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10/07/2019 12:00 AMBoys’ Soccer
The Branford boys’ soccer team had a nice week by earning a 2-2 tie with Amity and a 2-0 win against Fairfield Prep. The Hornets improved their record to 4-3-1 on the season with these results.
On Oct. 1, Branford traveled to Woodbridge to face Amity in an SCC Quinnipiac Division matchup. The Hornets battled the Spartans to a 2-2 draw to move to 1-1-1 in divisional play. Amity scored the first goal of the game in the 28th minute, but Branford tied it up six minutes later when junior Ralf Ciarleglio assisted junior James Verdesoto for a goal to make it 1-1 at halftime. After the Spartans took the lead on a goal in the 51st minute, the Hornets knotted it up again when senior Andrew Wirtz scored on an assist by senior Tahj Sutherland in the 59th minute.
Then on Oct. 4, Branford hosted Fairfield Prep and posted a 2-0 shutout over the Jesuits. Ciareglio put the Hornets up 1-0 by scoring a goal on an assist by junior Din Durmic in the 18th minute of the match. In the second half, Wirtz gave Branford some insurance when he scored on an assist from fellow senior Cody McCarns to increase the lead to 2-0. Head Coach Paul Hunter said that McCarns and Verdesoto anchored the Hornets’ central defense and halted all of Fairfield Prep’s attacking opportunities in the game.
Girls’ Soccer
The Hornets played two games last week and came away one victory with to move to 2-3-1 on the year. Branford posted a 2-0 shutout over East Haven before taking a 3-1 versus Foran later in the week.
Branford played a home game against East Haven on Sept. 30 and blanked the Yellowjackets by a 2-0 final. Junior Alayna Boileau scored an unassisted goal to give Branford a 1-0 lead at the 6:49 mark of the first half. Five minutes into the second half, senior Rose Lockery put the Hornets up 2-0 when she scored a goal on an assist from fellow senior Camdyn Dunn. Sophomore Macey Girard recorded her second shutout of the season in goal for the Hornets.
On Oct. 5, Branford was on the road to face Foran and dropped a 3-1 decision. Lockery scored Branford’s goal on an assist from senior Melanie Sachs.
Volleyball
Branford won one of its three matches last week and is now 2-6 on the season. The Hornets recorded a five-set victory over Lyman Hall before losing to Mercy and Hand later in the week.
Branford hosted Lyman Hall for an SCC Oronoque Division matchup on Sept. 30 and rallied for a 3-2 win versus the Trojans. The Hornets took the last two sets of the match to get their first divisional victory of the year, ultimately winning the contest behind set scores of 22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12.
Sophomore Marzia Johnson turned in a big performance for Branford by punching up 17 digs to go with four kills and five aces. Freshman Allie Bietz dished out 15 assists and added four digs in the match. Freshman Paige Kelly had six kills, and junior Anastasia LaFogg contributed six kills for Head Coach Cody Michaels’s squad.
On Oct. 2, Branford took a 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-23) loss at divisional opponent Mercy to drop to 1-3 in the Oronoque. Johnson had 13 digs and two aces, LaFogg contributed six digs with two assists and one ace, and senior Celia Turbert had four kills for the Hornets.
Two days later, Branford hosted Hand and dropped a 3-0 decision versus the Tigers. Turbert and Kelly each had four kills, while junior Breanna Botte had three kills with two blocks and two assists for the Hornets.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
Branford hosted Cheshire for a meet on Oct. 4. The Hornets took a 97-82 defeat against the Rams at Walsh Intermediate School.
Freshman Emma Hall took first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:18.73 for Branford. Junior Katherine Parsell finished first in the 100 breaststroke at 1:21.70. The Hornets’ 400 freestyle relay of junior Melissa Juliano, sophomore Erika Barone, senior Cordelia Keberle, and senior Gabby Gills claimed first place by timing in at 4:04.19.
Football
Branford squared off with Sheehan for a road game at Riccitelli Field in Wallingford on Oct. 6. The Hornets took a 69-14 defeat against the Titans and now have a record of 1-3 on the season.
Branford recorded the first score of the game when senior quarterback Sean Kelly took in a 2-yard touchdown run with 6:32 remaining in the first quarter. Senior Jake Bodner kicked the extra point to make it 7-0. Sheehan came back by scoring the next three touchdowns for a 21-7 lead after the first quarter.
Kelly thew a 5-yard TD pass to senior Cameron Mills for Branford with 9:19 to play in the first half. Bodner’s kick cut the deficit to 21-14. Sheehan scored four touchdowns throughout the rest of the second quarter and held a 49-14 advantage at halftime. The Titans scored one touchdown in the third quarter and two TDs in the fourth quarter on their way to the victory.