 yards out to lead Hand to the win. Jillian Kottage scored two goals, plus Tara Henry and Viv Mazzarella each added two assists. Scully, Caroline Pfaf, and Sophie Cohen also netted tallies for the Tigers. Lipford stopped all three shots that she faced as Hand outshot the Yellowjackets 18-3.
“East Haven was really organized and played hard. [First-year Yellowjackets’ Head Coach Jake Hackett] has done a good job with them in a short period of time,” said Dikranian. “They got one on us early, but we eventually wore them out with our speed and athleticism. We have a lot of players who are hungry and competing with each other for playing time, so I’m not surprised we exploded for a lot of goals.”
Field Hockey
Hand took on a SCC opponent and a non-conference foe last week, emerging with a win and a tie to stand at 2-0-1 on the year.
The Tigers defeated Lauralton Hall 4-0 and then played to a 0-0 draw with unbeaten Darien, which had defeated its first three opponents by a combined 22-0 margin. Kylie Gargiulo made eight saves in the cage against Darien as Hand outshot the Blue Wave 8-5.
Football
The Tigers traveled to familiar foe Shelton on Sept. 15 and took a 21-19 defeat. The Tigers were down by two points with 2:47 remaining in the game after an 8-yard touchdown rush by Will Reiner, but they were stopped on the 2-point conversion, and wound up dropping to 1-1.
In the first quarter, Phoenix Billings threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Chris Bartosic to put Hand up 6-0. The Gaels (1-1) responded on a 75-yard TD toss to go ahead 7-6. Bartosic and Billings later connected for a 28-yard touchdown pass as Hand went up 13-7. Shelton followed scored two straight trips to the end zone on a 79-yard run and 65-yard pass to lead 21-13 heading to the fourth quarter. In the final frame, Reiner ran one in to get the Tigers within two before Shelton stopped Hand’s 2-point try and hung on for the 21-19 win.
Hand next travels to Hamden on Friday, Sept. 22 with the kickoff at 7 p.m.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Hand began its regular season with a meet against Lyman Hall last week. The Tigers posted a 95-90 victory over the Trojans on Sept. 12.