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12/10/2017 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional boys’ soccer team put together a solid 2017 season that saw the Warriors post an overall record of 11-6-2 and finish in a three-way tie for second place in the Shoreline Conference. Valley went on to defeat Coginchaug in the Shoreline quarterfinals before losing to eventual co-champion Haddam-Killingworth in the semis. The Warriors also qualified for the Class M State Tournament this year.
Head Coach Mick Fearon felt his team’s success largely stemmed from a team-first approach on the part of the Warriors.
“When the kids come to Valley, we stress that it’s a team game. Yes, you have individuals who have talent, but it takes a whole squad to be successful,” said Fearon. “I think this year, just because the kids were such a good unit, it proved the kids were willing to work as a team. That’s why we were in the top four in the league. We’ve tried to develop the kids. We don’t just have 11 good players. We’ve got good ones off the bench.”
Coach Fearon said the Shoreline Conference was strong from top to bottom this year, but added that his athletes were prepared to face their stiff competition.
“There were no games that you could really say you were counting on a definite victory,” Coach Fearon said. “Even the teams that had tough records...they still played tough matches and had their results.”
Valley went up against some of the best teams the state, such as Morgan, which shared the Shoreline title with Haddam-Killingworth before winning the Class S state championship. Coach Fearon called the victory against the Huskies a pivotal one for the Warriors, who had a losing record at the time and needed to get on the right track.
“At that point, we were 2-3, and Morgan was undefeated...We managed to win that game 3-2,” said Fearon. “That was the jumpstart to giving the kids a morale boost. If we wanted to make it into the Shorelines, we needed to get a result against them. That was one of the big reasons we finished tied for second.”
During the slow start, Coach Fearon wasn’t sure how Valley would fare this year since the team had less seniors than in previous seasons. Although the early results were tough, the Warriors embarked on a run where they went 10 games without a loss, beginning with the Morgan victory.
“It was the first time we started 0-2 in a long time, then we had a good run after we went 10 games without losing a game,” said Coach Fearon. “We had a good run during the middle part of the season. It really gave the kids a lot of confidence to know they could compete and make it to Shorelines. It was our goal to represent the school in the Shorelines, and I think we surprised a few teams.”
One of the major reasons the Warriors were able to surprise those teams was the play of senior captain Adrian Sperzel. Sperzel scored nine goals and had four assists for the year en route to being named an All-Shoreline Conference First Team selection.
“He’s a four-year varsity player, and he’s a very steady player, Fearon said of Sperzel. “He’s our linchpin between the defense and the forwards. He plays year-round, and that really helps, having him on the field.”
Assisting Sperzel in his captain’s role was senior vice captain Kevin Baldwin, who took a major step forward this year. Baldwin earned the Sportsmanship Award after stepping up and moving to defense when the team needed him to.
“This was Kevin’s first year as a varsity player,” said Fearon said. “He played three straight in junior varsity. He stepped into the defense and had a strong season.”
It was a challenge for Fearon to piece together his defense this season since most of his defenders were new to varsity or new to the position. Ultimately, a few players slotted into the backfield and fared well, including junior Chris Cook, who made the All-Shoreline Second Team and won Valley’s Coach’s Award; and sophomore Cameron Frazier, who was All-Shoreline Honorable Mention. Fearon said both athletes showed how much they were willing to do for the good of their team this year.
“It was a completely new back line, and a lot of people that were at midfield last year. The two players, Chris and Cameron, they were midfielders and forwards before this season. They accepted that role for what was going to benefit the team the most. They sacrificed. They went from thinking about themselves and thought about the team,” Fearon said. “The whole back line really worked well together this year. We didn’t concede that many goals.”
Another reason why Valley didn’t concede many goals was the solid play of junior keeper Charles Haughton, who won the Warrior Award. Haughton was steady in the net after being the backup goalie last year, and Coach Fearon felt that he gave the team a big boost.
“He went from playing half the games last year to being the starting keeper,” said Fearon. “He had a great game against H-K in the Shorelines. When you have a keeper that’s very reliable, it just seems to settle everybody.”
The Warriors also received quality play from junior Michael Dilger, who received All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors with his 10 goals and six assists. Other key contributors included senior Charlie Ferrucci (7 goals, 5 assists), junior Sean Cole (2 goals, 9 assists) who earned All-Shoreline Honorable Mention; junior Dan Hearn (1 goal, 1 assist) who received the Warriors’ Most Improved Player Award; and senior Kevin Michel (3 goals, 4 assists), who moved to forward after serving as the JV goalie during the previous three seasons.
Valley was able to spread out its production among many players this season, including a few who came off of the bench to help keep the Warriors fresh.
“I think it helped us during most of the season. Other than a couple of injuries toward the end, we were healthy most of the season,” Coach Fearon. “That always helps. The team gets to play with each other more, and that’s always good.”
In terms of Valley’s future, Coach Fearon thinks it looks pretty bright. The Warriors relied on more underclassmen than normal this year, and Fearon hopes that experience can carry the team to more success in the years to come.
“A lot of kids are coming back. Then we have kids coming up from the JV team. We had a lot of underclassmen on the team this year,” Fearon said. “We had six sophomores and two freshman as a big part of the squad, which is only going to help the team in the future.”
From the Sidelines
• The Valley Regional boys’ soccer team’s varsity roster included senior captain Adrian Sperzel, senior vice captain Kevin Baldwin, and seniors fellow Kevin Michel, Charlie Ferrucci, and Zachary Stevens; juniors Logan Bellos, Sean Cole, Chris Cook, Michael Dilger, Charles Haughton, Dan Hearn, and Chris Morales; sophomores Evan Benson, Cameron Frazier, Sam Ocken, Baron Schafer, Ryan Shasha, Chris Sparaco, Dylan Sparaco, and Jaden Veiga; and freshmen Sam Heisel, Keenan Pindar, and Andrew Sherman.
• Head Coach Mick Fearon completed his 16th season at the helm of Warriors’ boys’ soccer team. He was assisted by coaches Bryant Ziobron and Dan Denegre. Coach Fearon thanked senior managers Jordana Castelli and Maya Gold, as well as the Valley Booster Club, Athletic Director Jeff Swan, and administrative assistant Alison King.
• The Warriors’ regular-season wins this season came against Hale-Ray (4-1), Amistad (8-0), Morgan (3-2), Westbrook (8-0), East Hampton (4-0, 2-1), Old Lyme (2-1), North Branford (2-0), Portland (4-0), Coginchaug (1-0). Valley also tied Cromwell (1-1) and Haddam-Killingworth (2-2).
• The Warriors defeated Coginchaug 6-3 in the Shoreline Conference Tournament quarterfinals and then took a 1-0 loss to Haddam-Killingworth semifinals. In the Class M State Tournament, 14th-seeeded Valley lost to the No. 19 seed Tolland, 4-2.