This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/16/2017 11:00 PMDespite dealing with injuries to several key contributors, the Valley Regional girls’ soccer squad still put together a respectable season that featured four wins, six ties, and a berth in the Class M State Tournament.
The Warriors had modest expectations coming into Head Coach Lloyd Warren’s second year at the helm. Warren knew his squad could compete with any team on any given night, but he also felt the Warriors needed some fine-tuning before they could become one of the top soccer clubs in the Shoreline Conference.
“Coming into the season, the expectations weren’t championship or anything like that, but we tried to approach it game by game, and understand that we weren’t going to be the strongest in the division, but we could be a strong, tough team to beat,” said Coach Warren, whose team finished at 4-7-6 overall. “We approached it with less pressure on the players to win, but have good individual games, and set ourselves up to have the best opportunities to win on a given night.”
The Warriors were undefeated until their seventh game of the season on the strength of a strong defense lead by senior captains Sydney Suedmeier and Bonnie Caulfield. With them in the backfield and junior Lexi Finnerty in net, Valley’s opponents often had trouble getting their offense going. However, Valley also saw some struggles on the offensive end this year. The Warriors had talented players on the attack, but they were mostly an inexperienced bunch, and this led to an abundance of tie games through the first half of the campaign.
“The first couple of weeks of the season, we didn’t see a lot of wins, and more ties,” said Coach Warren. “Against Cromwell, it felt like a victory when we tied them, because they are always a top team in the conference. Then we went to H-K and tied again, and it felt like a loss, because we could not score. At least four games in the conference were winnable, and that didn’t materialize.”
So while the Warriors were trying to find their groove, they did some soul searching and eventually came to the conclusion that they were either going to win games or lose games and leave the ties behind. That led to a more aggressive strategy where Coach Warren took Finnerty out of goal and put her on the attack, and it worked for a time as the Warriors’ offense picked up. Unfortunately, Valley wound up losing Finnerty to an injury in the latter half of the season.
“That was it. We were already in a position where we tied four games at that point. The girls said, ‘Well, we either are going to win or lose. We don’t want to keep tying with everybody.’ Lexi gave us a lot of attacking presence,” said Warren, who saw Finnerty net two goals in five games. “She was one of our quickest players. She’s a smart athlete. When we ended up losing her, it made me really have to reevaluate the line up.”
After further consideration, Coach Warren decided he would move Suedmeier out of the backfield to provide a veteran presence up front. The move seemed to pay off as Suedmeier netted three goals in just three games at the position on her way to making the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team. Coach Warren saw the versatility of both of his captains as Suedmeier adjusted to her unfamiliar role, while Caulfield picked up the slack in the back and ultimately came away with All-Conference Honorable Mention. Warren considered himself lucky to have the opportunity to work alongside such quality captains.
“Sydney Suedemier was our strongest player. She really did a great job, and the difference between her and Bonnie is she’s more of a silent leader. The players would look to her to show them how it’s done, while Bonnie was the communicator; she would get the girls ready to go. She was more of my voice on the field,” Warren said. “The two of them, the way they played the game, they would always leave it all on the field. They represented the captaincy very well. They had the qualities that any coach wants to see in their program.”
Leading the Warriors’ young group of strikers this year was sophomore Ava Duval, who netted six goals on the season. Coach Warren feels Duval has a bright future, and that she will undoubtedly get better with time. Duval plays soccer outside of high school and, with her constantly getting more experience, he believes that she will flourish.
“There were moments throughout the season where she created fantastic chances for herself,” said Warren of Duval. “I feel she even could have doubled her six goals. As a sophomore, she has so much room to grow for next year. She works so well with other players. She’s a smart player, and she’s trying to improve.”
Looking back at this season and ahead to the next one, Coach Warren is sad to see his senior athletes move on. However, he’s also excited about the incoming class of freshmen and is eager to see the progression of his returnees. The Warriors look to have a bright future with returning players like junior Lauren Salbinski, who made All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention; and fellow junior Kelli Schaefer, who took over the goaltending duties after Finnerty moved to the field. Coach Warren is looking for Valley to become more of a force in the Shoreline Conference in 2018.
“It wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but it was an enjoyable year,” Coach Warren said. “I’d like to thank the seniors. I’ve worked with them a long time. It was nice to see them through the program, and I look forward to what the future holds. We have work to do.”
From the Sidelines
The Valley Regional girls’ soccer team’s varsity roster for the 2017 campaign consisted of senior captains Sydney Suedmeier and Bonnie Caulfield; seniors Lily Ball, Katerine Burr, Isabel Hosley, Kayleigh Johnson, Jillian Ocken, Kylie Papoosha, and Rachel Trezza; juniors Lexi Finnerty, Alexandra Ruel, Lauren Salbinski, and Kelli Schaefer; sophomores Lauren Allen, Jeni Caulfield, Alexis DellaRocco, Ava Duval, Celia Ghilani, and Sam Calamari; as well as freshmen Alexandra Hosley, Madelyn Costello, and Hanley Ferrucci.
Valley’s victories came against Fitch (3-2), Westbrook (5-0), Coginchaug (3-2), and Plainfield (2-1 in OT). The Warriors also earned ties versus Cromwell (0-0), Haddam-Killingworth (0-0), Old Saybrook (0-0), Morgan (2-2), Portland (0-0), and North Branford (0-0).
The Warriors were the No. 26 seed in the Class M State Tournament and took a 3-0 loss to No. 7 seed Rocky Hill in the first round.