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11/09/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Soccer
The Hand boys’ soccer team has advanced to the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament after winning its first two games in the draw. The Tigers earned a 2-0 win versus North Haven and then defeated Bristol Central by a 5-2 score in the quarterfinals last week.
Following a first-round bye, 3rd-seeded Hand hosted No. 19 seed North Haven in the second round of states and secured a 2-0 victory on Nov. 8. Jason Wallack scored a goal in the 58th minute, after which Lee Wildermann netted an insurance goal in the 79th minute for the Tigers. Hand outshot the Indians 10-7 and saw Clayton Knibbs make five saves in goal.
“Credit to North Haven tonight. They had a very good game-plan and were very organized, well-drilled, and it was difficult to play through their lines,” said Head Coach Greg Cumpstone. “In the end, we were able to make the break through because of some really good team play, resulting in several passing combinations, a cross, and a finish. We then had to weather a bit of a siege, and Clayton Knibbs was a giant in goal, making several key saves to preserve the lead.”
On Nov. 10, Hand hosted No. 22 seed Bristol Central and prevailed by the score of 5-2 in the Class L quarterfinals. Scoring goals for Hand in win the were Wildermann from Scott Testori, Trey Doktorski from Wilderman, Testori from Wildermann, Spencer Hartmann unassisted, and Greyson McGeary from Wildermann. The Tigers outshot Bristol Central 16-7 with Knibbs (5 saves) and Dan Werhle both playing goal in the victory.
"I am very happy with today's performance. We wanted to start fast, and the boys certainly did that today," said Coach Cumpstone. "Every single player was able to play today, and the whole team contributed nicely on the field today. Special praise must be reserved for Lee Wildermann, who got us off the mark today, before supplying a hat trick of assists to cement a man-of-the-match performance."
The Tigers, who have an overall record of 14-2-3, faced the winner of No. 2 seed Weston and No. 7 Wethersfield in the Class L semifinals on Nov. 14 (after press time). The winner of that semifinal game moves on to the final on Saturday, Nov. 17.
The Tigers, who have an overall record of 14-2-3, will face No. 7 Wethersfield in the Class L semifinals at Naugatuck High School at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The winner moves on to the final on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Girls’ Soccer
The Tigers’ girls’ soccer squad won three games in Class L State Tournament play last week to make its way to the semifinal round. Hand blanked Sacred-Heart Kaynor Tech (8-0) and defeated Woodstock Academy (4-1) in the first two rounds of states, after which the Tigers earned a 1-0 quarterfinal victory versus Pomperaug by winning the penalty-kick session, 3-1.
On Nov. 5, 13th-seeded Hand shut out No. 20 Sacred Heart-Kaynor Tech by an 8-0 score in the first round of states at home. Kayla Howard scored three goals and Chloe Silva scored two goals in the victory. Chloe Thompson, Francesca Antoni, and Alex Fischer each added a goal for the Tigers, who won the shots-on-goal battle by a wide 21-3 margin.
“We dominated the game from the start,” said Head Coach David Dikranian. “The girls came out really hungry and motivated, especially since we lost a close game against Amity in the SCC Tournament the week before. It was also great to see our younger players contribute and get a taste for the State Tournament.”
Two days later, Hand triumphed by a 4-1 final at No. 4 Woodstock Academy in a second-round contest. Howard scored an early goal the first half, and Silva scored early in the second half to help the Tigers take control of the game. Silva took a pass from Antoni and slotted a breaking Howard, who outran her defender then slid a ball into the right corner of the goal to give Hand a 1-0 lead just 1:28 into the game.
In the second half, Howard pounced on a loose ball on a corner kick and kicked it back out to Antoni, who one-timed it into the box, where Silva headed the ball into the left corner of the goal at the 4:13 mark. A little more than three minutes later, Antoni made it 3-0 when her corner kick curved into the near post of the goal. After that, Hayley Dean drove a ball to the near post and Thompson redirected it to Riordan, who put the ball into a wide-open goal for Hand’s fourth goal of the day. Goalkeeper Morgan Lipford made two quality saves in the second half to preserve the win.
“This was a very physical game. Both teams worked really hard. I thought we defended incredibly well, which was the key to the game, especially against a team that has some very dangerous players,” said Coach Dikranian. “Freshman Ella Skonieczny was outstanding for us. We had her mark their top player, who scored 19 goals this season. Ella did a great job shutting her down. Morgan made some key saves when needed. All in all, it was a real team effort.”
Then on Nov. 10, the Tigers were on the road to face No. 12 seed Pomperaug in the Class L quarterfinals. After the two teams remained scoreless through regulation and overtime, Hand and Pomperaug went to penalty kicks, where the Tigers prevailed by a 3-1 margin to advance to the semis. Tara Henry, Jillian Kottage, and Antoni converted the penalty kicks for Hand, which saw Lipford make two saves in net.
Hand, which is 12-4-4 overall, will face No. 16 seed Farmington (11-4-4) in the Class L semifinals at Middletown High School at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12. The winner advances to the final to face either No. 2 seed Tolland or No. 3 Waterford at Wethersfield High School on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Field Hockey
The Tigers’ field hockey team is heading back to the Class M State Tournament semifinals. Last week, Hand recorded shutouts versus Branford (3-0) and Pomperaug (1-0) in the first two rounds of the tourney to advance to the semis.
In the first round, the 7th-seeded Tigers defeated No. 10 seed Branford by a 3-0 score in a home game on Nov. 6. Anna Beccia scored two goals for Hand, while Kathryn Donahey netted the other goal in the game. Grace Hartmann and Jacqui Sandor had the assists on Donahey’s goal. Sandor and Maeve Connors assisted Beccia on her second goal of the game. Hand outshot the Hornets 8-5 and saw Karen Newton make five saves in net.
Two days later, Hand prevailed by a 1-0 score at No. 2 seed Pomperaug in the Class L quarterfinals. Erickson Richard scored the lone goal of the game to help the Tigers come away with the win.
Hand (13-5-2) will face No. 3 seed Guilford (17-2-1) in the Class L semifinals at Lyman Hall High School on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The winner moves on to the final to play the winner of No. 8 seed Sacred Heart Academy and No. 4 Avon on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Wethersfield High School.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Tigers saw their season come to a close in the opening round of the Class L State Tournament last week.
No. 22 seed Hand took a 3-1 defeat (25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 16-25) at No. 11 seed North Haven in the first round of states on Nov. 5. The Tigers finished their year with an overall mark of 10-12.
Football
The Hand football team improved to 9-0 with one game remaining in the regular season after earning a 50-14 home win over Wilbur Cross at the Surf Club on Nov. 9.
Colin McCabe ran 16 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns, while Jesse Lutz had nine rushes for 63 yards and two TDs for the Tigers. Phoenix Billings ran for a 39-yard touchdown in the victory.
Defensively, Brett Leckey had a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown for Hand. As a team, the Tigers recorded 18 tackles for a loss of yardage in the first half alone.
Hand is currently ranked in the No. 2 spot in the Class L State Playoff Rankings, having already secured a berth. After a bye week, the Tigers will finish the regular season when they host Guilford (5-3) at the Surf Club in the annual Thanksgiving Eve meeting between the teams at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21.