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11/09/2018 11:00 PMThe Guilford boys’ soccer team was one of the hottest squads in the Southern Connecticut Conference during the second half of the regular season and then took that momentum into the playoffs. Although the Indians were eliminated in the second round of states last week, they still claimed a convincing victory in their first game of the tourney and finished their year with a winning record of 9-7-3.
After taking a 6-3 loss to Shelton on Oct. 5, interim Head Coach Curtis Gullette’s club went undefeated in its last six regular-season games for a mark of 8-5-3 and a berth in the SCC Tournament, where Guilford took a 2-1 loss to top-seeded Xavier. Despite having a 10-day layoff between SCC and State tournament play, Guilford didn’t skip a beat when it entered the Class L bracket last week. On Nov. 6, the 15th-seeded Indians opened the draw by posting a 6-0 shutout against No. 18 seed Torrington in a first-round home game. Guilford then traveled to No. 2 seed Weston for a second-round matchup on Nov. 8. Weston claimed a 1-0 victory after winning the deciding penalty-kick session by a 4-3 margin.
In the win versus Torrington, senior Eric LePeak had a hat trick for the Indians, who also received goals from senior Nick Palumbo, senior captain Braden Stephens, and sophomore Aidan Buchanan. Senior captain goalie Ian Slattery picked up the shutout in net for Guilford, which scored five goals in the first half on its way to the rout.
“That was a solid win, and starting states like that after a break was a huge benefit for us,” said Coach Gullette. “Scoring early let us know that we still got it. It also helped us rest some guys after getting a big lead. Our mentality has been just one game at a time.”
Gullette said that inclement weather put a damper on the Indians’ plans to stay sharp in the days leading up to states. However, the coach added that his team adjusted nicely by heading indoors to get in some pivotal practice reps.
“The rain didn’t help, and we had a scrimmage against Coginchaug get rained out. But we did some competitive drills and had indoor practices in our gym,” said Gullette. “We had five-on-five drills, and we tried to instill in them that when you step on the field, you have a purpose and the main focus is to look to win.”
Coach Gullette feels that Stephens and Slattery have played an invaluable role as Guilford’s captains this year. Gullette said that both athletes are great role models off of the field and great leaders on it.
“They both possess the same qualities,” he said. “They know how to set good examples through things like being the first ones to practice and the last to leave. They also bring experience as seniors that have played the majority of the last three years as starters.”
Stephens and Slattery made the All-SCC Quinnipiac Division Team for the Indians this year, as did LePeak and Buchanan. LePeak also made the All-SCC First Team, while Slattery earned a spot on the Second Team.
Coach Gullette believes that the challenge of playing in the SCC throughout the regular season helped the Indians get ready for the postseason this year. Gullette said the Indians’ second-half surge stemmed from the fact that his athletes stepped up their aggressiveness on the pitch.
“Playing in the SCC makes you battle-tested. You play tough teams all year long in the SCC and, whether you win or lose, you learn from each game. We dominated the first half of the [SCC quarterfinal] against Xavier, but then we ran out of steam, which was a learning opportunity for us. There are also a lot of Class LL and L teams in the SCC, so that helps for states,” said Gullette. “In the second half of the season, we were just being more aggressive and proactive on plays. Those little things added up, and they bought into that. They banded together as a team, and it’s apparent on the field.”