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10/15/2018 12:00 AMGirls’ Soccer
The Valley Regional girls’ soccer squad picked up a pair of recent victories by winning both of its contests last week. The Warriors defeated Hale-Ray and Old Saybrook in last week’s matchups and now stand with an overall record of 4-3-2 on the season.
On Oct. 8, Valley posted a 7-0 blowout over Hale-Ray at home. The game saw junior Ava Duval net a hat trick by scoring three goals in the span of three minutes for the Warriors, whose offense had a huge day by notching seven goals on just 12 shots. Valley scored its first goal midway through the first half, when sophomore Hanley Ferrucci knocked one in off an assist from senior Lexi Finnerty in the 20th minute. Within the very same minute, Ferrucci scored another goal, this time unassisted, to make it 2-0. Then in the 31st minute, freshman Sarah Cole scored off a helper from Duval to mark the end of the scoring in the first half as Valley took a 3-0 lead to the break.
Duval’s fireworks came in the second half, when she scored all three of her goals to get the hat trick. Duval scored her first goal in the 50th minute on an assist from Sam Calamari. Just a minute later, Duval put home another goal off a helper from junior Caroline Baldwin. Then in the 53rd minute, Duval scored off another Calamari assist to finish the hat trick and make the score 6-0 in favor of the Warriors. Valley’s final goal came in the 77th minute, when freshman Ellie Cost scored an unassisted goal for the 7-0 final. Junior goalkeeper Alexis DellaRocco made eight saves in the winning effort.
Head Coach Lloyd Warren felt that the victory gave the Warriors a big boost.
“It was a good game for the program,” said Warren. “ We got all of our p[layers in the game, both varsity and junior varsity, and that’s always nice.”
Three days later, the Warriors headed to Old Saybrook and earned a 3-1 victory over the Rams. Valley’s offense played aggressive by putting 19 shots on net, and that resulted in plenty of chances for the team to convert. The Warriors struck first with a goal from Calamari in the 17th minute off an assist from Cole. The goal gave Valley a 1-0 lead, and it was the only goal scored by either team during the first half.
In the 47th minute, freshman Taryn Frazier scored a goal on a helper from fellow freshman Madelyn Costello to make it 2-0. Then in the 58th minute, Lexi Finnerty added on with a goal that was assisted by Duval for a 3-0 advantage. Old Saybrook put a goal on the board in the 77th minute to make it 3-1. DellaRocco made six saves in the contest for Valley
Coach Warren felt encouraged by the effort that his squad put together last week. He hopes that this is a sign of things to come for his team during the home stretch of the season.
“We have some big games coming up against tough opponents like Morgan,” said Warren. “We’re on an upward trend and, if we can give it our best, we’ll have our opportunities.”
Boys’ Soccer
Valley Regional played a pair of games last week and came away with a win and a tie on the slate. After defeating Hale-Ray and playing Old Saybrook to a draw, the Warriors improved their record to 9-1-2 in the 2018 season.
On Oct. 9, the Warriors posted a 3-1 win on the road versus Hale-Ray. The Noises opened the scoring with a goal in the 20th minute to make it 1-0. Just two minutes later, Valley got on the board when senior Michael Dilger passed the ball into fellow senior Chris Morales, who scored the equalizing goal. With five minutes to go before halftime, sophomore Cameron Ruel scored a goal from eight yards out to make it 2-1. In the second half, the Warriors got their final score when Morales scored off another assist from Dilger. Senior vice captain goalie Charlie Haughton made five saves in the contest.
Then on Oct. 12, Valley hosted Old Saybrook, and the two teams played to a 2-2 tie on a wet and muddy field. The Warriors got out to a strong start by notching a goal just 50 seconds into the contest when sophomore Keenan Pindar made a pass off a corner kick to senior captain Sean Cole, who kicked it into the net for a 1-0 lead. Old Saybrook turned up the heat a bit during the rest of first half and eventually tied the game on an own goal by Valley Regional.
Old Saybrook scored again 11 minutes after intermission to take a 2-1 lead. However, Valley evened up the score by converting off another corner kick. This time, freshman Jake Burdick got the ball in the post, and senior Dan Hearn hit a ball that deflected off a Rams’ defender and into the net. The final minutes saw some solid opportunities for both squads, but neither team was able to come away with the victory. Haughton made six saves to help preserve the tie for Valley.
Volleyball
The Warriors played three matches last week and made it a winning week by grabbing a pair of victories. Valley took a loss to Cromwell, before defeating Old Lyme and North Branford later in the week. With these results, the Warriors now have a record of 4-11 on the season.
On Oct. 8, the Warriors hosted Cromwell and took a 3-1 loss. The Panthers won the first set 25-17, and then Valley came back with a 25-22 victory in the second set. Unfortunately, Cromwell won the final two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-22, respectively. Senior captain Emily Hutchinson supplied eight kills with one block, while fellow captain Maddy Just had seven kills, six aces, 15 receptions and two digs. Sophomore Ava Boyles notched six kills, seven receptions, and two digs for Valley. Senior Zoe Hollwedel provided 16 receptions and 24 digs, sophomore Alena Crosby had 24 assists, and junior Carlee Kirla recorded one block, one kill, and four digs.
Two days later, the Warriors were at Old Lyme, where they triumphed by a score of 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-21). Hutchinson had nine kills, one ace, one block, and two digs, while Just had nine kills, one ace, 11 receptions, and six digs in the win. Junior Reeve Fergueson served up an impressive six aces to go with nine digs and four receptions. Zoe Hollwedel posted 18 digs with six receptions, Crosby dished out 19 assists, and Kirla had four kills and two receptions for the Warriors.
On Oct. 12, Valley defeated North Branford in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-15) home contest to close out the week. Hutchinson tallied nine more kills to go with two aces, a block, and two digs, while Just provided five kills, one ace, 14 digs, and nine receptions. Fergueson had six aces, five digs, and seven receptions; Hollwedel recorded one ace, 14 receptions, and 15 digs; Crosby had 24 assists, two digs, and two aces; and Boyles provided six kills, two digs, and one reception for Valley.
Field Hockey
Valley played two games last week and took a pair of losses against some tough Shoreline Conference foes. The two defeats put the Warriors’ record at 6-3-1-1 on the season.
On Oct. 9, Valley headed to Old Saybrook and took a 2-0 loss against the Rams. Three days later, the Warriors continued their road trip by visiting North Branford, where they dropped a close 1-0 contest against the Thunderbirds.
Football
The Warriors had a bye week for Week 6 and are now preparing to play North Branford at home this week. Valley-Old Lyme enters the matchup with an overall record of 4-0. The Thunderbirds are bringing a record of 2-3 into their contest against the Warriors. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19 at Valley Regional High School.