This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/06/2019 12:00 AMField Hockey
The T-Birds’ field hockey team remained undefeated by winning both of its games last week and has still not allowed a goal this season. North Branford improved to 8-0 with its recent victories versus Westbrook and Haddam- Killingworth, while clinching a berth in the Class S State Tournament in the process.
On Oct. 2, North Branford hosted Westbrook in the team’s annual Play for a Cure Game. The Thunderbirds’ field was decorated with pink ribbons and banners, and there were also beautifully decorated baskets that were raffled off in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. North Branford earned a 1-0 victory over the Knights to seal its spot in states.
North Branford and Westbrook kept each other off the board by playing stingy defense during the first half. With just 4:28 left in the game, senior captain Ava Galdenzi scored the lone goal of the day off of a deflection. Head Coach Babby Nuhn said that senior captain Melanie Norton played a strong game in the midfield and added that senior defender Alyssa Waligroski also turned in a great performance. Senior goalie Jamie Matthews made one save in net to get the shutout.
Two days later, the T-Birds were on the road to face Haddam- Killingworth and claimed a 7-0 victory. Senior captain Ali Barrett recorded a hat trick with three goals, Galdenzi tipped home two goals, and seniors Bianca D’Onofrio and Avonlea LeBeau also found the back of the cage. Matthews and junior Sofia Votto combined for the shutout in net. Junior Aly Kendrick and D’Onofrio both made several stops on defense for North Branford.
Football
North Branford moved to 2-2 on the year after taking a 34-14 road loss against non-conference opponent Rockville on Oct. 5.
The Thunderbirds took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when junior quarterback Brandon Fatta found fellow junior Trevor Holzer on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Rockville came back with three TDs in the second quarter to bring a 20-7 lead into halftime. Rockville notched the only touchdown of the third quarter and then added another TD in the fourth to increase its lead to 33-7. In the fourth quarter, senior Aiden Ferrucci ran for a 49-yard touchdown, after which senior Cameron Afandor rushed in the 2-point conversion to make it 34-14.
Senior Tyler DiNapoli ran the ball 12 times for 63 yards and also caught two passes for 31 yards for North Branford. Holzer had three catches for 18 yards, senior Nate Raymond had two receptions for 27 yards, and junior Alex Cintron added a pair of receptions for 20 yards.
On defense, Afandor grabbed an interception that he returned 38 yards. Senior Xavior Cognata recorded a sack in the contest. Clinton made 12 tackles, DiNapoli had nine tackles, senior Alex LeMere made eight tackles, and Cognata added seven tackles.
North Branford is on the bye week for Week 5. The T-Birds will host Old Saybrook-Westbrook at Colafati Field at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18.
Boys’ Cross Country
North Branford hosted the annual Floyd Parness Invitational at Totoket Park on Oct. 1. The Thunderbirds finished in sixth place as a team at the meet.
Junior Roberto Didiano finished in 14th place with a time of 19:06 for North Branford. Senior Joseph DeLucia (37th, 20:43), junior Conor Leete (61st, 22:51), sophomore Zachary Chittenden (62nd, 22:59), junior Giacomo Didiano (86th, 28:09), and freshman Benjamin Taylor (87th, 28:57) also competed for the T-Birds.
Girls’ Cross Country
The T-Birds competed on their home course at the Floyd Parness Invitational at Totoket Park last week.
Junior Onna Gott turned in North Branford’s best performance by taking 10th place behind a time of 24:41. Also hitting the course for the Thunderbirds were sophomore Regan Leete (33rd, 28:02), freshman Sophie Gambardella (44th, 30:11), and freshman Carolyn Heffernan (45th, 30:15).
Girls’ Soccer
The Thunderbirds gained a tie against a non-conference opponent and also lost a pair of Shoreline Conference games last week. North Branford played Lyman Hall to a 1-0 draw on Sept. 30 and then lost games against Coginchaug and East Hampton to move to 0-6-2 this year.
Against Lyman Hall, senior captain Lexi Rosado scored a goal for the T-Birds to help them get the tie. North Branford went on to take a 3-1 loss to Coginchaug on Oct. 2 and then dropped a 2-0 decision versus East Hampton on Oct. 5.
Boys’ Soccer
North Branford lost three games last week and now has a record of 0-7.
The Thunderbirds took a 10-0 loss at Montville on Sept. 30, lost a 6-0 contest versus Coginchaug on Oct. 2, and took a 9-0 defeat to East Hampton on Oct. 5 in last week’s matchups.
Volleyball
North Branford earned its second victory of the season by winning a non-conference matchup versus Kolbe Cathedral last week. The T-Birds also lost matches against Hale-Ray and Morgan and have a record of 2-8 this season.
On Sept. 30, North Branford won at home versus Kolbe Cathedral via a 3-0 sweep. On Oct. 2, the T-Birds lost to Hale-Ray by a 3-0 score. Two days later, North Branford dropped a 3-1 contest against Morgan.