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11/19/2017 11:00 PMThe Hand boys’ soccer squad ended its regular season in a small slump by going winless in its last three games and dropping its finale. However, that was the last time the Tigers saw defeat in 2017 as they embarked on a postseason run that saw them win the SCC Tournament title and, more recently, their second straight Class L state championship.
Hand finished the regular season with an 0-2-1 stretch, but then won all three of its games in the SCC Tournament to take the title. Then in the Class L State Tournament, the 10th-seeded defending champion Tigers won four games to get back to the final for a showdown with No. 4 seed Masuk. Facing the Panthers in the championship clash, Hand captured the Class L state crown for the second year in a row by posting a 2-1 victory at West Haven High School on Nov. 18.
Senior Nicholas Porte and freshman Scott Testori scored both of the goals for the Tigers during the first half against Masuk. Testori headed in the game-winning goal to break a 1-1 tie 13 minutes into the game and was named the most valuable player of the Class L final.
“Winning the state championship is an honor. Our captains and coaches pushed us through, day in and day out, and the hard work and determination paid off with this win,” said Testori, whose team finished the season with a record of 19-3-2. “Winning the MVP and scoring the goal was a great honor, as well. The goal came early, and we all held on to the lead as a team and saw it through. The defense held up and played great, along with our goalkeeper Tommy Hobin, who has saved us in a few games.”
Hobin made five saves in net on the day for the Tigers. Senior captain Owen McShane, who assisted on both of Hand’s goals, said it’s an unbelievable feeling that the Tigers climbed to the top of the Class L mountain once again.
“Someone should buy the rights to our story and make a movie. This was a unique season. We never lost sight of our goal to repeat as state champions,” McShane said. “I know I speak for the seniors when I say it is difficult to leave such a great program. Last year, we played in the finals for the seniors, but this year was different, because we played this game for [interim Hand Head Coach Anthony Mancini, Sr.] and the whole Hand soccer program. Everyone, from the enthusiastic bench to the greatest student section to the parents that kept us in every game helped us achieve our goal. Thank you to everyone who believed in and supported us. A shout-out goes to our ‘Bench Mafia.’”
Hand wasted little time getting ahead of Masuk. Three minutes into the contest, McShane launched a corner kick that Porte headed home for a 1-0 advantage. Masuk (20-3-1) knotted it up just two minutes later when Ryan Winkler scored the equalizer on a direct shot. Eight minutes later, the Tigers took a lead they would never relinquish when Testori’s header gave them a 2-1 edge with 27:27 remaining in the opening half. That turned out to be the final score of the game as the Tigers came away with their fifth state championship in program history.
“It was a hard-fought game, and Masuk is a heck of a team and deserved to be there. That [game-winning] goal was a free kick by Owen. He was trying to get the ball through their line of defense,” Coach Mancini said. “Scott is only a freshman, but he’s scored somewhere between nine or 10 goals for us. He’s good with his head in the air and knows how to finish. We’ve been good on set plays all year, and that was where our two goals came from.”
In the aftermath of the victory, Coach Mancini couldn’t say enough good things about the resolve of his squad—starting at the top with a trio of stellar captains who used both their actions and words to help their teammates persevere through any adversity this season.
“It’s been a storybook year for us with how it finished,” said Mancini. “These boys came together and believed in each other. They rallied around each other and supported the coaching staff. This is 100 percent about them. The three captains [Owen McShane, John Ruggiero, and William Akers] are the finest young men you’ll ever meet. They are the hardest-working players.”
Although his team struggled a bit at the end of the regular season, Coach Mancini praised the Tigers for how they turned the corner and kicked it into another gear once they stepped into the playoff spotlight.
“A number of players regrouped and stepped up their play to another level. My approach to coaching them was simply that they knew how to play soccer, and I was there to guide and support them,” he said. “The win in overtime against Hamden [in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals] gave them the belief that they could do it again. They realized the goal ahead and wanted it so badly. They knew what it meant to them, to me, and the school.”
In the semifinals on Nov. 13, the Tigers faced rival and No. 3 seed Guilford and defeated the Indians 1-0 at West Haven High School. Six minutes into the game, McShane scored off a direct kick from junior Lee Wildermann to give the Tigers the only goal they would need. Hobin posted his third shutout of states in goal for Hand, which outshot Guilford 5-4 in a hard-fought battle.
• The Hand boys’ soccer team’s Class L State Tournament roster consisted of senior captains Owen McShane, William Akers, and John Ruggiero; fellow seniors Tyler Bennard, Aidan Burke, Ian Frankel, Nicholas Porte, Thomas Hobin, Michael Card, and Travis Taylor; juniors Clayton Knibbs, Thomas LaTorre, Trey Doktorski, Matthew Cifarelli, Lee Wildermann, Charles Sullivan, Greyson McGeary, and Ethan Gulcicek; sophomores Cole Finke, Nick Newman, Jack Green, Ethan Coe, Spencer Hartmann, and Miller Salvo; and freshmen Scott Testori, Jason Wallack, and Matthew Luongo.
• Hand went 11-3-2 for the regular season and won the SCC Housatonic Division title with a record of 7-0-1 in divisional play. The Tigers defeated Hamden (2-1 and 3-0), Xavier (3-1 and 3-0), Amity (3-1 and 4-0), Law (4-1 and 2-0), Sheehan (2-1 and 1-0), and Branford (6-0). Hand also took losses to Guilford (1-0 and 2-1) and Branford (2-1) and earned two ties against Fairfield Prep (2-2 and 1-1).
• In the SCC Tournament, Hand defeated Hamden 1-0 in the quarterfinals, bested Shelton 4-1 in the semifinals, and then topped Fairfield Prep 4-2 in the final. For the Class L State Tournament, the Tigers beat Lyman Hall 8-1 in the first round, Barlow 3-0 in the second round, Maloney 3-0 in the quarterfinals, Guilford 1-0 in the semis, and Masuk 2-1 in the final.
• This marked Hand’s sixth appearance in a state final with each of them coming in Class L. Hand bested Newtown 4-1 in 1993, beat Farmington 5-1 in 1995, shared the title with Woodstock Academy after a 0-0 tie in 1997, took a 2-0 loss to Wethersfield in 1999, and defeated Barlow 1-0 in double overtime last fall.