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09/23/2018 12:00 AMBoys’ Soccer
The Hand boys’ soccer squad won all three of its contests last week, including a pair of games in SCC Housatonic Division action. The Tigers notched victories against North Haven, Notre Dame-West Haven, and Shelton to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the division.
Hand kicked off its week by recording an 8-1 victory in North Haven in a Housatonic matchup on Sept. 17. Scott Testori scored four goals and also had an assist for the Tigers. Jason Wallack had a goal with three assists, Ethan Coe netted a pair of goals, Matt Cifarelli scored a goal, and Jack Wildermann, Ethan Gulcicek, Greyson McGeary, and Zach Cifarelli all added assists. The Tigers scored four goals in each half en route to outshooting North Haven by a 22-5 margin. Clayton Knibbs made four saves, while Dan Wehrle also saw time in goal for the Tigers.
Hand got out to great start when Testori flicked in a header from a Wildermann free kick for a quick 1-0 lead. Testori doubled his tally with a breakaway goal off an assist from a long pass out of the back by Gulcicek. Wallack then finished a goal off an assist from Testori to make it 3-0. Testori completed his hat trick before halftime as Wallack returned the favor and assisted Testori for the goal.
The second half saw North Haven convert a penalty kick in the early stages, before Hand responded with a goal from Matt Cifarelli off another Wallack assist, followed by a fourth goal by Testori off a third assist from Wallack. Coe capped off the win with two excellent finishes courtesy of assists by McGeary and Zach Cifarelli.
Three days later, the Tigers hosted Notre Dame-West Haven at the Surf Club and earned a 3-0 shutout. Wallack scored two goals that both came off assists from Lee Wildermann in the win. Testori netted a goal from McGeary to secure the victory. The Tigers outshot Notre Dame 17-4 and also earned 17 corners. Knibbs stopped three shots in net.
Hand broke a scoreless deadlock in the 28th minute, when Lee Wildermann fed Wallack for the game’s first goal. The Tigers held a 1-0 advantage at halftime. Wallack netted his second goal from Wildermann in the 58th minute to make it 2-0. Testori later scored on an assist from McGeary to give Hand a 3-0 advantage.
Then on Sept. 22, Hand had a home game against Shelton and prevailed 2-0. After a scoreless first half, Testori scored from Wallack to give Hand a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute. Six minutes later, Wallack scored on an assist by Cole Finke. Knibbs made five saves for another shutout.
The first half saw both squads get some scoring opportunities, although neither side was able to convert. Hand’s Jack Green denied the Gaels a goal by making a clearance on the goal line. Matt Cifarelli also cleared a ball off the goal line off a header on a Shelton corner. In the second half, the scoreless tie was finally broken on a brilliant volleyed goal from Testori on a Wallack assist. Wallack doubled the Tigers’ lead by sending a header over the Shelton goalie to make it 2-0 on an assist by Finke in the 60th minute.
Girls’ Soccer
The Tigers picked up victories against West Haven and Sheehan last week to improve their record to 3-0-1 for the year.
Hand was on the road to face West Haven for an SCC Hammonsset Division matchup on Sept. 20. The Tigers blanked the Blue Devils 2-0 to improve to 2-0 in the division. Chloe Silva scored two goals, while fellow junior forward Kayla Howard had two assists for Hand. Senior captain Tara Henry and sophomore forward Julia Kuhn both had one assist. Senior captain Morgan Lipford made four saves in goal.
After a long throw-in by junior defender Caroline Pfaff, Henry and Howard had a passing sequence inside the 18-yard box that connected to Chloe Silva, who hit a shot into the far-right post to give Hand a 1-0 lead at 9:47 of the first half. Hand sealed the game by netting an insurance goal at 73:40 of the second half. Kuhn delivered a pass to Howard, who slid a ball past two West Haven defenders to Silva, who buried a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal. Hand outshot West Haven 14-4 in the win.
Two days later, Hand hosted Sheehan at the Surf Club and recorded a 2-1 triumph. Junior defender Sam Riordan scored with 8:41 left in the game, after which Howard converted a penalty kick with 1:43 remaining to lead Hand to the come-from-behind win. Lipford made six saves for the Tigers.
