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11/18/2018 11:00 PMIt’s difficult enough to win two straight state titles, much less three in a row. However, the Hand boys’ soccer team accomplished the seemingly impossible by defeating Maloney in the Class L State Tournament final to secure the program’s third consecutive state championship.
The 3rd-seeded Tigers squared off against No. 17 seed Maloney in the championship game of the Class L State Tournament at Middletown High School on Nov. 18. Hand came away with a 1-0 victory versus the Spartans to earn the Class L three-peat and the program’s sixth state title overall.
Following a scoreless first half, sophomore Scott Testori netted the lone goal of the day off a corner kick from senior Greyson McGeary to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the game. Hand finished the 2018 season with an overall record of 16-2-3, having taken just one defeat since its third game of the campaign.
“These boys have shown a lot of poise throughout the year,” said first-year Head Coach Greg Cumpstone. “They’ve faced a lot of tests, but they’ve been tough and have trained hard, and it’s translated to success.”
Senior goalie Clayton Knibbs made one save on the afternoon to notch the shutout for the Tigers, who outshot Maloney (11-5-5) by a wide margin of 16-4 in the Class L final. Coach Cumpstone said that his team’s 1-0, double overtime loss versus Shelton in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals ultimately proved a positive for his squad, because it fueled the Tigers’ fire to go on another state title surge.
“We were wounded after that Shelton game. But we wanted to make that defeat right with a state title, which we did here,” said Cumpstone. “It’s been a combination of their technical skill and their willingness to never quit.”
To reach the Class L state final, the Tigers earned a 3-2 victory in double overtime against No. 7 seed Wethersfield 3-2 in the semifinal round on Nov. 14 at Naugatuck High School. After scoring a goal in the 41st minute, the Eagles held a 1-0 lead until there was 1:24 remaining in regulation, when senior Lee Wildermann evened the game by scoring on a free kick. Senior Trey Doktorski scored a goal to give Hand a 2-1 lead three minutes into the first overtime session. Wethersfield answered back by scoring a goal with 7:39 left in the second OT. Six minutes later, McGeary scored the game-winning goal for the Tigers, giving them a 3-2 lead.
Even though his team was on the brink of seeing its season end in the semis, Coach Cumpstone said the Tigers were determined to keep their campaign going and simply refused to lose.
“We talked about how talented Wethersfield was, and we were really impressed with the quality of team that we played. We were lucky to get a fantastic free kick, and we didn’t want to go out with a loss,” said Cumpstone. “I talked to them when we were down and, when they have that look in their eyes, you can tell they are a team of winners. They’ve worked really hard all season long with no days off.”
From the Sidelines
The Hand boys’ soccer team’s Class L State Tournament roster consists of senior captains Tom LaTorre, Charlie Sullivan, and Lee Wilderman; fellow seniors Dan Wehrle, Clayton Knibbs, Zach Cifarelli, Trey Doktorski, Matt Cifarelli, Finn Sheehan, Greyson McGeary, and Ethan Gulcicek; juniors Cole Finke, Ethan Coe, Jack Green, Miller Salvo, and Spencer Hartmann; sophomores Sean Burke, Matt Luongo, Scott Testori, Chris Porte, Jason Wallack, and Jack Wildermann; and freshman Lucas Vest.
Head Coach Greg Cumpstone finished his first season as the Tigers’ head coach. Cumpstone was assisted by varsity assistant Liam Isleib, JV Head Coach Doural Scott, freshman Head Coach Ryan Wallack, and goalkeeper coach Matt Thomas.
In the regular season, Hand finished with a record of 12-1-3, earning wins against Coginchaug (5-0), Prince Tech-University (9-0), North Haven (8-1 and 1-0), Notre Dame-West Haven (3-0 and 2-1), Shelton (2-0 and 3-2), Cross (2-1 and 3-0), Guilford (2-1), and Cheshire (2-0). The Tigers tied Cheshire (1-1), Xavier (2-2), and Guilford (1-1), while taking a 1-0 defeat to Xavier.
In the SCC Tournament, Hand took a 1-0, double-overtime loss to Shelton in the quarterfinals. For the Class L State Tournament, Hand earned a first-round bye and then defeated No. 19 seed North Haven 2-0 in the second round, No. 22 Bristol Central 5-2 in the quarterfinals, and No. 7 Wethersfield by a 3-2 score in double overtime in the semifinals, prior to facing Maloney in the final.
In Hand’s previous Class L state final appearances, the Tigers beat Newtown 4-1 in 1993, defeated Farmington by a 5-1 score in 1994, shared the title with Woodstock Academy in 1997 following a 0-0 tie, took a 2-0 loss against Wethersfield in 1999, defeated Barlow 1-0 in double overtime in 2016, and edged Masuk 2-1 in 2017.