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11/10/2019 11:00 PMThe Hand boys’ soccer squad took a 1-0 defeat against Guilford in the championship game of the SCC Tournament at West Haven High School on Nov. 6. Following a scoreless first half, Anthony Ippolito scored the only goal of the game in the second half to lift Guilford to the victory.
With the win, the 2nd-seeded Indians captured their seventh SCC title in program history and their first since 2009. Guilford improved to 12-1-6 overall as the team gets ready to play in the Class L State Tournament.
Top-seeded Hand moved to 13-2-4 and will also be competing in the Class L bracket as the three-time defending champion beginning this week. Sophomore goalkeeper Timothy Perez made three saves in net for the Tigers versus Guilford. Indians’ goalie John Kosh had four saves to get the shutout.
“We were struggling to create quality chances all game long,” Hand Head Coach Greg Cumpstone said. “We also knew going behind to [Guilford] would be tough. They don’t concede many goals. We always believe that we can score goals, but they defend so well.”
Hand and Guilford had battled to a pair of ties during the regular season. On Sept. 14, the two teams played to a 2-2 draw. Then on Oct. 8, the Tigers and Indians squared off again and the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
In round three, Ippolito scored a goal on a breakaway 2:50 into the second half to give Guilford a 1-0 lead that held up as the final score.
“Our defender lost his bearings. You can’t put a kid like Anthony in that position,” said Cumpstone. “One-on-one with a goalie, he’s ice-cold. It was pretty obvious that he would score, because he’s a great finisher.”
Kosh made a huge save for Guilford midway through the second half. Hand junior Scott Testori broke down the wing and tried to hit a cross shot past Kosh, who came up with the save to maintain the Indians’ one-goal edge. Guilford kept Hand off the board the rest of the way to walk away with the win.
Earlier in the SCC Tournament, Hand earned a 4-2 home victory versus No. 8 seed Amity in a quarterfinal game on Nov. 2. Then on Nov. 4, the Tigers edged out Shelton by a 1-0 score in overtime in a semifinal game at home. Junior Jason Wallack gave Hand the lead when he scored a goal three minutes into the first OT.
Hand is the No. 4 seed in the Class L State Tournament and has a bye through the first round. The Tigers hosted the winner of No. 13 seed Rockville and No. 20 Brookfield for a second-round game on Nov. 13 (after press time). The quarterfinals are on Friday, Nov. 15; the semis take place on either Monday, Nov. 18 or Tuesday, Nov. 19; and the Class L state final will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Guilford is on the same side of the bracket as Hand as the No. 8 seed, setting up a potential fourth meeting of the season between the two teams in the state semifinals
“We’re in the same bracket as Guilford, so we could very well meet again,” Coach Cumpstone said.
Hand’s roster includes seniors Matt Fermo, Cole Finke, Jack Green, Ethan Coe, Parker McDevitt, Miller Salvo, Spencer Hartmann, and Carter Soboleski; juniors Eli Davies, Roman Barahona, Michael Wehrle, Matthew Lungo, Daven Pelaez, Sean Burke, Scott Testori, Ryder McMurray, Christopher Porte, Adam Laffargue, Jason Wallack, and Jack Wilderman; and sophomores Rhett Newton, Lucas Vest, and Timothy Perez.