Sheehan took a 1-0 lead at 18:21 of the first half. Late in the second half, Riordan headed the ball into the left side of the goal on a corner kick by senior captain Frankie Antoni to tie the game. Hand continued to press and was awarded a penalty kick. Silva attempted to head the ball to Kayla Howard, who was making a run behind two defenders, when a Sheehan defender stuck out her hand and blocked the pass. Howard converted the penalty kick by putting it past the Sheehan goalkeeper for a 2-1 advantage.
Volleyball
The Tigers won two of their three matches last week to improve to 3-4 on the season. Hand posted victories versus Sheehan and Sacred Heart Academy, before taking a defeat against Cheshire.
Hand started off its week by earning a 3-2 victory at Sheehan on Sept. 17. The Tigers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Titans behind final scores of 18-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23, and 15-10. Sara Wohlgemuth had 17 digs, Summer Adams and Emily Thornbury both posted eight kills apiece, and Allie Nelson added eight kills in the win.
The following day, the Tigers earned a 3-0 home victory against Sacred Heart Academy with scores of 25-22, 26-24, and 25-13. Kylie Corniello had 25 assists with five aces, Nelson recorded 10 kills and seven aces, and Olivia Coppola had seven kills and five blocks for Hand.
On Sept. 21, Hand lost a 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-22) decision at home versus Cheshire in an SCC Hammonasset Division contest. Nelson had 10 kills with two aces, Amy Akel provided seven digs, and Adams had six kills.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
The Tigers earned their second win of the season by defeating Mercy last week. Hand faced Mercy on the road and came away with a 95-83 victory at Wesleyan University on Sept. 17.
Hand’s 200 medley relay team of junior Kayla Mendonca, sophomore Ava Dougherty, junior Erin Reilly, and sophomore Ava Keane came in first place with a time of 1:58.80 at the meet. In the 200 freestyle, junior Ruby Redlich placed first (2:05.14) and sophomore Emma Ruffo took third (2:14.08). In the 200 individual medley, sophomore Abbi Chemacki took second place (2:24.90) and co-captain Gabriella Wira followed in third (2:31.72). Reilly and Keane took first and second place, respectively, in the 50 freestyle with their times of 26.86 and 27.00.
Mendonca finished first in the 100 butterfly (1:03.76), while Reilly placed third (1:09.24) for Hand. In the 100 freestyle, Redlich finished in first place (57.34) and Ava Keane took third (58.94). Co-captains Wira and Samantha Tuveson took first and second place, respectively, in the 500 freestyle with times 5:54.06 and 6:00.79. In the 200 freestyle relay, the Tigers’ team of Redlich, freshman Kacie Wines, Ruffo, and Keane placed first at 1:49.68. In diving, senior Mary Huminski finished first with 201.60 points, while senior Julia Bloomfield placed third with 179.55 points.
Other strong performances for Hand were put forth by Mendonca in the 100 backstroke (1:01.08) and Dougherty the 100 breaststroke (1:14.35). Hand’s 400 freestyle relay team of Redlich, Reilly, Chemacki and Mendonca had a strong showing by timing in at 3:54.34.
Football
Hand raised its record to 3-0 on the season by posting another convincing victory during Week 3 action. The Tigers hosted Hamden at the Surf Club and defeated the Green Dragons by the lopsided margin of 52-6 on Sept. 21.
Hand’s next game will take place at Harding at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Tigers moved to 2-0 this year by earning a home win over Shelton last week. Hand ran against Shelton at the Surf Club and notched a 23-32 victory versus the Gaels on Sept. 20.
Field Hockey
The Tigers saw a little bit of everything by coming away with a win, a tie, and a loss last week. Hand played Amity to a tie, earned a win versus Hamden, and then took a loss to Norwalk.
Hand started off its week by battling Amity to a 1-1 draw in a road game on Sept. 17.
Then on Sept. 21, the Tigers hosted Hamden and prevailed 6-1. Maeve Connors scored a goal to go with two assists, while Amy Woods netted a pair of goals for Hand, which jumped out to a 5-0 halftime advantage against the Green Dragons. Jacqui Sandor and Alison Lord both had a goal with an assist in the victory. Jacqui McKeown added a goal, and Anne Beccia contributed an assist for the Tigers, who saw Karen Newton make four saves in net.
The following afternoon, Hand lost a 4-0 contest against non-conference opponent Norwalk on the road.