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09/16/2018 12:00 AMThe Morgan boys’ soccer team appears to be track for another successful season in 2018. After winning the Class S state title and claiming share of the Shoreline Conference title last year, the Huskies are hoping to defend their crowns with a shuffled roster this fall. Morgan graduated several key players from last season, including Class S final Most Valuable Player Juan Avila, All-State goalie Anes Gadun, and All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention Tyler Newfield. The good news is that the Huskies have several athletes stepping up thus far this year and are sporting a 4-0 record as a result.
Last week, the Huskies posted wins against Coginchaug (5-2), East Hampton (2-1), and Norwich Free Academy (4-0). Head Coach Ross Demay thinks that the struggles his team went through during the preseason gave the Huskies an edge when the regular season started. Still, Demay knows that Morgan has room to improve.
“We’re growing. Not doing well in the scrimmages humbled us and set a directive on where we want to go and what we’re working towards,” said Demay, who’s in his sixth season with Morgan. “We had some key players out, but we still need to get a bit better.”
On Sept. 11, Morgan scored a 5-2 road win against Coginchaug. The Huskies got on the board early with a goal from junior attacker and last year’s leading scorer, Zach Tuccitto, on an assist from sophomore Sean Cafferty at the 10-minute mark. Morgan held a 1-0 edge at halftime.
Senior David Saturno scored a goal in the 47th minute on a Tuccitto assist to put Morgan up 2-0. Coginchaug came back with a pair of goals to tie the game, but then Tuccitto scored the go-ahead goal in the 66th minute on a helper from Saturno. Tuccitto returned the favor by assisting on Saturno’s goal at the 70-minute mark to make it 4-2. Senior Jhyonner Paida put the cherry on top by scoring a goal in the 71st minute on another assist from Saturno. Junior goalie Nick Rubino made one save in net in the winning effort.
Coach Demay felt happy to come away with the win, but indicated that the Huskies need to convert more of their scoring opportunities.
“In the Coginchaug game, we were up 2-0, and then they came back and tied it. We could have had a bit more on offense, but we missed on several breakaways toward the end of the game,” Demay said. “That’s where finishing better comes in. We start doing that, and we’ll be alright.”
Three days later, Morgan faced East Hampton and triumphed by a 2-1 score on a muddy field. East Hampton scored first by converting a penalty kick midway through the first half. In the second half, Tuccitto knotted the game up at 1 with goal that was assisted by fellow junior Josh Kennedy. The Huskies went ahead for good with a goal from Saturno on an assist from Tuccitto.
The Bellringers’ field made for some difficult conditions, although Coach Demay felt proud of his squad for rising to the challenge to defeat East Hampton.
“East Hampton only really had a couple of shots on goal, and their only score was a PK. The field was just so wet, we couldn’t get our footing at all,” said Demay. “We had 70 percent of the possession for most of the game. We would slip when we went to shoot it, and they would then be there to block it. Their goalie made some nice saves. If we see them again, it will be in the tournaments and, hopefully, we’ll be on our turf, and that will make a difference.”
On Sept. 15, the Huskies won their home opener against Norwich Free Academy behind a 4-0 shutout. Morgan was spurred by two more goals each from Tuccitto and Saturno. Tuccitto scored in the ninth minute on a helper from Paida and netted another five minutes later with an assist by sophomore Max Skidmore. Saturno notched his two goals in the second half. Tuccitto assisted on the first one in the 50th minute and, eight minutes after that, Saturno scored his final goal on a free kick. Rubino stopped one shot for the clean sheet.
Demay thought his team turned in its best performance of the young season in the victory.
“Against Norwich, we played better. We finished our opportunities better,” he said. “I think they are a bit stronger than East Hampton, but we were on our home field. We had better footing, and we were able to find each other better on the attack.”
Morgan’s defense played strong throughout the week. Senior captain center back Jack O’Sullivan is taking well to his leadership role in the backfield, as well as off the pitch. Coach Demay feels that O’Sullivan is one of the top stoppers in the Shoreline Conference
“Our center back, Jack O’Sullivan, has been preventing a lot of shots. The rest of the defense is coming along,” said Demay. “Jack is just one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. He stepped up a lot leading the team in their fitness over the spring and summer, too.”
Senior Calvin Jackson is sharing the captain’s duties with O’Sullivan. Jackson was limited during the preseason due to injury, but has been getting into games and leading from the sidelines, as well. Coach Demay appreciates the way Jackson has embraced his captain’s duties, even when he wasn’t able to get on the field.
“Jackson has taken a good leadership role with team,” Demay said. “He’s been to everything this season, including practices. He just couldn’t always compete.”
As a fresh campaign gets underway, Morgan is proving a formidable opponent for its Shoreline Conference foes, while getting used to a bit of a different style and system. Demay believes that as long as the Huskies keep working at it and stay healthy, they have a chance to make another deep postseason run in 2018.
“We modified our system a bit based on our players this year. We’re defending a bit differently, said Demay. “We don’t have those guys that can just sprint the entire game anymore. It seems to be working while the players are working at it.”
From the Sidelines
The Morgan boys’ soccer team’s varsity roster includes senior captains Calvin Jackson and Jack O’Sullivan; fellow seniors Sean Fitzgerald, Jonathan Hicks, Matt Koziy, Jacob McHenry-Kron, Nicholas Muratori, Jhonnyer Paida, Andrew Passante, Ford Pender, David Saturno, Carter Skidmore, and Matthew Zoner; juniors Justin Castro, Andrew Daly, Kyle Gagliardi, Matt Gardner, Alex Kadlof, Josh Kennedy, Nate Rice, Nick Rubino, Ethan Tessman, and Zach Tuccitto; sophomore, Manuel Romero and Maxwell Skidmore; and freshman Tyler Mucha.
Head Coach Ross Demay’s coaching staff features assistant coaches Antonyo Serrano and Marc Ferace.
In the 2017 Shoreline Conference Tournament, Morgan beat Cromwell 6-1 in the quarterfinals, defeated Old Saybrook 2-0 in the semis, and then played to a 1-1 tie with Haddam-Killingworth in the final to share the title with the Cougars.
In last year’s Class S State Tournament, the 5th-seeded Huskies earned a first-round bye and then defeated No. 21 seed Thomaston 4-1 in the second round, scored a 2-1 win over 13th-seeded Cromwell in the quarterfinals, and defeated No. 1 seed Old Saybrook 2-1 (3-2 in PKs) in the semifinals, prior to blanking Somers by a 4-0 score in the championship game for the team’s first state title since 1964.