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Morgan’s Soccer Squads March into State Semifinals

Boys’ Soccer

The Morgan boys’ soccer squad continued its quest to repeat as Class S State Tournament champions by claiming victory its first two games of the draw to advance to the semifinal round. The Huskies notched a 5-0 victory over Holy Cross and then defeated Canton by a 3-1 score in the quarterfinals to get back to the semis, while improving to 16-2-2 overall on the season.

One week after winning its second straight conference crown by taking the Shoreline title outright, Morgan entered the state tourney as the No. 4 seed and had a first-round bye. In the second round, the Huskies hosted No. 13 seed Holy Cross and blew out the Crusaders by a 5-0 margin at the Indian River Complex on Nov. 8. Morgan was powered by two goals apiece from senior David Saturno and junior Zach Tuccitto, along with a goal by senior Jhonnyer Paida. Saturno and Paida also provided assists in the win. Carter Skidmore had two assists, while junior Justin Castro added an assist for Morgan. Junior goalkeeper Nick Rubino made three saves for the Huskies, who bombarded Holy Cross with 28 shots on net.

Morgan opened the scoring in the 2nd minute of the game, when Saturno put one in the net on an assist from Paida for a 1-0 advantage. Tuccitto added to the lead by scoring a goal on an assist from Skidmore in the 34th minute. Two minutes into second half, Tuccitto scored his second goal off another helper from Skidmore to make it 3-0. Paida scored his goal on an assist from Saturno for a 4-0 advantage in the 48th minute. In the 57th minute, Saturno notched his second score on a helper from Castro.

Three days later, the Huskies went up against No. 12 seed Canton in a quarterfinal contest at the Indian River Complex. Morgan earned a 3-1 victory over the Warriors in a game where the final score was not indicative of the nail-biting nature of the matchup. Trailing by a goal with eight minutes remaining, the Huskies were spurred by goals from Saturno, Skidmore, and Tuccitto in a late flurry that resulted in a come-from-behind win. Saturno and Skimore also had assists in the victory.

Canton took a 1-0 lead in the first half by netting a breakaway goal. The score remained in the Crusaders’ favor until the 73rd minute, when Paida created a chance for Skidmore, who was fouled and awarded a penalty kick. Skidmore drove it home to tie the game at 1-1. Just a minute later, Saturno kicked a cross to the back post, and Skidmore headed the ball in to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead. Tuccitto scored a goal in the final minute of the game after Canton pressed an aggressive attack in a last-ditch effort to tie it up. After a ball was cleared to Skidmore, the senior passed the ball to Tuccitto, who beat a defender one-on-one and dinked the ball into the net for the 3-1 final.

Morgan plays 9th-seeded Notre Dame-Fairfield (12-3-4) in the Class S semifinals at West Haven High School at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14. A win in that match would give the Huskies their second consecutive trip to the Class S state final on Saturday, Nov. 17. If they reach the final, the Huskies would face the winner of No. 2 seed Litchfield and No. 6 seed Old Saybrook.

Girls’ Soccer

On the heels of claiming its first Shoreline Conference title since 2003, the Morgan girls’ soccer team kept the good times rolling by winning its first three games in the Class M State Tournament to reach the semifinals. The Huskies defeated Waterford (2-0), North Branford (2-1), and Nonnewaug (3-0) at the Indian River Complex last week and now stand with an overall mark of 17-1-3.

Morgan opened up the Class M bracket as the No. 5 seed and faced off against 28th-seeded Waterford for a first-round game on Nov. 5. The Huskies posted a 2-0 shutout victory against the Lancers behind goals from senior Grace Roman and senior captain Alyssa LeMay. Senior goalie Rebecca Cockley made two saves on the day for Morgan, which outshot Notre Dame 6-2 in a defensive game.

The Huskies took an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Roman that was assisted by LeMay at the 11:40 mark of the first half. After intermission, Morgan got some insurance with a goal from LeMay that was assisted by junior Alyssa Smith at the 67:14 mark.

Two days later, the Huskies matched up against No. 12 seed North Branford in a second-round contest at the Indian River Complex. Morgan defeated the Thunderbirds by a 2-1 final behind a goal and an assist from LeMay, as well as a goal by senior Chloe Bousquet. Cockley made three saves for the Huskies, who took eight shots on goal.

Morgan struck first on a goal by Bousquet off a helper from LeMay at the 25:44 mark of the opening half for a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, North Branford scored a goal to tie the game. Before the end of the first half, LeMay buried an unassisted goal to give the Huskies a 2-1 advantage. Morgan held off North Branford the rest of the way to advance to the quarterfinals.

On Nov. 9, the Huskies battled No. 13 seed Nonnewaug and scored a 3-0 victory in a quarterfinal game. Lemay, fellow senior Izzy Ranaudo, and sophomore Carley Schmidt scored Morgan’s goals in the win, while Smith contributed an assist. Cockley made four saves as Morgan outshout Nonnewaug 14-4.

LeMay was first on the score sheet by netting a goal off an assist from Smith 4:30 into the first half. The score remained 1-0 into the second half, when Ranaudo scored an unassisted goal at the 52:12 mark. Shortly before the final whistle, Schmidt hit one into the net to make it 3-0 with 1:41 left in the game.

The Huskies will play at top-seeded Lewis Mills (18-0) in the Class M semifinals at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12 at Falcon Field in Meriden. A win it that match would put Morgan in the final to face the winner of No. 10 seed Weston and No. 3 seed Plainfield on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Volleyball

The Huskies competed in the Class S State Tournament last week and took a 3-2 defeat against Immaculate in the first round at home on Nov. 5. With the loss, Morgan finishes its season with an overall record of 11-9.

Entering the tourney as the No. 12 seed, the Huskies matched up against No. 21 seed Immaculate on Nov. 5. The Mustangs took the first set of the match by a 25-19 score. Morgan fought back to even the contest at one set apiece with a 25-21 victory in the second set. Immaculate won the third set 25-20, before the Huskies fought back with a 25-11 win in the fourth set. Ultimately, the Mustangs took the final set by a 15-12 margin to come away with the victory.

Football

Morgan had a Pequot Conference Sassacus Division home game against Coginchaug/Hale-Ray/East Hampton at the Peters Complex on Nov. 10. The Huskies took a 26-18 loss to move to 3-6 overall and 2-5 in the division, while the Blue Devils improved to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in divisional play.

Up next for Morgan is its annual Thanksgiving Week contest against divisional rival Old Saybrook-Westbrook (4-4, 4-2). Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at the Peters Complex.