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11/13/2018 11:00 PMOne of Ben Marchetti’s favorite parts of playing soccer is when he gets a chance to bury the ball in the net. Ben has done that on numerous occasions as a member of the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ soccer squad, including 30 times during the 2018 campaign.
Ben recently completed his career as a senior captain striker for the Cougars. Last fall, Ben earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors, while helping H-K claim a share of its conference title. This year, Ben recorded 30 goals with 12 assists to again make the All-Shoreline First Team, while helping the Cougars get back to the conference final.
“I just love getting to play outside, and I like scoring and kicking the ball,” says Ben. “My teammates have done a great job to put me in the right positions to score. My coaches have also guided me on how to prepare for how defenders will match up with me.”
Ben enjoys going one-on-one against opposing defenders and then outmaneuvering them to help set up a goal. However, Ben also likes it when everyone on the field plays a hand in helping H-K put one on the board.
“I love to beat a defender by dribbling and trying to create things. I also love the goals when the whole team is involved, and then you get to finish it,” Ben says. “I enjoy playing the position, because it puts you in a spot to score goals. I just love being in a spot where I can create things, even though it can be hard when you are double or triple teamed.”
While Ben is one of several senior leaders for the Cougars, he’s pleased that the team also features a core of talented underclassmen. Ben takes great pride in helping out H-K’s younger athletes as he builds bonds with them.
“We have a really good and young team with quality guys. Being a captain has been an experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Ben says. “I like that I get to be someone who helps the younger guys, because you can also learn things from them, too.”
Head Coach Denis Recchia says that Ben stepped into a leadership role right from jump this season. Recchia adds that Ben proved a great player in the clutch throughout his career with the Cougars.
“Ben helped organize offseason conditioning and get the summer league program running this year. He leads by example from the top of our formation, and all the players look to him in big moments. Many of his goals this year were game-winning or game-tying,” says Recchia. “Ben’s effort is unmatched on the field and in practice. He is always working to perfect his craft. He constantly had to deal with double and triple teams this year and still came through for us in big moments and games.”
H-K shook off some early struggles to play great down the stretch and get back to the Shoreline Conference final this season. Ben says the experience taught him a lot about the importance of never giving up in the face of adversity.
“I’ve grown a lot as a person and as a player through being put through challenging moments and still being successful,” says Ben. “To lead this team back to the Shoreline final that people doubted is a tribute to what this team can accomplish when it puts its mind to it.”